Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

I was looking up the name of a pasta shape one night so The Mr could pick it up at the store for me. I was quickly distracted by jumbo shells. They weren’t my reason for looking at pasta, but I’m glad I saw them. I had one of those lightbulb moments, an idea just hit me. I had to have them so I could stuff them with buffalo chicken. I’ve never wanted pasta more in my life.

It took me a bit to decide how I wanted to make them. They needed to have the traditional key points; chicken, buffalo sauce and celery. Even down to the last minute I was switching things up. I kept my fingers tightly crossed hoping the experiment would pay off and they’d be loved. It was a success. Not only did The Mr love them but so did our 2 year old.

The shells are stuffed with a creamy buffalo chicken mixture, drizzled with buffalo sauce and a sprinkling of shredded cheese, then baked to perfection.

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time55 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Buffalo sauce, Dinner, Pasta
Servings: 5

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 C chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/8 tsp ground black pepper divided
  • 3/8 tsp celery seed divided
  • 1/4 C buffalo sauce plus additional for topping
  • 1/4 C celery chopped
  • 1/4 C yellow onion chopped
  • 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 12-15 jumbo shells
  • 1 C ricotta cheese
  • 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 C blue cheese crumbles
  • 1/4 C mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • In a small slow cooker, add chicken and broth. Cook for 2 hours on high, then shred meat. Discard liquid. Alternately simmer chicken and broth in a saucepan until chicken is heated through and no longer pink. Season shredded meat with salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp celery seed. Toss with buffalo sauce until meat is evenly coated. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • In a large saucepan bring water to a boil, add 12-15 jumbo shells. Cook for 9 minutes. Drain and let cool on a baking sheet or nonstick surface.
  • In a small skillet over medium heat, add chopped onion, celery and butter (or olive oil). Cook until tender and onions are translucent. Transfer to a small bowl.
  • In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, egg, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/8 tsp celery seed, blue cheese crumbles and vegetables. Add chicken mixture and stir well.
  • Prepare a small baking dish with a light coating of olive oil and a few spoonfuls of buffalo sauce. Fill one shell at a time with spoonfuls of chicken and cheese mixture. Carefully arrange in prepared baking dish. Drizzle with spoonfuls of buffalo sauce and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Notes

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

For the giveaway… 

**Giveaway is now closed**

As promised, as a thank you for helping me reach and quickly surpass 750 fans on Facebook I’m doing a giveaway. This little corner of mine is so much more special because of each of you.

I’m giving away one 6Qt Crock-Pot® Designer Series Smart-Pot to one lucky reader.

The nitty gritty: You must have a US shipping address to enter. Giveaway will run from Jan 10, 2012 – Jan 15, 2012 (midnight EST). One winner will be randomly chosen and contacted via e-mail Jan 16, 2012. Winner has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Main entry must be done or bonus entries will not count. Duplicate entries will be deleted.

Main entry (required):
In the comments section of this post, answer this question: what is the first thing you would make in your new slow cooker?

Bonus entry options: You may do each of the following once. If you already do any of them it still counts but you must tell me you do. Leave a separate comment for each entry.

-‘Like’ Baked by Rachel on Facebook
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-Share this post on Facebook
-Tweet the following: “I just entered to win a 6qt Designer Series Crock-Pot® from Baked by Rachel @rachelcurrier http://tinyurl.com/7qw4ch2 #giveaway”

Giveaway sponsored by Baked by Rachel (or me). :)

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329 Responses to “Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells”

  1. #
    1
    Heather, Mmm... is for Mommy — January 15, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    I’d make more ribs!

  2. #
    2
    Heather, Mmm... is for Mommy — January 15, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    I follow on twitter (@mmmisformommy)

  3. #
    3
    Heather, Mmm... is for Mommy — January 15, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    I follow on FB (Heather Nolan)

  4. #
    4
    Heather, Mmm... is for Mommy — January 15, 2012 at 7:35 pm

    I shared on FB :)

  5. #
    5
    jo butterfield — January 15, 2012 at 7:45 pm

    beef stew! … then caramel sauce I like you on fb :) and shared

  6. #
    6
    lauren b — January 15, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    I would make fajitas. I used to have a slow cooker buuuut it’s broken now. I so miss them. Lime and cumin are my key ingredients, slow cook the meat and add the peppers for the last 30m or so to keep a little bite to them. Serve with lettuce, sour cream, hot sauce, avocados and salsa. It’s delicious.

  7. #
    7
    Billie Sisul — January 15, 2012 at 7:52 pm

    I will make vegatable bbef soup

  8. #
    8
    lauren b — January 15, 2012 at 7:52 pm

    Subscribed via RSS

  9. #
    9
    lauren b — January 15, 2012 at 7:53 pm

    Liked on facebook

  10. #
    10
    lauren b — January 15, 2012 at 7:54 pm

    Following on twitter

  11. #
    11
    lauren b — January 15, 2012 at 7:55 pm

    tweeted giveaway phrase [:

  12. #
    12
    Alli K — January 15, 2012 at 9:20 pm

    I would make my mom’s chili!

  13. #
    13
    Alli K — January 15, 2012 at 9:21 pm

    I like on Facebook

  14. #
    14
    Alli K — January 15, 2012 at 9:24 pm

    Follow on Twitter

  15. #
    15
    Alli K — January 15, 2012 at 9:25 pm

    Tweeted

  16. #
    16
    Valerie — January 15, 2012 at 11:09 pm

    I liked and shared you on FB! :-)

  17. #
    17
    Jess @ Floptimism — January 15, 2012 at 11:45 pm

    I’d definitely try a slow cooker chili first – perfect for the cold weather!

  18. #
    18
    Erin — January 20, 2012 at 8:23 am

    My husband LOVES anything buffalo. When I saw these, I knew I HAD to try them. I doubled the recipe for leftovers. I’m not wild about spicy things, but went WILD for these shells. Super easy, and amazingly delicious. Great success, Rachel! Thanks.

    • #
      18.1
      Rachel — January 20, 2012 at 5:10 pm

      So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for letting me know. :)

  19. #
    19
    Loretta — January 20, 2012 at 9:03 pm

    Loved it so much and posted pics of it on FB that several of my friends asked for the recipe! Directed them to this page!

    • #
      19.1
      Rachel — January 21, 2012 at 2:20 pm

      Fantastic! Would love for you to share the picture on my facebook page too. :) So glad you enjoyed them.

  20. #
    20
    Ellen — July 30, 2012 at 9:47 pm

    My boyfriend doesn’t like ricotta but loves buffalo chicken! Could I substitute the ricotta for plain cheese?

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      20.1
      Rachel — July 31, 2012 at 8:03 am

      I’d recommend looking into another soft cheese such as goat, cottage or softened cream cheese.

  21. #
    21
    Lauren — October 29, 2013 at 1:06 pm

    Hi Rachel! My husband and I loved this recipe! In fact, I even passed it along to my readers on my blog (of course giving you FULL credit!). Thank you!!

  22. #
    22
    Joan Hotson — May 21, 2014 at 6:00 pm

    What buffalo sauce do you use or do you make your own. I have no idea what buffalo sauce is.

    • #
      22.1
      Rachel — May 22, 2014 at 7:25 am

      I use Frank’s Red Hot buffalo wing sauce, but your favorite buffalo/hot wing sauce will do.

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    23
    Becky — August 25, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    This is very good. However, I didn’t like the look of the “naked” shells so I made a sauce–1 can cream of chicken soup, about 3/4 cup Franks buffalo sauce (more or less to your liking, it does get spicy), milk or half and half to thin. Heat up a little. Stuff shells, then pour sauce over. Cover with mozzarella, then bake as directed.

  24. #
    24
    Constance — January 7, 2017 at 11:43 pm

    What would be a good substitute if someone does not like blue cheese or gorgonzola type cheeses ?

    • #
      24.1
      Rachel — January 9, 2017 at 7:27 am

      Mozzarella is always a good option. Enjoy! :)

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