Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Manicotti
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Are you ever looking for new and creative ways to use Alfredo Sauce? Tossing with your favorite pasta is an obvious choice, but not much of a recipe. That is where this amazing Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Manicotti comes into play.
Oh my word, it is delicious!! Thick, rich sauce surrounds cheesey chicken filled pasta for a meal the entire family will love.
Chicken Alfredo Spaghetti Squash is another delicious way to use Alfredo sauce!
No, this is not diet food. Like, there is literally no diet out there that would consider this light or healthy. This is delicious, soul warming, comfort food that would make an Italian grandmother proud.
Ingredients
- Manicotti – or pasta tubes/shells of your choice
- Ricotta Cheese
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Egg
- Parsley
- Diced, Cooked Chicken – I used rotisserie chicken
- Alfredo Sauce – homemade or store-bought
- 13 x 9 Baking Dish
Check out the printable recipe card below for the complete recipe and detailed instructions.
How to make Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Manicotti
Cook pasta according to package directions. Mine took 7 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk the ricotta cheese with an egg in a large bowl.
Mix in the parsley, salt and pepper.
Stir in the chopped chicken.
Next, stir in one cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish.
Spoon the filling mixture into the cooled pasta tubes. (do not overfill)
Arrange the filled pasta in a single layer over the sauce.
Pour remaining sauce over the filled pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley and serve.
So much deliciousness!!
Recipe Notes
- Manicotti was the only pasta available at the store. You could also use Cannelloni Tubes or Jumbo Shells.
- If you are not in the mood to stuff pasta, you could layer the sauce and filling between cooked lasagna noodles!
- Cooked shrimp would be a delicious substitute if you do not have chicken available.
- There were 14 shells in my 8 ounce package, but I could only fit 12 into the pan and two broke apart while boiling.
What is the easiest way to stuff pasta shells?
To be honest, placing the filling in a pastry bag or zipper topped bag with the corner snipped off would be the fastest way to make manicotti. I was too lazy to look for a bag so I used a thin silicone spatula and it worked just fine. You can also use a small spoon or fork. Whatever you feel most comfortable with is ultimately the easiest.
Can I freeze the Manicotti?
Freezing and Baking Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Manicotti
Prepare and Assemble:
Fill the manicotti shells with your chicken alfredo filling as usual, then place them in a freezer-safe baking dish. Pour the Alfredo sauce over the filled shells, making sure they’re fully covered (this prevents freezer burn).
Cover for Freezing:
Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap, then cover it again with aluminum foil. For extra protection, you can also place the whole dish in a large freezer bag if it fits.
Freeze:
Label the dish with the date and freeze it for up to 2-3 months.
Bake from Frozen:
When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove any plastic wrap, leaving only the foil on top.
Bake covered for about 45-60 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the manicotti is heated through.
(Tip: If it starts to dry out, add a little extra Alfredo sauce or a splash of milk halfway through baking.)
Thawing Option:
If you prefer, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator overnight. This can reduce baking time to about 30-40 minutes covered and 10-15 minutes uncovered.
More delicious Pasta recipes:
- Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
- Double Shrimp Pasta
- Sloppy Joe Pasta Skillet
- Chicken Enchilada Pasta
- Linguine alla Carbonara
Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Manicotti
Equipment
- 13 x 9 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 12 manicotti pasta shells cooked according to package directions
- 15 ounces Alfredo sauce
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese I used the whole-milk version
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley plus more to garnish
- 2 cups diced chicken I used rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided – solid, not fresh packed in water
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus more to garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Mine took 7 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk the ricotta cheese with an egg in a large bowl.
- Mix in the parsley, salt and pepper.
- Stir in the chopped chicken. Next, stir in one cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish.
- Spoon the filling mixture into the cooled pasta tubes. (do not overfill)
- Arrange the filled pasta in a single layer over the sauce.
- Pour remaining sauce over the filled pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
- Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley and serve.
Notes
- Manicotti was the only pasta available at the store. You could also use Cannelloni Tubes or Jumbo Shells.
- If you are not in the mood to stuff pasta, you could layer the sauce and filling between cooked lasagna noodles!
- Cooked shrimp would be a delicious substitute if you do not have chicken available.
- There were 14 shells in my 8 ounce package, but I could only fit 12 into the pan and two broke apart while boiling.
This sounds like exactly the recipe I’m looking for. I don’t know if I’m crazy, but I don’t see how much chicken to use. Can you let me know?
Thank you
No you are not crazy Kathy, my recipe plugin is! It is 2 cups of diced/chopped chicken. 🙂
How much chicken did you use? Not on ingredients list.
2 cups diced/chopped chicken, Pete. Thanks so much for letting me know!