Chicken Manicotti

Name: Chicken Manicotti
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 2 casseroles (4 servings each).
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon garlic powder; 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts; 16 uncooked manicotti shells; 2 jars (26 ounces each) spaghetti sauce, divided; 1 pound bulk Italian sausage, cooked and drained; 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced; 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese; 2/3 cup water

When a girlfriend came home from the hospital with her newborn, I sent over this freezer casserole. She and her family raved over how good it was. Try substituting olives for mushrooms or using veal instead of chicken. —Jamie Valocchi, Mesa, Arizona

Ingredients

1 tablespoon garlic powder
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
16 uncooked manicotti shells
2 jars (26 ounces each) spaghetti sauce, divided
1 pound bulk Italian sausage, cooked and drained
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Rub garlic powder over chicken; cut into 1-in. strips. Stuff chicken into manicotti shells. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce in each of two greased 13x9-in. baking dishes.
Place eight stuffed manicotti shells in each dish. Sprinkle with sausage and mushrooms. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cheese.
Drizzle water around the edge of each dish. Cover and bake 45-55 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and pasta is tender. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casseroles for up to 1 month. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake casseroles as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

Nutrition Facts

2 stuffed shells: 546 calories, 26g fat (11g saturated fat), 115mg cholesterol, 980mg sodium, 37g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 3g fiber), 41g protein.

Originally published as Chicken Manicotti in Quick Cooking March/April 2004

Reviews

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Average Rating:

momsjoyof3

Apr 13, 2018

My family loves this recipe, even my picky daughter! I have made it several times to give away and am always told how much the recipients enjoyed it. This is my go-to recipe for gifting.
klkblk

May 21, 2014

I want to make this and take for our weekend away. Would it be ok to make Friday and bake on Sunday. The only thing I'm concerned about is the raw chicken sitting with the other ingrediants . I ve made this before and loved it.
psygrad95

May 15, 2012

A little time consuming stuffing the manicotti, but not bad considering you get 2 full trays. I put about 4 1" chuncks of chicken per manicotti.
cel723731

Feb 15, 2012

My husband and I chose this for our special Valentine's dinner. It was extremely easy to prepare and turned out perfect! Delicious!
klmartin83

Nov 17, 2011

It was okay. There are other pasta dishes I like better, and my husband wasn't really a fan at all.
htimm

Sep 28, 2011

Excellent casserole and wonderful to have one put away in the freezer for another day.
lindalou2u2

Sep 23, 2011

I loved the recipe. I have made it a few times now. It also tastes good out of the freezer.
carolastaff

Aug 17, 2011

My family loves it! I love that it makes two casseroles. I usually make one with the sausage and muchrooms and the second without the mushrooms. I have never frozen it because whatever is left over always gets eaten for lunch the next day, and there is usually a battle over who will get it! It is a great dish to serve for company, too.
mellen24

Oct 22, 2010

I used some hickory smoked chicken to make this recipe.
cmp85

Oct 6, 2010

I have made this recipe several times and my family loves it!! The chicken instead of the ricotta cheese mixture found in traditional manicotti is a nice change. I omit the mushrooms as no one here likes them. I also have never cooked it from frozen, since we have 3 teenagers, I cook both at once and it is gone in one sitting! I make lots of TOH recipes and they have never let me down.