Chicken Stuffed Manicotti

Here's a recipe that came from a company cookbook at the bank I used to work for.  This may be one of the only positive outcomes of that particular job experience, but it's really yummy! This three-part recipe is a little more involved but really yummy and still fairly easy.  Read CAREFULLY before you start, and start a little earlier so you have time to cook your chicken.

Chicken Stuffed Manicotti

·         1 ½ cup chopped cooked chicken

·         1 cup small curd cottage cheese

·         1 egg, beaten

·         ¼ c. minced onion

·         2 Tbsp minced parsley

·         ½ tsp Italian Seasonings

·         ¼ c. bell pepper, chopped

·         8 manicotti shells (jumbo shells are easiest to work with!)

Before starting recipe, chop up your chicken and cook it in boiling water in a large saucepan for about 30 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon, saving the water/broth, and put it into a bowl with the other ingredient.  Cook 8 manicotti shells in the broth/water according to directions.  Remove shells from broth carefully with slotted spoon.  Drain well and pat dry with a paper towel.  Fill shells with the chicken mixture.*

*You can attempt to stuff the manicotti with a spoon, or you can cheat like I did and slice the manicotti shell open down one side, put the filling in, and roll it back up around the filling.  Put it seam-side down in the baking dish and no one will know!

Cheese sauce

·         3 Tbsp butter

·         3 Tbsp flour

·         2 cups milk

·         1 ½ cups monterrey jack or cheddar cheese mixture (just the shredded kind in the bag works!)

·         ¼ tsp salt

·         ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet.  Stir in flour, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add milk, stirring until sauce comes to a boil and thickens.  Add cheese, salt and Worcestershire sauce.  Reduce to low heat and stir until cheese melts.  Do not allow it to boil. 

Buttered crumbs

·         2 Tbs (or more! J ) butter

·         1/8 tsp. paprika

·         1 cup soft bread crumbs (about 2 pieces of bread, torn up into small pieces)

Melt butter in small skillet.  Stir in paprika.  Put bread crumbs in and turn until well coated.

Assembly:  Spoon about ¾ cup cheese sauce into a 9x13 baking dish and place stuffed manicotti shells on top of the sauce.  Top with remaining cheese sauce, then top with bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or heated through.

(Note: I had a little leftover spaghetti sauce from the night before that I also poured over the top of the cheese sauce.  It tasted great!  I also sprinkled some grated parmesan cheese on top when it was done baking.)