Chicken Stuffed Shells

One of the benefits of going to our house church is the yummy dinner each Tuesday.  There are some GREAT cooks there, and our bellies happily benefit from their talent.

One week, my friend Kylee brought this dish and I was in HEAVEN!  It didn't sound good to me at first, (stuffing and pasta??).

Oh.  My.  Goodness.

These stuffed shells are one of the best things I've ever eaten.  It's total comfort food, and my girls love it too. 

And now, I'm sharing the recipe, so that you can experience this yumminess too!

Here's what you'll need:
1 pkg jumbo pasta shells
2 lb chicken
1 6 oz stove top stuffing
1 1/2 C mayo
4 C chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup

First, you'll want to cook the chicken.  (I boiled mine, but you can bake it, or get a rotisserie and take the meat off...basically, whatever works for you).

After it's done, allow it to cool. 

While it's cooling, go ahead and cook the shells. 

Note: I cooked mine in the chicken stock for some extra flavor...but if you like bland shells, go ahead and do it in plain old water :).  They should be in boiling water for about 9-10 minutes.

Drain the shells and then lay them out of a cookie sheet to cool.  Trust me on this one!  Steamy hot shells are no fun to work with.  I have the burnt fingers to prove it.

While they're cooling, you can make the stuffing (just use the box directions), and chop up your chicken. (You'll want to chop it into pretty small pieces so that you can pipe it into the shells!)

Once cooked, combine the stuffing, chopped chicken and mayo.

And yes, I used full fat mayo. 

Now don't go getting all healthy on me.  I know it's bad for you.  But the thing is, I LOVE mayo.  Especially Kraft.  So I have absolutely no problem adding it to pretty much anything.  I know I should probably feel bad about it, but I don't.  Not even a little bit. 

I guess you could try light mayo...

And if you truly have some kind of misplaced hatred of all mayo, you might be able to try Greek yogurt.  Not promising that it will taste the same or even hold the mixture together the same way, but it will add the creaminess you're looking for.

Place it in a large plastic bag and seal.  Twist the top and cut off the tip to make a piping bag.  Set aside.

Combine chicken broth and soup and then ladle small amount of soup mixture into bottom of 9x13 pan.

 
Fill the cooled shells and place them in the pan.

Ladle the remaining soup mixture over top.

Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, occasionally spooning sauce over top.

TIP: This can be made the day before and refrigerated, just increase baking time.  It can also be frozen.  Just fill the shells but DON'T put soup mixture on the bottom or the top.  Instead freeze filled shells, and when you're ready to eat, thaw in refrigerator, and just before baking, pour the sauce over the entire thing.  Cover, bake and increase baking time to about 45 minutes.

I really hope you enjoy these shells as much as my family does!

I will be linking up with We Are THAT Family for WFWM.  Be sure to check them out!