Last year, I recreated this recipe, and we fell in love with it!

🧄Ingredients:

• 1 box of manicotti or shells (cooked al dente)
• 3 whole chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• Italian seasoning
• Onion and garlic powder
• For boiling:
• 1 head of garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 3 bay leaves
• Chicken broth

Ricotta Stuffing:

• 15oz of ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Nutmeg, to taste
• Italian seasoning, to taste
• About 6-8 chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• Shredded chicken

Sauce:

• 1 small onion
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup spinach
• Chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil
• Mozzarella cheese for topping

🍅Directions:

1. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder.
2. Brown the chicken breasts in a pan, then add the garlic, onion, bay leaves, and chicken broth. Cover and cook on low heat until the chicken is tender enough to shred. Remove from and shred the chicken.
3. Heat extra virgin olive oil, cook the onions, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Add the spinach and cook for about 1 minute. Then, add the tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, and heavy cream. Stir until well combined and add fresh basil—season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. mix the shredded chicken with the ricotta stuffing ingredients in a bowl.
5. Stuff the manicotti (or shells) with the ricotta mixture.
6. Pour the prepared sauce over the stuffed manicotti and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the foil and bake for 10–15 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
8. Let it rest for a few minutes, then top with fresh basil before serving. Enjoy it on its own or with a nice salad on the side! 🥂💫