My family loves pasta and the more red sauce and cheese involved, the happier they are.
I was happy that such a simple dish and with so few ingredients came out tasting like a million bucks.
The chicken is soft, moist, and tender and there’s ample sauce to coat everything and to add flavor. And anything covered in warm, gooey, melted cheese is automatic comfort food.
Simply stuff manicotti shells with thin-sliced chicken breasts, smother with red pasta sauce, and bake. In the final ten minutes, add mozzarella cheese. So darn easy.
Tips for success include making sure the manicotti shells are resting on a thick bed of sauce and are then covered completely with sauce. Complete coverage is crucial so that the sauce softens the shells whereas exposed shells will turn crunchy and hard which you definitely don’t want.
For stuffing the shells I find using thin-sliced chicken breasts that I slice lengthwise in one-quarter inch strips works well. Two strips slide in easily and then the third strip I just stuff in however I can. I pack the shells very full with chicken because my family doesn’t like it when they’re skimpy on the chicken. They already asked when I’m making this again.
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Easy Chicken Manicotti
Make sure the manicotti shells are resting on a thick bed of sauce and are then covered completely with sauce. For stuffing the shells I find using thin-sliced chicken breasts that I slice lengthwise in one-quarter inch strips works well.
Ingredients
- one 8-ounce package manicotti shells, I used 11 of the 14 shells
- two 24-ounce jars red pasta sauce, I used a homestyle tomato and basil variety
- about 1.25 pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise in 1/4-inch strips
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil for garnishing, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. To a 9×13-inch baking dish (ceramic or glass preferred), add one jar of pasta sauce in an even, smooth, flat layer. Smooth sauce lightly with a spatula if necessary.
- To one manicotti shell, add about 3 strips of chicken. I find two strips slide in fairly easily and then the third strip I just stuff in however I can. I pack the shells very full with chicken. The exact amount of chicken used will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts, length of manicotti, length of chicken strips, etc. Place the stuffed shell in the center of the baking dish at the top of dish (on the short side of the dish).
- Repeat the stuffing process and continue to place shells down center of pan, then fill in on the sides. I comfortably fit 7 shells down the middle horizontally and 2 shells on each side, for a total of 11. Amount of shells used may vary based on exact baking dish size.
- After all the shells are in the baking dish, cover them with the second jar of pasta sauce, making sure to cover them completely. Exposed areas won’t cook and will simply turn hard and crunchy.
- Cover pan very tightly with foil and bake covered for about 60 to 65 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Try not to peek under the foil while baking because the heat and steam helps soften the shells and cook the chicken and peeking impedes the process.
- Remove foil, evenly sprinkle with cheese leaving a 1/4-inch bare margin around the edges (so cheese doesn’t stick to sides and burn), and bake uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
- Optionally garnish with basil and serve. Manicotti will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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It worked out well with Jovial gluten free manicotti. I’ve made this many times since I got my celiac diagnosis and my husband requests it!
Will this work with brown rice manicotti shells? This is a favorite recipe of mine and I need to make it gluten free.
I haven’t tried it that way so can’t speak to the results.
It worked out well with Jovial gluten free manicotti. I’ve made this many times since I got my celiac diagnosis and my husband requests it!
Thanks for the five star review and great to hear that you were able to make it GF successfully for your needs!
This is almost exactly like my chicken manicotti recipe! The only difference is I use chicken tenders and roll them in a little bit of garlic powder and parmesan cheese before stuffing them in the shells. Quick and ease and the family loves it!!
Averie your recipes are just delicious and pictures more so. Do you take your own photos? Love this recipe and it will appear on my weekly menu a lot xoxo
Yes I take my own photos and thanks for the compliments!
oh yummy! I would love this!
I’m drooling over all that cheese!! This looks amazing and I love how easy it is to put together!
I was stressing over all that cheese and how to try to NOT make it look like an oily, glarey mess on camera. Lol. Cheese is not my food photography forte. But it tasted great :)
All beautiful recipes. I haven’t had manicotti in years and it was always beef. This sounds so good. Thank you.
Thanks, Liz, and the chicken was a nice twist!
Heaven in a pan, that’s what this is!! OMG!!
I loved it too because I had planned leftovers for a few days!
Ok…I just reread the recipe…are you telling me you didn’t have to precook the shells??? Yeah what a time saver..definitely can’t wait to make these
Exactly! Everything cooks all together. Just bury those noodles in plenty of sauce so they get nice and soft!
I just made manicotti last night so I’ll have to wait a little before I make these but with chicken sounds delish. I love lots of sauce so these would be right up my alley.
I can’t believe you made manicotti last night and I posted this today! LMK if you try this version!
I’m with Paula–pre-cooking pasta is not my favorite thing. This would work for us!
Agreed and so much easier this way than having to pre-cook!
My children will like this :) I love pasta and to try new recipes with it
It looks amazing! I see why everyone likes it so much :) I’m pretty sure I could shove some of that in my face right now and be very very pleased :)
A tube of pasta with chicken and cheese sounds like some delicious comfort food and I love a recipe like this that doesn’t require pre cooking the shells (or the chicken). This looks a lot easier than I would have thought!
I’m all about the easiest way when it comes to family dinners! No precooking necessary!