Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells – An easy weeknight meal that feeds a crowd! Pasta shells stuffed with breaded chicken tenders, a blend of cheeses, and marinara sauce topped with bread crumbs and baked until golden brown. These stuffed shells are an amazing meal!

Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells

It’s no secret that chicken parmesan is a favorite of mine, I love making different variations of it such as my chicken parmesan dip which has been one of my more popular recipes since it came out! Combining the amazing flavors of chicken parmesan with stuffed shell pasta was a truly perfect match.  The pasta shells are filled with ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan along with chicken tenders before being topped with marinara, bread crumbs, and more cheese.  Oh yeah, more cheese.  You can never go wrong with adding more cheese.  This meal only takes 40 minutes to make and the stuffed shells heat up really well the next day! I just popped the leftovers in the oven to reheat with some extra mozzarella on top and they tasted just as delicious.  If you are looking for a fun spin on a classic italian meal, then this is the perfect recipe to try out for dinner tonight!

 Tips and tricks on this chicken parmesan stuffed shells recipe

• What is a stuffed shell? It’s a jumbo shell pasta filled with delicious filling such as cheese and meat before being baked.  I did actually have to explain it to my friend who was over for dinner because he hadn’t heard of them before!
• Using breaded chicken tenders really takes them to the next step but that is totally optional.  If you want to cut out a bit of the carbs, you can use plain chicken breasts instead.
• Make sure you give the jumbo shell pasta a bit of time to cool before stuffing them with filling.  I’ll admit, I got a bit excited about making dinner and I didn’t wait for them to cool and was playing hot potato with the noodles each time I picked them up because they were so hot! Be careful!
• Spooning in the filling to the shells is easy but another way is to put the filling in a ziploc bag, cut of the end, and pipe it into each shell.
• I used a 9″x13″ baking dish for the stuffed shells.  Make sure you do use a dish with a rim, you don’t want the marinara sauce overflowing out of the dish.

 

You may need…

This casserole dish is perfect for baking the stuffed shells in.  It’s the right size and it’s deep enough that you can pile on the marinara sauce and cheese without worrying about anything overflowing.

A pasta pot that has plenty of room for the pasta and water.  This one has a built in straining lid!

Some more pasta recipes to try!

Creamy Brie Mac and Cheese – Elbow macaroni topped with creamy cheese sauce made with brie, parmesan, and gruyere and baked. This easy baked mac and cheese is the perfect meal for cheese lovers!

Broccoli Cheddar Orzo – Orzo, broccoli, and a delicious cheddar cheese sauce. Perfect for lunch or an easy weeknight dinner!

Creamy Garlic Pasta – A quick and easy 30 minute meal packed full of flavor! A creamy roasted garlic sauce over penne pasta! Don’t forget to top with chicken and parmesan!

Yield: 8

Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells

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Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells - An easy weeknight meal that feeds a crowd! Pasta shells stuffed with breaded chicken tenders, a blend of cheeses, and marinara sauce topped with bread crumbs and baked until golden brown. These stuffed shells are an amazing meal!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 package jumbo shell pasta
• 5-6 chicken tenders
• 2 cups marinara
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Instructions

1. Cook chicken tenders and jumbo shell pasta according to instructions on the packaging. Make sure to drain pasta and well and let cool a bit before proceeding. Cut chicken tenders into chunks that are about 1/2 inch cubes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta, half of the mozzarella, parmesan, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
3. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with half of the marinara sauce. Spread it evenly around. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoon of ricotta filling into each of the shells before placing 2 chunks of chicken on top of the filling. Place face up in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining shells.
4. Cover the shells with the remaining marinara and sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese and bread crumbs on top. Place in oven and bake 20-22 minutes.

Notes

Originally posted on The Salty Marshmallow

Looking for a bread recipe to pair with these stuffed shells?

Make sure to check out these recipes from other bloggers:

Four Cheese Roasted Garlic Bread from An Affair from the Heart

Easy Feta Olive Bread from Who Needs a Cape?

No-Knead Bread from Life Currents

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