Lemon Chicken Stuffed Shells
Stop whatever it is you’re doing and make these lemon chicken stuffed shells. Legitimately, stop. Print this recipe, pick up the ingredients, which includes an already done rotisserie chicken. I love pasta, but who am I really fooling? I love food in general. But this mix of, pasta, cheese, and shredded rotisserie chicken is nothing short of divine. The pasta filling reminded me a lot of my grandmother’s chicken croquettas that she’d make completely from scratch. She’d grind the rotisserie chicken with an old school meat grinder, clamped onto the corner of her counter top. It was surely one of those moments where the flavor took me back to my childhood. It’s just like the movie Ratatouille where, Anton Ego, the food critic get’s taken back to his childhood upon taking a bite of the Ratatouille. Either way, this meal is sure to appease to your family and it will surely be on regular, heavy rotation! Enjoy!
Lemon Chicken Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
2 dozen jumbo pasta shells (a 16 oz. box will suffice)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken e.g. rotisserie chicken
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tbsp)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup grated mozzarella
Prepare
1.Boil a large salted pot of water and cook the pasta shells al dente according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position.
3. Add the chicken, cream cheese, lemon juice, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper (I’m quite generous with it) to a bowl and stir it together until you’ve got a smooth mixture.
4. Grease the inside of an oven-proof skillet or baking dish with the olive oil to minimize the shells/cheese sticking on.
5. Drain the shells once they’re cooked, and then spoon the mixture into each shell (I like to use a teaspoon to do this).
6. Arrange the shells in the skillet or baking dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella over top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If you want the cheese to brown, broil it for a few minutes on high (watch that it doesn’t burn). Serve immediately.
Notes: I fit about 20 jumbo shells into my 10 1/4″ cast iron skillet. It’ll vary depending on what you use to bake them in.
- 2 dozen jumbo pasta shells (a 16 oz. box will suffice)
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken e.g. rotisserie chicken
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tbsp)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup grated mozzarella
- Boil a large salted pot of water and cook the pasta shells al dente according to package directions.
- Preheat oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position.
- Add the chicken, cream cheese, lemon juice, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper (I'm quite generous with it) to a bowl and stir it together until you've got a smooth mixture.
- Grease the inside of an oven-proof skillet or baking dish with the olive oil to minimize the shells/cheese sticking on.
- Drain the shells once they're cooked, and then spoon the mixture into each shell (I like to use a teaspoon to do this).
- Arrange the shells in the skillet or baking dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella over top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If you want the cheese to brown, broil it for a few minutes on high (watch that it doesn't burn). Serve immediately.
- I fit about 20 jumbo shells into my 10 1/4" cast iron skillet. It'll vary depending on what you use to bake them in.
