Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells (Printable)

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with creamy chicken, ricotta, and mozzarella, topped with homemade Alfredo sauce and baked until bubbly.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 16 jumbo pasta shells

→ Chicken Filling

02 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
03 - 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
04 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
05 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Alfredo Sauce

11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
13 - 1 cup heavy cream
14 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 - 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, optional
16 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Topping

17 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
18 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
19 - Chopped parsley for garnish, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
02 - Cook jumbo pasta shells according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
03 - In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
04 - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Gradually whisk in Parmesan cheese until smooth and thickened. Season with nutmeg if desired, salt, and pepper.
05 - Spread 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
06 - Fill each cooked pasta shell with approximately 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture and arrange them in the dish.
07 - Pour remaining Alfredo sauce evenly over the filled shells.
08 - Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the top.
09 - Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
10 - Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.
11 - Allow to cool for 5 minutes before garnishing with parsley and serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It turns plain weeknight chicken into something that feels special enough for company without any fuss.
  • The shells hold all that creamy filling like little edible bowls, so every bite is perfectly balanced.
  • You can assemble the whole thing in the morning and just pop it in the oven when you're ready to eat.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully, and somehow they taste even better the next day.
02 -
  • Don't overcook the shells in the boiling stage or they'll tear when you try to stuff them, I learned this the hard way with a pile of broken pasta and a lot of frustration.
  • Let the shells cool for a few minutes before filling them, hot pasta is floppy and impossible to work with neatly.
  • If your ricotta is watery, drain it in a fine-mesh sieve for ten minutes or your filling will be soupy and slide right out.
  • Reserve a little pasta water before draining, you can stir it into the Alfredo sauce if it gets too thick.
03 -
  • Use a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off to fill the shells quickly and neatly, it's faster than a spoon and way less messy.
  • Make a double batch of the filling and freeze half, then you can stuff and bake shells on a busy weeknight without any prep work.
  • If the Alfredo sauce breaks or looks grainy, pull it off the heat and whisk in a tablespoon of cold cream to bring it back together.
  • Let the baked shells sit for a full five minutes before serving, this makes them much easier to plate without falling apart.
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