Chicken Alfredo Manicotti
A cheesy pasta bake stuffed with a juicy strip of chicken and doused in a garlic parmesan cheese sauce.
Can you imagine stuffing the flavors of chicken alfredo in a giant tube pasta like lasagna? Let me tell you something about chicken alfredo manicotti. It’s very very good. Take some cooked chicken and slice into up into long strips. Stuff cooked pasta tubes, stuff it with a alfredo-y ricotta filling, then slide the strip of chicken inside. Layer the pasta in a dish, cover it with alfredo sauce, and bake it in the oven until you’ve reach maximum golden cheesiness.
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This recipe is three components: juicy chicken, garlic ricotta filling, and alfredo sauce.
Boil your noodles first, cook your chicken on the stovetop, mix up your filling, and if you’re in a pinch use store-bought alfredo. Don’t forget to top it with a handful or two of grated mozzarella cheese. Be sure to bake this in an oven until that cheese is golden and watch how fast your family eats this one up!
The process and execution are very self explanatory. Use components here to cheat your way through this recipe if you’re in a pinch. The most important part of this recipe is the manicotti.
Make these ahead for an easy pop-in-the-oven dinner. You can even freeze a batch and bake it directly from the freezer. Be sure to store this in an aluminum tray for easy reheat, if you’re storing it in the freezer.
This recipe is perfect for customizations like Italian sausage or even a vodka sauce version. Amp up your pasta nights with something like this. The texture, the parmesan cheesy flavor. It’s so good!
Chicken Alfredo Manicotti
Ingredients
- 8 oz. manicotti
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
For filling:
- 2 cups skim-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Preparation
- Cook the manicotti noodles in a pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions to al dente. Remove to a pan and let cool slightly
- While noodles are cooking, make the alfredo sauce. In a pan, melt the butter and cook the garlic over medium-high heat until lightly golden and fragrant.
- Toast the flour with a wooden spoon while stirring it into the butter. Whisk in the milk and cream, then bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low then fold in the parmesan cheese until cheesy and incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the filling ingredients together. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F and prepare a 9x13 baking dish.
- Fill the manicotti with a butter knife or spoon on each side. Repeat for remaining manicotti.
- In the 9x13 tray, ladle half the sauce in the bottom of the pan, then arrange manicotti in the sauce, finish with more manicotti and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the cheesy is lightly golden and sauce is bubbly. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!