Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells are a comforting dinner that’s easy to make and always a family favorite. Fun for the kids to help make too!
If you like Classic Chicken Parmesan, then you’re going to love this Pasta. You can also try making my Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Shells or my Bacon, Beef, and Beer Stuffed Shells.
Sabrina’s Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells Recipe
The delicious dinner has been a huge hit with everyone who’s tried it. The gooey, melty cheese and crispy chicken are kids’ favorite flavors. Plus, the giant shells are always a fun new way to serve a meal. But adults also love Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells. You don’t have to be a kid to love melty cheese, comforting pasta, and crispy chicken. It’s pretty much always going to be a classic.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells
- 2 cups chicken tenders , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley , minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the pasta shells in a pot according to the directions on the box and drain.
- To a large heavy skillet add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and canned diced tomatoes. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in half the mozzarella cheese and the chopped chicken tenders.
- Scoop the mixture into the jumbo pasta shells and place into a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- To the pot add the marinara sauce, tomato paste, and Parmesan cheese on medium heat.
- Stir well and bring to a simmer, then spoon the mixture over and around the stuffed shells.
- Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in a covered pan for 20 minutes..
- Garnish with parsley and additional Parmesan cheese before serving.
Nutrition
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Note from Sabrina
You can use a piping bag to pipe the filling into the shells to make for easier clean up. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can always put the filling into a Ziplock bag and snip the corner off and use that as a piping bag. Plus, it’s even easier clean up since you can just throw the Ziplock bag away when your done!
Table of contents
About this Recipe
This whole weeknight meal is easy to make in just 40 minutes. The flavors of Chicken Parmesan all come together in this crowd-pleasing meal. With chopped crispy chicken tenders, Italian seasoning, fresh marinara sauce, and delicious melty cheese all stuffed into a giant pasta shell, it’s simply the perfect meal!
Ingredients
- 12 oz Jumbo Pasta Shells: Jumbo shell pasta is the perfect way to change up a classic pasta dish. Instead of serving the sauce and meat on top of the noodles, it’s all used as a delicious filling for the shells.
- 2 cups Chicken Tenders: This recipe calls for chicken strips because they have a nice, crispy coating like traditional Chicken Parmesan does. It’s the perfect way to use up leftover Chicken Tenders.
- Cheese: Cheese is an important component. The mozzarella cheese is mixed with the diced tomatoes and chicken pieces, while the Parmesan is combined with the marinara sauce. Then the whole recipe is finished off with another cheese layer of each variety. The cheese coats the other ingredients and melts to bubbly perfection in the shells.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Make your evening easier by prepping these Stuffed Shells ahead of time. The day before you want to serve it, prepare the dish according to the recipe, but don’t put it in the oven. Cover tightly and place it in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook it, preheat your oven. Allow for more cooking time because you’re cooking the dish from cold. Once it is melty and bubbly, it is ready to be removed from the oven. Let cool for a few minutes, serve, and enjoy.
Pairing Suggestions
While the Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells are baking, it’s the perfect time to get some simple side dishes prepped. You can toss together a bowl of fresh green salad with Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing (Copycat) for a light, refreshing side. Garlic Bread is also a family favorite with Italian food and perfect to round out your dinner table.
How to Store
- Serve: Don’t leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: To keep leftovers, you can cover them in plastic wrap or transfer the shells to an airtight container. Then they’ll stay good for 3-5 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze for up to 3 months.
Variations
- Bread Crumbs: You can give the Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells a crispy bread crumb coating with panko crumbs. Just sprinkle the crumbs over the shells at the same time you add the remaining mozzarella. Then pop it in the oven to bake until the crispy bread crumbs are lightly toasted and the cheese is bubbly.
- Seasonings: Add a little extra flavor with seasonings like fresh basil, rosemary, chives, onion powder, or red pepper flakes.
- Cheese Filling: There are so many delicious kinds of cheese that you can add to the cheese mixture. Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or provolone cheese would all taste amazing.
- Chicken Pieces: If you don’t have leftover crispy chicken tenders, you can use other kinds of chicken for the recipe. Roasted Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, grilled chicken, or ground chicken would also work really well.
- Impossible Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells: This dish is perfect for a meat substitute. Grab some Impossible Chicken Nuggets and chop them up the same way you would chicken tenders. Add them to the mixture and prepare the rest of the recipe as instructed.
- Veggies: If you want, you can add some extra vegetables to the sauce mixture. Chop up some peppers, red or yellow onion, or zucchini to mix into the homemade sauce. Then spoon the veggie sauce over the stuffed pasta shells before baking. It’s a great way to add some extra nutrition, color, and texture to the dish.
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These photos were in a previous version of this post:
This was everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! Easy, hearty and delicious; my kind of comfort food, indeed!
We were craving Italian comfort food last night and this totally hit the spot. What a yummy way to combine the best of both worlds — pasta and chicken parm! My whole family loved it.
shut up! this is the combination of my two most favorite dishes and I cannot thank you for sharing this recipe! this is killer!
Absolutely Delicious! It was a big hit!!
Need I say more.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!