Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells - two delicious dinner favorites in one dish! Jumbo shells stuffed with cottage cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and fried chicken and baked in marinara sauce. Makes a lot of food. Great for dinner parties and potlucks. Can make in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later. Serve with garlic bread and a salad for a meal better than any restaurant!
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Cook jumbo pasta shells according to package. Drain and cool.
Combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, dried parsley and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
Stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture and one piece of chicken per shell. Place shells in prepared baking dish. Top with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese. (Can freeze at this point)
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly.
Notes:
I use frozen popcorn chicken. You can substitute chopped fried chicken tenders.
There is no need to fully thaw the chicken before using it. It will bake along with the pasta.
My favorite store-bought spaghetti sauces are Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara (green label), Rao’s, and La Famiglia DelGrosso.
What cheese goes in stuffed shells? I use cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. You can substitute any cheese that you prefer: ricotta cheese, asiago, or provolone are all good.
Feel free to add some Italian seasoning to the cheese mixture for extra flavor.
Can Stuffed Shells be made in advance? Yes! You can assemble the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate until you are ready to bake. You may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time if baking straight from the refrigerator.
Can Stuffed Shells be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze.
To bake the shells after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed.
The shells will keep 3 to 4 months in the freezer.
This makes a lot of food. Feel free to split the casserole between two pans. Bake one and freeze one for later.