Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells for Supper

Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells are the ultimate comfort food—crispy chicken, rich marinara, and gooey cheese all baked into jumbo shells.

Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells

My husband’s favorite meal (besides a really great grilled steak) is stuffed shells. He loves them! Another meal he can’t get enough of is chicken Parmesan. So why not mash the two together to make the ultimate comfort meal?! And while I was sure these would be a hit, I never expected so much praise! In fact, the whole family is obsessed with them, myself included.

We make this meal so often that I’ve come up with some shortcuts along the way. Throughout this post, I’ll share ways to make this recipe from scratch (if you’ve got extra time or are feeling ambitious) and I’ll share the shortcuts for how to make this meal come together a bit quicker. Let’s get started!

Marinara

The base of these Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells is the marinara sauce and once the shells are loaded, they’re covered in more of it. The marinara can either be bought (quick and straightforward) or made from scratch.

If going the store-bought route, I highly recommend Rao’s® marinara sauce: (not sponsored). This marinara sauce is the absolute best on these stuffed shells – it’s got a rich flavor and tastes from-scratch.

To make marinara from scratch, here’s my go-to recipe:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• 2 (28 ounces each) cans of peeled and crushed tomatoes (Muir Glen®, fire-roasted recommended!)
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium burner. Add in the finely chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook until tender — about 5-6 minutes.
2. Add in the basil (coarsely chop or cut it with kitchen shears — no stems) and then the cans of tomatoes. Next, add in the sugar, a generous amount of salt and pepper, and the Italian seasoning.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer until the other ingredients are ready (shells and the chicken).

Chicken Tenders

Once the shells are filled with the cheesy layer, they are stuffed with pieces of crispy, baked chicken tenders. Again, the chicken can be made from scratch or purchased ready-made (quick and straightforward).

Store-bought route: While I’m no expert at packaged crispy chicken tenders (I don’t buy them all that often), I personally use Tyson’s crispy chicken strips for these Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells (not sponsored). I do recommend baking, not microwaving, the chicken tenders. Let the crispy chicken cool to a warm temperature and then give them a quick coarse chop before adding to the shells.

Make your own tenders

To make crispy chicken tenders from scratch, here’s my go-to recipe:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup white flour
• Salt, pepper, paprika
• 2 large eggs
• 1 and 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1. 
   Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut widthwise into a few large, even pieces.
   
2. 
   Grab three small bowls. Fill up the first with flour (mix in some salt and pepper. Add some paprika if desired — about 1 teaspoon of each). Fill the second with the two eggs. Add in 1 tablespoon of water and beat with a fork. Take the third bowl and fill it with the Italian breadcrumbs.
   
3. 
   Place the chicken pieces in the flour and lightly coat each piece. Then quickly dip each piece in the eggs, and then dredge in the breadcrumbs (I use all of them for 1 pound of chicken). Repeat the process once more (double breading makes these super satisfying)– flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs– for the second time.
   
4. 
   Heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-a hot burner. Place the chicken pieces in the oil and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side (turning the chicken once) until completely cooked through (165 degrees F).
   
5. 
   Remove to a cutting board to allow to slightly cool. Coarsely chop and add to the recipe.
   

Chicken Parm Stuffed Shell tips

• Cook a few extra shells. Occasionally a shell (or a few!) will break, so boil a few extra shells to use just in case. Eat leftover shells with marinara sauce!
• Salt the pasta water. Make sure the jumbo pasta shells are well salted as they cook, since salting is the only chance you have to season the actual pasta. Read about how to properly salt your pasta water here. As a general rule of thumb, I add 1 teaspoon salt to 4 cups of water.
• Stuff the shells efficiently. Add the cheese mixture to a gallon-sized zipper-top plastic bag. Press the cheese mixture to one side of the bag and using scissors, cut off a 1-inch opening in the corner. Squeeze the cheese mixture into each shell and gently press the mixture down to make sure the cheese fills 32 shells about 3/4 full.
• Completely cover the shells with sauce. Aim to cover every part of the shells with marinara sauce so you don’t get crispy, overcooked edges of the pasta.

Quick Tip

Parmesan cheese comes in many forms. For the best results, skip the canned cheese and grate your own cheese as you need it. The quality and taste difference is incredible!

More comfort food recipes

• Italian Sausage Stuffed Shells with seasoned cream cheese
• Chicken Parmesan Meatballs in from-scratch marinara sauce
• slow cooker Pot Roast with carrots and potatoes
• Philly Cheesesteak Pasta with peppers and mushrooms
• Creamy Pesto Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes

Ingredients

• 32 jumbo pasta shells
• Salt
• 2-1/2 cups cooked and chopped crispy chicken (see note 1)
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh basil (divided)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce (divided; It is worth Rao’s)
• 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Method

1. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium burner. Add in the finely chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook until tender — about 5-6 minutes.
2. Add in the basil (coarsely chop or cut it with kitchen shears — no stems) and then the cans of tomatoes. Next, add in the sugar, a generous amount of salt and pepper, and the Italian seasoning.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer until the other ingredients are ready (shells and the chicken).
4. Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut widthwise into a few large, even pieces.
5. Grab three small bowls. Fill up the first with flour (mix in some salt and pepper. Add some paprika if desired — about 1 teaspoon of each). Fill the second with the two eggs. Add in 1 tablespoon of water and beat with a fork. Take the third bowl and fill it with the Italian breadcrumbs.
6. Place the chicken pieces in the flour and lightly coat each piece. Then quickly dip each piece in the eggs, and then dredge in the breadcrumbs (I use all of them for 1 pound of chicken). Repeat the process once more (double breading makes these super satisfying)– flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs– for the second time.
7. Heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-a hot burner. Place the chicken pieces in the oil and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side (turning the chicken once) until completely cooked through (165 degrees F).
8. Remove to a cutting board to allow to slightly cool. Coarsely chop and add to the recipe.
9. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and keep nearby.
10. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a generous amount of salt (1 teaspoon for every 4 cups of water), then add in the pasta shells. I usually cook a few extra in case some fall apart. Cook for 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente. Drain the shells and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and allow them to be easily separated. Drain off any water and separate shells onto a sheet of parchment paper.
11. Place the ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, egg, Parmesan, 1/4 cup chopped basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried parsley, and minced garlic in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper (I add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Stir until combined. move this cheese mixture to a large (gallon-size) zipper-top plastic bag. With scissors, snip 1 inch off the corner of the bag and “pipe” the cheese mixture into each of the 32 shells. Each shell should get a heaping 1 tablespoon of cheese mixture (which should fill 32 shells just over halfway full).
12. Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce along the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add cheese-stuffed shells in baking dish on top of the marinara. Press the chopped chicken pieces into each shell on top of the cheese mixture, using up all the chicken. Spoon remaining sauce over stuffed shells, being mindful to cover all the pasta so it doesn’t dry out during baking.
13. Cover the dish with foil; bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake uncovered 10–15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
14. While that cooks, heat oil in a nonstick skillet over a medium burner. Add panko; stir to coat. Cook and stir 2–4 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Sprinkle over baked shells along with the remaining 2 tablespoons basil. Enjoy hot!