Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells (Printable)
Pasta shells filled with creamy chicken, ricotta, and baked in a rich Alfredo sauce with melted cheese.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 20 jumbo pasta shells
02 - Salt, for boiling water
→ Filling
03 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, finely shredded
04 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
05 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
06 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
→ Alfredo Sauce
12 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
13 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
14 - 1 cup heavy cream
15 - 1 cup whole milk
16 - 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
17 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
18 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Topping
19 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
20 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
21 - Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
# How To Cook:
01 - Set the oven temperature to 375°F.
02 - Boil salted water in a large pot and cook the jumbo pasta shells until al dente as per package directions. Drain and allow to cool slightly.
03 - In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, ricotta, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan, egg, garlic powder, Italian herbs, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly until smooth and uniform.
04 - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Pour in heavy cream and whole milk, heating to a gentle simmer. Stir in grated Parmesan and nutmeg if using, whisk until sauce slightly thickens. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from heat.
05 - Spread 1 cup of Alfredo sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
06 - Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling into each pasta shell and arrange them in the baking dish atop the sauce.
07 - Pour the remaining Alfredo sauce evenly over the stuffed shells. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese.
08 - Cover the dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
09 - Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until the cheese topping is bubbly and golden brown.
10 - Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the hot dish before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It looks restaurant-quality but comes together faster than you'd expect, perfect for impressing people on a regular weeknight.
- Everything gets folded into that creamy filling, so you're not juggling five different components—just one gorgeous bowl of chicken and cheese.
- The bubbling cheese top is pure theater, golden and crispy while the inside stays tender and rich.
02 -
- If your sauce looks broken or grainy after adding the Parmesan, you've cooked it too hot or added the cheese too fast; the fix is to take it off the heat, let it cool a minute, and whisk in a splash of cold milk to bring it back together.
- Underfilled shells collapse into the sauce during baking, but overfilled ones burst open, so aim for that sweet spot of about two tablespoons of filling per shell—it's less than you think.
03 -
- Buy pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store deli—shredding it takes two minutes and tastes infinitely better than boiling chicken at home.
- Let your Alfredo sauce cool slightly before pouring it over the shells; if it's too hot, it can make the ricotta mixture separate rather than meld together.