Name: Mexican Chicken Stuffed Shells
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 24 jumbo pasta shells; 2 teaspoons minced garlic; 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken; 8 ounces cream cheese; 1 - 14.75 ounce container salsa, divided; 1 - 15 ounce can corn, drained; 1 - 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed; salt and pepper; 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese; 1 - 8 ounce container guacamole

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Mexican Chicken Stuffed Shells

Mexican Chicken Stuffed Shells is an easy but delicious meal to serve on busy nights. Cheesy goodness is always a winner in our house.

This delicious dinner is fast and easy to make using pre made items from the grocery store. Plus, melty cheesy dinners always get thumbs up at our dinner table!

Is it evident that I have a thing for pasta? Yeah, I thought so.

I usually choose pasta when I am in charge of dinner prep. Something about it that yells comfort food to me: add a bunch of cheese and meat, and who can resist it? I think more of this chicken pasta bake needs to happen regularly. Or some Alfredo ravioli...I'm good with either every week.

Mexican food is a very close second to pasta in my list of meal favorites, so it was a no-brainer to combine these ingredients.

My first thought when the box with salsa and guacamole came was to go to town on it with a bag of chips. (I seriously have no restraint when it comes to guacamole...I could probably eat my body weight in guac, but I still want more.) Snacking on it would have been a great option, but I decided to see what kind of fun dinner I could create, incorporating the fresh salsa and guacamole.

Of course, pasta was the first thing that came to mind. Surprise, surprise! Mashing my two favorite food tastes into one fantastic dish = a happy camper right here.

I am all about easy convenience dinners during our kid's sports season, so I loved that I could use the PeakFection salsa and guacamole straight from the container for my meal. I also picked up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, so I didn't have to cook it. Lazy dinner maker...yeah, that's me. But I prefer to call it thoughtful planning.

Here are a few easy tips when making shells.
1. Boil according to the package directions, but take off a few minutes of boiling time. The shells go into the oven with the filling, so we don't want to overcook them too much. I think I boiled mine for about 10 minutes.
2. Drain them, immediately pull them apart, and put them on a wire rack. You don't want to leave them all together in a pan...one big lump of shells is no fun to get apart. The shells will be hot, but keep running your fingers under cold water while you separate the shells from each other.
3. You can also cook the shells the night before. Just drain them and separate them on the wire rack until cool. Place in a container and drizzle with oil. I closed up my container and shook it to get the oil all over the noodles. Refrigerate until needed.

While the shells are cooling, heat your chicken, garlic, and cream cheese until creamy. Stir in a little bit of salsa, some corn, and some beans, and then you are ready to fill those shells. Add a little salsa to the pan so the shells don't stick. Fill each one and place it in the pan. Then pour more salsa over everything and top it with cheese. Twenty minutes in the oven, and dinner is ready. You can serve these shells with guacamole on the side. I enjoyed my shells with a huge helping!

Recipe

Mexican Chicken Stuffed Shells

Yield: 24 stuffed shells

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Stuffed shells can be an easy dinner option when you use pre packaged and pre made items from the grocery store. The salsa and cream cheese chicken is a delicious filling for these shells. Enjoy a cheesy dinner in under 40 minutes.

Ingredients

24 jumbo pasta shells
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
8 ounces cream cheese
1 - 14.75 ounce container salsa, divided
1 - 15 ounce can corn, drained
1 - 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 - 8 ounce container guacamole

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread ½ cup salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Boil the pasta shells for 10 minutes. Drain and place on a wire rack to prevent them from sticking together.
Heat the chicken, garlic, and cream cheese in a skillet over medium heat until creamy.
Stir in ½ cup salsa, corn, and beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Fill the shells and place them in the prepared pan. Spoon the remaining salsa over the shells, then top with cheese.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for 2-3 minutes, if desired. Serve immediately with guacamole.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 3
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 540Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 1025mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 10gSugar: 7gProtein: 27g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.

More delicious Mexican-inspired meals that you can top with salsa and guacamole:

Beef Taco Quinoa Salad Bowls

Chicken Enchiladas

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