Smothered in rich alfredo sauce, Chicken Alfredo Pasta Shells are simple but satisfying. You’ll love this weeknight dinner recipe that’s stuffed with chicken, broccoli, and creamy cheese.
Weeknight meals are all about planning ahead. Our classic stuffed shells recipe is a great place to start. And speaking of easy, give our ravioli lasagna recipe a try next.
Stuffed Shells with Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Alfredo Pasta Shells are a freezer-friendly recipe that’s a cinch to make ahead of time.
After prep and freezing, all you have to do is assemble and pop them in the oven.
- Shredded chicken and broccoli make a nourishing, protein-packed filling for the shells.
- By using pre-made alfredo sauce, you’ll save a ton of time and effort.
- Three kinds of cheese make this dish rich and flavorful.
If you want to eat these the same day you make them, they’ll take about an hour to complete. But the delicious end result is entirely worth it, and so are the leftovers!
Check out some of our other favorite chicken recipes soon.
Ingredient Notes
- Jumbo pasta shells – These giant pasta shells hold the creamy chicken filling. They’re also visually appealing and lend that chewy pasta texture that everyone loves.
- Alfredo sauce – The filled shells swim in this creamy alfredo sauce. And since it’s already made, you’ll save time and know it will turn out perfectly.
- Parmesan cheese – Parmesan adds its sharp, tangy flavor to the topping. Buy the pre-shredded kind to save time and effort.
- Mozzarella cheese – Creamy, melty mozzarella tops off the shells along with the parmesan. Baking the dish uncovered for the last 5 minutes melts the mozzarella perfectly.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Cook this chicken a day ahead of time if possible and shred it once it’s cool. This takes some planning ahead but will save you a ton of time in the end.
- Broccoli – Fresh is best, but frozen broccoli can be used. Thaw and drain excess liquid.
- Cream cheese – This is the base of the creamy shell filling. Cream cheese brings richness and a tangy flavor.
- Garlic – Any Italian-style dish must have garlic, right? Press or mince the garlic beforehand, so its flavor gets into every shell.
How to Make Alfredo Stuffed Shells
- Cook the pasta shells until they’re al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Fill each pasta shell with 2 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture. Using a cookie scoop of this size will help you scoop faster.
- Pour one jar of the alfredo sauce into a large baking dish, covering the bottom.
- Lay out a single layer of the filled pasta shells on top of the sauce. Evenly pour the remaining alfredo sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the parmesan and mozzarella.
- Cover the dish with foil, then bake in a 350°F oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil, then bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes until all the cheese on top is melted.
Serving Suggestions
Wondering what to serve with these Chicken Alfredo Shells? An Olive Garden Italian Salad is a perfect counterpart that brings tons of fresh flavor.
For bready accompaniments, Bruschetta makes the best appetizer for multi-course meals. And any pasta dish is even better with classic Garlic Bread or my Olive Garden Breadsticks on the side.
Thinking about dessert after this meal? Keep it Italian-style with this light and airy Southern Italian Cream Cake. Or take it to the next level with my homemade crunchy-creamy Cannoli.
I’m a big fan of alfredo sauce. This Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo recipe is made often in our home! It’s so fast, and so creamy, I think you’ll love it too!
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Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1 box jumbo pasta shells, cooked 16 ounce (about 40 shells)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 1 ½ cups broccoli florets diced
- 6 ounce cream cheese softened
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 jars alfredo sauce
Instructions
- Cook pasta shells according to package to al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked, shredded chicken with broccoli, cream cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Using a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop, fill each pasta shell with a scoop of chicken mixture.
- In a large baking dish, pour one jar of alfredo sauce in the bottom of the dish. Add a single layer of pasta shells. Drizzle remaining jar of alfredo sauce over the top and sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Cover dish with foil.
- Bake in a 350°F oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and return to oven for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted on top!
Notes
- To freeze Chicken Alfredo Pasta Shells, complete steps 1-3. Once the shells are stuffed, spread them out on a cookie sheet and freeze for 15-30 minutes. Then transfer to gallon-sized ziplock freezer bags and store them.
- Bake the shells after freezing, resume the process with step 4. Cover and bake with foil on top for one hour. Then finish with 5-10 minutes more in the oven, uncovered, to melt the cheese.
- Scale this recipe down by only cooking the number of shells you need for each meal. For example, 10 shells will need ¼ cup parmesan cheese, ¼ cup mozzarella cheese, and ½ jar alfredo sauce.
- To change up the filling in the shells, you have options. Try using small-diced asparagus, kale, zucchini, or red bell pepper. It’s best to cook them briefly in a skillet before baking, so they turn out nice and tender.
should I use fresh or frozen broccoli? Since it’s not cooked before it goes into the shells, I would assume frozen?
I used fresh. If you use frozen, you will want to thaw it so that you don’t have the extra moisture in the pasta.
I never did Chicken alfredo until now even if I love it when I`m at the restaurant :). I will make it tonight for my family. Thank you.
Does this work with homemade alfredo sauce? I’ve found that reheating homemade alfredo (cream, butter, parm) can often turn into a greasy pool of oil. A 1/2-1 teaspoon of cornstarch sometimes helps to bind the sauce. Do you think it would reheat okay?
What size jars of sauce?
Oh man! I feel like that’s one of those moments where you’re simultaneously proud of your child and also seriously annoyed 🙂 These shells look amazing and I love that you can freeze them… Pinned!
yes. 🙂 Thanks for pinning!!
You daughter sounds like a very intelligent kid! 🙂 What a yummy dish!
Haha, she is 🙂
I love Alfredo anything, but combine it with chicken and broccoli and you’ve got…winner, winner chicken dinner! Great freezer meal too.
LOVE having a bag of these shells in my freezer for a meal down the road!