Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells
- PREP 10min
- COOK 40min
- TOTAL 50min
These stuffed shells are perfect for dinner, but make the perfect appetizer when watching the game. The stuffing is not very gooey, so you can easily pick up a shell with your fingers and take a bite without mess. When making stuffed shells, add a few more dried pasta shells to the water than you will need since some will rip. The filling for this recipe should fill about 16 shells.
You Will Need
20 jumbo dried pasta shells
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground chicken
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 celery sticks, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
6 to 8 tablespoons Frank’s cayenne pepper hot sauce
4 ounces ricotta cheese (about 1/2 cup)
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup), plus more for tops of shells
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta shells then follow package directions for cooking the shells. Drain, and then rinse the shells with cold water.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. As the chicken cooks, use a wooden spoon to break the chicken up into small pieces in the pan. Stir in the garlic powder and celery then season with about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
Take the pan off of the heat then stir in hot sauce, ricotta cheese, blue cheese, and parsley. (If you are sensitive to spicy food, it is a good idea to add about half of the hot sauce, taste, and then add more from there).
Fill each shell with buffalo chicken filling and arrange into the baking dish. Scatter blue cheese on top. Bake until the tips of the shells begin to brown, about 25 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- The filling can be made in advance and should last in your refrigerator up to 3 days and in your freezer for about 3 months. We recommend using freezer-safe glass containers, or double layers of freezer bags. To thaw, leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
- Baked shells freeze well. Let them cool completely on a rack before freezing, and then wrap it well with foil (we use two layers). Defrost the frozen shells overnight in the refrigerator and then bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
- Filled and unbaked shells can be made up to 1 day in advance. Cover the unbaked stuffed shells with foil then bake the next day in a 350 degree F oven.
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