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I recently discovered the Secret Recipe Club, brain-child of Amanda Formaro, of Amanda’s Cookin’, and decided to join the fun in June. Every month, participating blogs are assigned another foodie blogger’s website. They browse the recipes on their assigned site and select one to prepare for that month’s secret recipe club, putting their own creativity, flair and nuances into the mix. At the exact same time, on the exact same day, all the recipes are posted and the secret recipe blogs are revealed. It’s a fun way to find new recipes and meet other foodie bloggers. For June, I was assigned Debbi Does Dinner…Healthy and Low Calorie.
So, what was the recipe post that made my tastebuds dance, just looking at the picture? I visited Debbi’s site and the recipe on her homepage, that day, was calling my name. I definitely put our own family’s spin on it, but Debbi was my inspiration for this absolutely delicious and easy recipe. The recipe that inspired my June Secret Recipe Club submission is her Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells. I incorporated my family’s love of Mexican and southwest flavors and created these heavenly Mexican Chicken Stuffed Shells. You’re gonna want them for dinner, tonight!
You could definitely cut this recipe in half, if you’re cooking for a smaller crew. We had company for dinner and I made 38 stuffed shells. The recipe left me with about 1 1/2 cups of extra filling, which was promptly devoured for lunch the next day in tortillas!
Hearty, delicious chicken and pasta dish with a little southwest or Mexican kick. These are filling and comfort food at it’s best! Make them for company and you’ll be the hit of the party!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 6 green onions, diced
- 1/2 each of red, green, yellow, & orange bell peppers (or 2 whole bell peppers of your choice), diced
- 3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened (not melted)
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with chiles (don’t drain) (Rotel or store brand, either works)
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup of picante sauce
- 38 large pasta shells, cooked al dente
Instructions
- Cook pasta shells in well salted, boiling water until al dente (still have a little bite to them) If you cook them too long, they will be difficult to stuff, plus they will have additional cooking time, once they are stuffed. Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the filling.
- Cook, drain and dice enough chicken breast to make 4 cups. I always have homemade chicken stock and pre-cooked diced chicken bagged in my freezer. You could use canned chicken broth if you prefer.
- To make the filling, mix diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, diced peppers, and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken stock and undrained tomatoes with chiles. When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well. (If you have trouble incorporating the cream cheese and tomatoes, you can heat it slightly in the microwave.)
- Spread 3/4 c. picante sauce in the bottom of a large baking pan. (I used 13x18x2, but I’m guessing that two 9×13′s would also work.) Reserve the final 1/4 cup, for later.
- Using a spoon, or your fingers, fill each of your cooked and cooled pasta shells, setting them into the picante covered pan. Continue until all shells are filled and arranged in the pan.
- When the pan is full, drizzle the shells with the remaining 1/4 cup of picante and then sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Cover the baking pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
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http://busy-at-home.com/blog/mexican-chicken-stuffed-shells-my-secret-recipe-club-entry-for-june/Here’s how to make them.
- Boil pasta shells to al dente, then drain and cool them while you mix up the filling.
Drained and cooled shells, ready to be stuffed.
- Dice the chicken, peppers and green onion. (My chicken was pulled from the freezer, pre-cooked and diced. Freezer cooking is a great time-saving idea for recipes like this.)
Diced onions and peppers
- To make the filling, mix diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, diced peppers, and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients.
Chicken, beans and veggies mixed.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken stock and undrained diced tomatoes w/chiles (Rotel). When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well.
Mix the softened cream cheese with the undrained diced tomatoes and chiles to create a delectable sauce for your chicken and veggie mixture. Blend the sauce with the chicken and veggies.
Creamy, spicy, delicious sauce for your filling. If you have trouble incorporating the tomatoes and cream cheese, you could heat it slightly in the microwave.
- Spread 3/4 cup of picante sauce in the bottom of a large baking pan.
Spread a thin layer of the picante sauce over the bottom of your baking pan and reserve the last 1/4 cup of sauce for later.
- Stuff each of your cooled shells with the delicious chicken, cheese and veggie filling you just created and arrange the shells over the picante sauce in your baking pan.
- Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup of picante sauce over filled shells.
Filled shells, drizzled with remaining 1/4 cup picante.
- Sprinkle shredded cheddar over the entire pan of stuffed shells. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Close up of baked shells.
These were a huge hit and went quickly. We did end up with a few leftovers at the end of the meal, which heated beautifully in the microwave the next day. There was also a little of the chicken/veggie/bean filling left over, which we used in tortillas shells. Yum!
Every new recipe needs its official taste testers. These girls are tough critics and gave a combined 4 thumbs (and two forks) up to this yummy dish!
Check out all the other delicious Secret Recipe Club entries for June.
They’re going to make you SOOOOO hungry!
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Oh man, that just looks absolutely awesome. What a delicious dish.
It was pretty good. I recommend only one block of cream cheese, maybe 1 1/2 , and no chicken broth. it was extremely runny. We added corn to ours.
That filling looks amazing – I think I could eat it alone, straight out of the bowl!
Anne, I did. It was delish!
I’ve seen “stuffed shells” starting to trend and this recipe looks excellent. I’m working up to trying one of my own. Cheers!
Glenda, I had no idea we were both doing the Secret Recipe Club! How fun! I love that you went Tex-Mex on this dish, you know it’s near and dear to my heart. Will have to make, STAT.
Amber, I didn’t realize it either! How cool is that!!???!! We love Tex-Mex, here, in the Midwest, too.
Great to “see” you, again!
Great looking shells, love the flavors inside them.
Oh wow! These look great!
Not only do they look great but seeing it done makes them look like a doable dinner. I sometimes avoid ‘stuffing’ thinks in lieu of ‘grilling’ things for the time element but I do believe these would be worth the time!
Barbara, you can definitely do this. It’s very simple.
You can’t go wrong with these. They look great!
Love this Mexican twist on this dish! It looks delicious…yum! Great pick for the Secret Recipe Club
Yum, this looks so good! I love stuffed shells, but I have only ever made them with Italian flavors before…love the idea of making them Mexican-style!
I’ve got to make these very soon, what a great recipe! YUM!
Visiting from Secret Recipe Club. I love the mixture of beans, vegetables, etc for the filling. I am your newest follower. I would love it if you followed me back.
Thanks for stopping by Judee. Can’t wait to check out your site!
What a great fusion recipe! This sounds like a winning dinner to me =)
I love Debbie’s blog! These look delicious!!
Love the colors in the filling. I’m going to have to give this recipe a try.
What an awesome way to take a traditional Italian dish and change it up with Mexican flavors. This dish sounds amazing!
I can’t wait to try these! Thanks for sharing!
Omg, I have Italian stuffed shells on our menu for next week. Now I totally want to change it to this recipe. Great step by step pics!
Oh wow. I usually never comment on savory posts, but this on looks soo good, I just had to. Send over a pan please
Thanks, Avanika! If you’re ever in S.E. Nebraska, give me a shout out and we’ll whip some up.
Debbie has a great blog and I love to go there for low calorie options! Your shells look yummy!
That looks really good!! I’m definitely going to try this recipe.
Those shells look amazing. I am a huge fan of Italian and Mexican food and this dish seems to combine them both in a wonderful way.
You have combined two of my favorites to total deliciousness! Mexican and Pasta. Your right, I do want them for dinner tonight!
These.sound.awesome!! I love stuffed shells and I love anything Mexican. Perfect blend!
Oooh, I could go for a big plate of these right now! I love stuffed shells but always get stuck in the marinara/meat sauce rut. Can’t wait to give this one a try!
I was on vacation all week so I had to schedule my post and I didn’t get to see the recipes until today! I’m so glad you liked these, I love your spin and they sound awesome with all that cream cheese! I actually made and posted chicken enchilada stuffed shells a couple weeks earlier, they were awesome, different from yours though, but they still had that mexican flair. Great blog, glad I found it!
Thanks, Debbi! I love your site and am anxious to try more of your recipes!
Wow this looks fantastic, what a great recipe!! Love your blog and so glad to be a new follower!
Grinning from ear-to-ear! Thanks so much for stopping by. Looking forward to “seeing” you around the blog.
Hi, could these be frozen ?
thanks
Jennifer, yes I would cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and then freeze them, right before baking. I think they would cook best if you thaw them completely before baking, but you could also just add some extra baking time if you bake them from frozen (sort of like a frozen lasagna).
I’m sorry. I made these tonight. Pain in the *ss to make, very soupy texture, makes enough for an ARMY, lots of filling leftover and so-so flavor. I followed the recipe exactly, too. Will not be making this again.
Sorry to hear, you didn’t enjoy them, Zippy. They’re one of my family’s favorite meals and often requested by guests. And yes, it’s definitely enough to feed an army.
As I mention, throughout my blog, and in this recipe which calls for 38 large shell noodles, I rarely have a meal where I am not feeding my own large family and several other people. I also tend to batch cook and freeze 1/2 for another meal, if we’re not having company. You would definitely need to cut the recipe in half if you are serving fewer than the 12-15 people stated in the recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience and I hope you’ll find a recipe more to your liking on your next visit! Have a great week!
Is this spicey? I have 3 little ones. Looks very yummy though!
No Melissa, it’s not very spicy, but you could also control the heat by keeping the picante or taco sauce you choose mild.
[...] 19. Mexican Stuffed Shells [...]
I found this on pintrest and made it for dinner last night. It was really good kids and husband enjoyed. I cut the recipe in half and it was plenty for a family of 5. I put my chicken in the crock pot in the am with a little picante sauce and shredded instead of cubed and also put some black olive slices ontop. Will be making this again! Thanks
Love these! My whole family including my 11 month old son couldn’t get enough. I ended up making them with ground turkey breast (pulled out the wrong meat on accident to defrost) and they were still just as yummy. Thanks for the recipe!
Kelly, so glad you enjoyed them. They’re one of our favorites, too!
Ok so I had a TON of left over mix (which was fine bc I was warned) so I made enchiladas with them. Put some salsa on the bottom. Then put the mixture in some tortillas & rolled them up. Lined them in a 13×9 (Which by the way was a PERFECT amount) Put some more salsa on top & put cheese all over the top. Baked @ 350 for 30 mins. DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!! You HAVE to try this! Anyways. Thanks for the recipe! Made 2 dinners for me!!!
Ashley, that sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I’m anxious to try it!
Glenda can I freeze this after baking it?
Darlene, I’ve only frozen it before baking, but I can’t think of any reason it would hurt to do it after. I think i would completely thaw if before reheating, though, to keep it from over browning.
I made these during the day and put them in the fridge. That way when i get home tonight I can bake them and they are ready. Although the flavors are great I did make a few alterations. First off i tasted it the entire way through and I felt that the flavor was actually a lot better before adding the cream cheese. So, what I did was cut the cream cheese down to only 1 box because i felt it was muting the flavors. Also i didnt like cheddar cheese on top of it, I used pepperjack cheese for a little more of a kick. Other than that YUMMMY! I could not stop eating during the making!
Nicole, thanks for sharing your yummy variation! I appreciate you stopping by!
Made this tonight for my family, parents, brother and his girlfriend and everyone liked it! I did add some Ms. Dash Southwest Chipolte seasoning to the chicken breast when I baked it and also added olives. Great meal for a lot of people!
I made this the exact day that I found it online (yesterday) because it looked so good. It’s a super nice one to modify based on the things I had ( I have a 2.5 year old and 6 month old twins so leaving the house is NOT always fun!)…for example, I used plain diced tomatoes since i didn’t have with green chilies, I used one block of cream cheese plus 8 oz of sour cream for the sauce since I didn’t have more cream cheese (and it still made enough filling for 2 batches!), and I used a regular white onion instead of green since I didn’t have any. and salsa instead of picante sauce…it was a hit with both my husband and my bff! but do you have any suggestions for what to go with it? the only thing I thought of was a salad, which is fine. But I couldn’t think of anything else that made sense (Mexican rice or corn bread are often my go-to sides with Mexican food but I felt were not necessary with pasta…) delicious, though, and definitely one to make again–it’s nice to have a batch in the freezer ready to go!
Thank you!
Jess, we usually do fresh fruit and/or salad as the sides. I’m glad you could adapt it for your family! Thanks so much for stopping by!
[...] 10. Mexican Chicken Stuffed Shells [...]
I just found this recipe and can’t wait to try it. If I made 2 9×13 pans, could I freeze one? If so, how would you go about heating it up?
Shannon, I think you could definitely freeze one. I would bake it covered for the first 3/4 of the baking time, because it will definitely take longer to bake, from frozen, and you don’t want it to burn on top before it’s hot in the middle. Uncover it for the last 1/4 of the time to allow excess moisture to evaporate off and the toast to brown a little.
Just wanted to let you know that I fixed these for my family and we loved them. We like a bit more heat so next time I will adjust that but otherwise they are very good! I made about 40 shells and still had some leftover filling so the next day I took two refrigerator packages of croissant rolls and unrolled them flat onto a large cookie sheet. Slice the dough about 3″ in on each side of the dough. Put the filling down the center and kind of braid the dough slices up the middle and tuck in the ends. Brush with egg white and bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes or until browned. Only thing I forgot to add was a little cheddar cheese but it tasted great and was another full meal just using leftover filling. Thanks so much!!
Ooooh! I love the braided croissant idea! Thanks for sharing and for stopping by!
Delicious! Since I could tell the recipe would make so much, I cut it in half and still have some filling left over, so tomorrow I’m cooking more shells and plan to freeze it!
Delicious! Since I could tell the recipe would make so much, I cut it in half and still have some filling left over, so tomorrow I’m cooking more shells and plan to freeze it!
[...] , if you are interesting you can visit and see the full recipe here : Busy-at-home Source : [...]
What size cans of tomatoes with chilies did you get. I bought all the ingredients today but I’m not sure what size to use. Looks delicious though.
I am in the middle of making these and i didn’t know this can feed an army. It is just my husband and I, but I am taking some over to my parents because we cannot eat this much by ourselves. It is a long process to make and it makes many dirty dishes, but it was kinda fun. (I managed to get my husband to help stuff shells. hahaha!) Next time i am halving the recipe and adding more chicken & spice. I might add some corn as well.
lol Heather, as I mentioned in the post, I typically feed a small army and this batch made two meals and a lunch for us. What a smart chef to get your husband alongside you in the kitchen! Several other readers have also posted that these freeze well for them, so you could definitely divide them up into meal-size portions for the two of you and freeze them for future use. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Delicious and oh so creamy!! Because of what I had on hand, I used two small cans of diced green chilies instead of bell pepper and penne pasta layered with chicken mixture, cheese, and picante! Definitely a recipe I will be making again! Thank you for this recipe!!
Sounds delish, Jeannie. Thanks so much for the substitution tips!
I made these tonight and they were fabulous. I did use neufchatel cheese to keep the fat down a little and because it is not as thick as cream cheese, I left the chicken broth out. I upped the “heat” a little by using hot picante sauce and they turned out delicious! Everyone said it was a keeper. Since I didn’t use all the shells because it was a smaller crowd, I stuffed the remaining shells, placed them on a cookie sheet, froze them and then placed them in a large plastic bag. Ready in the future to just place in pan and go. Thanks for the great recipe.
Carol, I’m so glad you enjoyed them and I love freezing them, too. What a great time-saving way to have a wonderful meal ready in a hurry. Thanks so much for stopping by!
I made this for my daughter-in-law 5 days after giving birth to my third granddaughter. She loved it, my son loved it, my wife loved it, my step-daughter loved it and I thought it was darn tasty. I made an additional 9 X 13 for the freezer that we’re having in the near future. It was great.
Paul, I love that it was a hit with your whole family. Congrats on your sweet new granddaughter! There’s no better job in the world than being a grandparent!
Glad you could stop and visit!
I made these this week. My entire family and a few “extras” that I occasionally feed LOVED THEM. I will definitely make these again. I wonder if you could use the “no bake” lasagna noodles instead of the shells?
Ooooh! That’s a great idea! Let me know if you try it.
These look so amazing! I can’t wait to try!
These look wonderful, but the person I’m making them for is allergic to peppers. Do you have a suggestion as to what I could substitute for them? Thanks!
You could substitute any of his favorite veggies…zucchini, broccoli, butternut squash, etc.
Made this for a friend and her family; she’s going through chemo right now and I can help out by fixing a weekly meal for them. This looked so good that I decided to make it. She’s allergic to peppers of any kind, so I separated out her portion and used diced tomatoes instead. I hadn’t seen the reply, but next time I make it I’ll add broccoli and zucchini to the filling. Thank you.
Oh my gosh! It made enough for my friend and her family, another friend of mine and her husband going through a tough time, and several meals for my husband and me. We had the peppers in our portions.
The first bite I took was fabulous, and it would have been really easy to go ‘way overboard and eat more. We don’t mind eating leftovers. I had to cook more shells to use up all the filling.
I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed it and were able to bless others with it, as well. Thanks for stopping to visit! Have a blessing-filled week!
Its in my oven right now, smelling SOOOOOOO good! This recipe made a LOT. I took out 1 of the cream cheeses and the chicken stock, and substituted sliced black olives for the peppers, and even with the subtractions the filling BARELY fit all the shells – and those things were stuffed to the max! I managed to fit them into a 9×13 and an 8×8 – I froze one for another day. Can’t wait to try it!
Yay! Glad it worked out well for you. I love having extra in the freezer!
I cut the recipe in half and it was perfect for the 4 of us with a side of rice and dessert. I did not use beans, my family doesn’t like them, however I did add a little minced garlic. I also seasoned my chicken with oregano when I cooked it. It was certainly a hit at my house and something I will make again
What are the calories per
Serving
Lisa, I have no idea, but I Googled recipe calorie calculator and there was a list as long as my arm! lol This was the first one. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator Hope it helps you narrow down the info you want.
I tried to make the Mexican Chicken dish tonight. It was good, but be sure to add some type of liquid to the dish after placing the pasta shells in. It was awfully dry…even tho more picante sauce was sprinkled over the top and sharp cheese is added to the top before baking. Maybe some chicken broth added then would help? Any suggestions?
Hi Connie. Did you have your pan tightly sealed with foil? Mine was swimming in sauce/juice when I removed the foil. With all the diced veggies and picante sauce, it generated so much steam that there was a lot of liquid in mine. Sorry to hear yours didn’t work out. My only suggestion would be to be sure it is tightly covered, when baking. ~Glenda
I found this recipe to be too dry. Maybe adding more picante sauce in the bottom would help, or pouring chicken broth over the top before baking? otherwise delicious, just needed more moisture to it.
yes, I did seal tightly with heavy duty foil before baking.
Mine was not dry at all, interesting
This was excellent. I changed a few things….used only 2pkgs of cream cheese and added cottage cheese..used my own home made salsa. I had a lot of left over filling that I will freeze for a easy meal down the road. My husband and two year old loved this.Will definitely make again.
And I cheated and used canned chicken, forgot to add cumin
my salsa had corn beans peppers and spice. It was great for this recipe
Sounds delicious, Courtney. Thanks for sharing and for stopping by!
what are the Nutrition Facts for this recipie?
Hi Kristen. Thanks so much for stopping by. I don’t have that info for you, but as I mentioned in the comment above, (Lisa), I found this online calculator http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator when I did a Google Search. Hope it helps you narrow down the info you want.
FABULOUSLY YUMMY!!
I made these today for our small office birthday luncheon. They were delicious and quickly disappeared with rave reviews. I followed the recipe exactly and it made 36 shells, with only about a 1/2 cup of leftover filling (I stuffed each shell as full as I could). I made two pans and I kept one pan for my family dinner. After stuffing half of the shells for the luncheon, I added a diced jalapeno to the rest of the mix and then stuffed the other half of the shells (we like it kicked up — the office crew can’t handle it). I baked according to the directions, tightly covered with foil and they were perfect. This is definitely going into my dinner rotation. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe!
Sherrie, I’m so glad you enjoyed them and I appreciate you stopping by to visit! Have a blessing-filled week!
Loved this dish! Thx for all the tips…glad I didn’t use the broth in the filling & it was still very creamy. I kicked it up a notch with hot salsa and hot Rotel, as we love spicy food. I also substituted “fake” crab for the chicken and added Old Bay Seasoning…yummy!
Thanks, Cathy! What a great way to make the recipe your own. I appreciate you stopping to visit and share your great ideas. Have a blessing-filled week!
I made this dish for dinner tonight and myself and family loved it, i think it is a keeper. thanks so much for sharing these wonderful recipes.
Oh Barbara, that’s awesome! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you’ll visit the blog, often. Have a blessing-filled weekend!
My family LOVED LOVED LOVED these things.
Yay! Tati, thanks for letting me know. I’m so tickled that your family enjoyed them!
[...] Recipe slightly adapted from Busy At Home [...]
[...] I cook stuffed shells, a recipe that always undoubtedly ends up with messy hands! I came across this recipe on Pinterest from Busy-At-Home. It looked delicious, so I decided to give it a shot… My [...]
I’m currently making them. They are in the oven right now and I am excited to eat it. I had my sisters in law help me make it and wow there is a lot of stuffing left over. I have to make them all!
I made this tonight and used wheat (egg shaped) noodles instead of the shells because I am suppose be eating wheat instead of white flour items. I could not find any wheat shells so i used the noodles and layered the noodles and then the stuffing mixture on top and another layer of noodles and then the rest of the stuffing mixture and then picante and cheese on top. It was fabulous!! All the flavors are just great! This is a real keeper!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nancy! And that’s an awesome time-saving variation tip. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Glenda!
I don’t want to sound like a broken record but I absolutely love this recipe! I do not mind the prep work at all, there is plenty for everybody and it is very eye appealing. Great recipe! Next time I think I might add some jalapeno for an extra kick. Thanks again! Have a great day
Kristian, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and excited that you stopped by to share. Jalapenos would be a delicious addition! Thanks!