Manicotti With Creamed Chicken And Almonds Recipes

CREAMY CHICKEN MANICOTTI

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the sour cream, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in chicken. (If you want a creamier texture, place the cream cheese, sour cream and chicken in a food chopper) In a small skillet, cook onion in butter until tender; add to chicken mixture. Stuff into manicotti shells. (To make this easier, put mixture into a baggie, seal it up, cut the tip off of corner of bag and pipe into tube.).
• In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 2-1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese just until melted.
• Spread about 1/2 cup cheese sauce in each of two greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. dishes. Top with stuffed shells and remaining sauce.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Yield: 7 servings.

CHICKEN ALFREDO MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the Alfredo sauce: Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.
• Add the garlic and leeks to the skillet with the remaining bacon fat and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the half-and-half, Parmesan, crushed red pepper and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Add the cream cheese and cook until the sauce is thickened and the cheese is melted and fully incorporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley and season with salt and black pepper.
• For the filling: Add the spinach, ricotta, chicken, Italian blend cheese, crushed red pepper, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to a large bowl and mix until fully combined. Transfer the mixture to a large disposable piping bag (or resealable plastic bag) and snip a large hole at the end of the bag.
• For the pasta: Spoon 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a flameproof (not glass) 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pipe the filling into both ends of the uncooked manicotti shells until filled and arrange them in the baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce, reserved bacon and Italian blend cheese. Cover with foil and bake until the sauce is bubbly and the pasta is cooked, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil. Turn the oven to broil. Broil until the top is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with more chopped parsley.

SHORTCUT CHICKEN MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until opaque and juices run clear.
• In a medium bowl, combine cooked chicken, egg, spinach, cottage cheese and Parmesan. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with chicken mixture. Arrange shells, not touching one another, in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, combine soup, sour cream, milk and Italian seasoning and stir until smooth. Pour over shells in dish and spread to cover completely. Carefully pour boiling water around the edge of the dish. Cover tightly with foil.
• Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle with Cheddar and parsley and let stand 10 minutes before serving.