i did some major tweaking based on past comments and here's what my family loved: 1 box chicken flavored stuffing mix instead of plain 1 can cream of chicken and herb soup 1 can broth and 1 container sour cream instead of cream of celery. i deleted garlic and salt since stuffing mix was seasoned. rest stayed the same. i also served with a gravy and broth sauce on the side for adults. kids loved them plain. wil definitely make this combination again.
This dish went together so quickly and neatly when I grabbed my cookie scoop (like a small ice cream scoop...like a healping Tbls. worth) to fill the cooked pasta shells! I did try adding white wine in place of some of the broth as a reader suggested but it simply didn't help us like the flavor of the canned soup 'gravy'...next time I'll use 1 can of condensed soup and 2 cups of prepared chicken/turkey gravy to. I used 1 large can of chicken from Costco and a large can of turkey meat from Trader Joe's in place of the whole chicken called for. This recipe made so much that I've frozen one casserole (18 stuffed shells) prepped up to the point of baking it.::crossing fingers:: that it will thaw/bake up nicely when I pull it out for a future meal.
I didn't make this recipe but I wanted to add what I do with mine that are very similar. I add 1 cup Miracle Whip and a couple handfuls cheddar cheese to the stuffing and chicken mixture. And I don't make that mixture of soups on the stove. I just spread 1 can condensed cream of chicken on top and 1 can on top of the shells once you line the pan with them. You may need to add a couple tbsp. water. The Miracle Whip gives it a delicious tang.
These shells are awesome!! The only thing negative I can say is that it took me a lot longer than 20 minutes to prepare. But once they are made - YUM!! I used a can of cream of celery a can of cream of chicken a can of broth and a can of Campbells prepared chicken gravy. This would be a great way to use Thanksgiving or Christmas left overs.
I halved this recipe for 18 shells used only cream of celery soup with the chicken broth added garlic powder & pepper. I also added a small can of mushrooms to the "sauce". There's only one thing I think this needs to make it really great... replace 1/2 cup of broth with a dry white wine. These came out excellent and I was delighted with the (mushroom) gravy texture after cooking. Oh and I used boneless skinless chicken breast meat diced small. Thanks Jooney! Great idea. Finally! A great way to stuff shells without a ton of cheese (for a nice change).
The soup did not do anything for this besides make it bad. This was a big waste of my time and money. Only way I'd make this again....well actually I would not make it again.
I made this recipe for dinner tonight. Going by the VERY mixed reviews I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I followed the recipe with the exception of using cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken because I accidentally bought the wrong one when I went to the grocery store. Duh! We really liked it! I served the shells with steamed broccoli. Everyone went back for seconds. I used Stove Top whole wheat stuffing mix for chicken. It added a nice sage taste to the filling. I had a family pack of chicken thighs so that is what I used. I put them in the oven covered while I went to the grocery store and they were done when I returned. I chopped up the all meat after it cooled then I put the filling together. If I had been thinking I would have used the broth from the chicken pan for the gravy but I had already used the Swanson's that I bought before I thought of it. I added 1 t. garlic powder but no additional salt and pepper. The soups broth and stuffing mix all have PLENTY of salt. I will definitely make this again.
I loved this recipe was something very different for my family. I used a rotisserie chicken to cut down on prep and used jared Alfredo sauce. In reading some of the reviews I think I would use some Parmesan or Mozarella Cheese in the stuffing next time and two jars of Alfredo to give it a lot of sauce.
very yummy and easy to make. the sauce did not cook off very well when i made it but it gave it a chicken and dumplings texture and it was amazing
