Best Chicken Florentine Unstuffed Pasta Shells Recipes

CHICKEN FLORENTINE PASTA

Steps:

• In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook penne according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Season both sides of chicken with salt, pepper and oregano and cook until golden and no longer pink in the middle, 8 minutes per side. Transfer chicken a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing into strips.
• Make sauce: Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. When the wine is simmering, use a wooden spoon to scrape all the golden chicken bits from the pan. (They have a lot of flavor that you'll want in your sauce!)
• Add tomatoes and garlic and cook until the tomatoes soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Add cream and bring mixture back to a simmer. Add mozzarella and Parmesan and stir until the cheese melts. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Turn off heat and add in the cooked penne, baby spinach, parsley and red pepper flakes (if using). Toss until the pasta is evenly coated in sauce and the spinach has wilted slightly. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE PASTA

Steps:

• To cook pasta, bring pot of water to rolling boil. Season with salt. Cook pasta for 10-12 minutes or until just al-dente. Once cooked, drained. Set aside.
• Heat a large deep saute pan on medium heat. Add 2 teaspoon oil, and fresh spinach with generous pinch of salt. Work in 1-2 batches to saute fresh spinach until it is wilted. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Set aside.
• To cook chicken, wipe the skillet clean. Add 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of sun-dried tomato oil. Heat on medium heat. Season chicken thighs with generous sprinkle of salt and good coat of black pepper. Place in hot skillet. Cook each side until nice crust develops and chicken is cooked through. Take out in a plate and set aside. (See Note 2)
• To make florentine sauce, add remaining oil to pan. (No need to clean pan again) Add chopped onion. Saute until onions are soft (2 minutes) Add garlic, chopped sun-dried tomatoes with dried oregano. Saute for 1 minute. Don't let garlic burn. Add half-half (milk-cream) and chicken stock. Bring to boil, and simmer until sauce thickens. (3-4 minutes) Mix shredded cheese and chopped drained spinach. Stir to distribute quickly.
• To assemble and serve, taste and season the sauce with salt and black pepper. Add drained pasta. Coat in the sauce. Mix in chicken or serve on the side. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy.

FLORENTINE STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, Parmesan cheese and onion and mix thoroughly. Stuff the cavity of each chicken breast with 1/4 of the mixture. (NOTE: Bone-in split breasts usually have a little cavity; if one is not naturally present, use a sharp knife to make a slit in the side of the breast.)
• Lay stuffed breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish, and cover with the sauce.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and tender; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE UNSTUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400ºF.
• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, cook chicken in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 5 to 6 min. or until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Stir in pasta sauce. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
• Drain pasta; spoon over sauce. Mix cream cheese spread, milk, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in medium bowl until blended. Add spinach; mix well. Spoon over pasta. Top with cheeses; cover.
• Bake 45 min., uncovering for the last 10 min. Let stand 5 min. before topping with basil and serving.

ITALIAN UNSTUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Add the tomatoes to a large bowl and use your hands to crush them into chunky pieces; set aside.
• In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Add the sausage and brown in large chunks until no pink remains, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe out the fat from the skillet, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind. Add about a third of the tomatoes to the skillet and stir to pick up any remaining browned bits. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, add the spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, egg, garlic, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Add the cooked pasta and sausage and gently mix.
• Add the pasta and sausage mixture to the skillet. Top with the remaining tomatoes and then the sliced mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with torn basil before serving.

BUFFALO CHICKEN STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground chicken in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.
• Melt butter in the skillet with the cooked chicken. Stir cayenne pepper sauce into the chicken mixture and remove from heat.
• Squeeze as much moisture from the ricotta cheese using a cheese cloth or paper towels; put drained cheese in a large bowl. Add chicken mixture to the cheese and stir. Refrigerate until completely chilled, 3 to 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells in the boiling water until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 10 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water until no longer hot; drain.
• Spoon chicken mixture into cooked pasta shells and arrange into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend over the stuffed shells; season with salt and pepper.
• Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is slightly melted and the stuffing is hot in the middle, 15 to 20 minutes.

STUFFED SHELLS FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the egg, ricotta cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, salt, oregano and pepper. Drain shells and rinse in cold water; stuff with spinach mixture., Place shells in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over shells. Cover and bake at 350° until heated through, 30-40 minutes. Serve with breadsticks if desired.