Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce

Hoooolmg.

Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce / Bev Cooks

I’ve been so excited about this recipe/post/moment/day/life event. Stuffed shells!

Normally you might shy away from stuffed shells because of its laborious nature. But this, these, this, all of this, these shells, all of it, is waaay easier than ya might think. There are a few steps, sure. But you basically do it all at the same time, and then bam, in the oven it goes, and boom, you can resume your Who The Bleep Did I Marry marathon.

Oh that’s just me? Oh.

Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce / Bev Cooks  Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce / Bev Cooks

I kept the filling simple and classic. Chicken and broccoli. BUT (!!) I added pimento cheese, because I’ve been thinking about pimento cheese a lot lately, so instead of making chicken and broccoli pimento cheese stuffed shells (wait…PATENT PENDING) I threw some pimentos in there to help satisfy my craving.

But of course now all I can think about is chicken and broccoli pimento cheese stuffed shells and I will not SLEEP until I attempt that. I will not!

For now, guess what’s in the sauce.

Guess.

Do you want me to beg?

Because I will.

Fine, I’ll tell you.

After this photo.

Right after it.

Like one second from now.

Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce / Bev Cooks

Chive and onion cream cheese! An entire tub, just melted right in the sauce. You KNOW how insanely yummy that cream cheese is on its own? Yeah, just imagine that flavor getting all infuso-happy in your sauce. It will become your new thing. People will be like, “Do you want to grab a drink after work?” and you’ll say, “Sorry, Bro. Gotta melt some chive and onion cream cheese in a sauce.”

“Do you want to come over and watch a movie this weekend?”

“Sorry, Man. Melting that cream cheese, ya know.”

“Do you want to help me with my taxes?”

“Dude, cream cheese meltage.”

You no longer have to “wash your hair.”

I love solving your problems.

Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce / Bev Cooks

Time to eat.

Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce:

What it took for four (with maybe a little bit of leftovers?):

* 1 (12 oz) box jumbo shells (I used about 3/4th of the box)
* 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
* 1 (10 oz) box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and wrung dry
* 1( 4oz ) jar pimentos
* 2 Tbs. butter
* 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
* 2 cups milk
* 1 (8 oz) tub chive and onion cream cheese
* freshly chopped chives, for garnish
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat your oven to 350.

Boil the shells until they’re al dente. Drain and set aside.

While the shells cook, prep the filling. In a large bowl, combine the chicken,  broccoli, pimentos and a sprinkling of the salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Once the foam starts to subside, add the flour. Whisk on low until it becomes a medium brown color, about 5 minutes. You made a roux! Add the milk and whisk to incorporate. Add the chive and onion cream cheese and whisk until the sauce becomes thick and creamy. Not crazy thick, just creamy. Like a cream sauce. You get it. Never mind.

Add about half a cup of the sauce to the chicken mix. Stir to combine.

Using your fingers, stuff each shell with the chicken mix. Don’t worry about using a fork to get the mix in. It will take way too long. And you have more control and GUSTO (I don’t know) with the stuffing of the shells.

Pour a little of the sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Arrange the shells side by the side in the dish, pouring the remaining sauce evenly over the shells.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is a little bubbly.

Garnish with freshly chopped chives and dig.in.for.the.love.of.the.baby.ponies.

Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce / Bev Cooks

You need to get stuffed.

 

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29 Responses to Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce

  1. Lauren March 24, 2015 at 12:25 am #
    Loving all these gorgeous photos! But I am so in love with all the flavors going on in this dish! Chive and Onion Cream Cheese is one of my faves!
  2. Sune Moolman March 24, 2015 at 2:21 am #
    Oh.my.goodness! This is like the best ever! Absolutely love it. YUM!
  3. Rachel Cooks March 24, 2015 at 5:54 am #
    I'm pretty sure you made this just for me, right? I want to eat the whole pan.
  4. Tom @ Raise Your Garden March 24, 2015 at 6:10 am #
    Wow! That looks pretty tasty. Chive is really good, my cat loves it too. He chews up the chive outside in our pot. I've never stuffed anything before (besides myself) so it's time.
  5. Emily @ Life on Food March 24, 2015 at 8:38 am #
    Smacking my lips already!! This pan looks amazing.
  6. Julie March 24, 2015 at 10:24 am #
    Holy cow this sounds like straight up comfort food that I would probably attempt to eat the entire thing in one sitting.
  7. Caitlin March 24, 2015 at 11:12 am #
    Uhhghghh I wish this would appear in front of me right now for lunch instead of the bag of plain popcorn I'm eating. Rotisserie chicken and chive onion cream cheese?! Yes yes yes
  8. Allison - Celebrating Sweets March 24, 2015 at 12:05 pm #
    Creamy chive sauce?! Dying! And the idea of adding pimento cheese. Gah! Trying these ASAP.
  9. Trish @ Well Worn Fork March 24, 2015 at 12:26 pm #
    I have pimentos in my fridge. It must be a sign that I'm supposed to make this dish. Yes, I think that's what it is. Looks amazing - can't wait! : )
  10. janet March 24, 2015 at 2:51 pm #
    Looks delicious. No tubs of chive and onion cream cheese available here. Any ideas how I could get round this.
    • Bev Weidner March 24, 2015 at 2:58 pm #
      Oh shoot! What I would do in place of that is a regular block of cream cheese + 1 (1 oz) packet of dried onion soup mix. Then maybe stir some fresh chives in the sauce as well as on top. Does that help?
  11. Jillian @ Yoga Pants Kitchen March 24, 2015 at 5:01 pm #
    This is just beautiful - I love the pops of color from the chives and pimentos! Jillian
  12. Nicole March 24, 2015 at 8:21 pm #
    This is going to sound crazy.... Btw I love your blog! I started following you a few months back and have told all my friends about you! Ok back to the crazy.. I have been looking EVERYWHERE for the metal spatula utensil I see in lots of your pictures. Where did you get it? I can't find one anywhere!!! Thank you...
    • Bev Weidner March 25, 2015 at 11:58 am #
      Ahhhhh! It was actually my Grandmother's. But the brand is Kitchamajig, and I just googled it and see a ton of versions!
      • Abi' March 30, 2015 at 11:34 am #
        I have my great grandmothers just like yours. I loaded up on her kitchen utensils when she passed away. They have served my family (and friends) more than imaginable! :)
  13. Deborah March 24, 2015 at 10:14 pm #
    So you will never believe what I have scheduled to post tomorrow. Let's just say we are totally on the same wavelength. And my photos suck next to yours. And I want to dive into that creamy chive sauce. :)
  14. Tara @ Running 'N' Reading March 25, 2015 at 10:24 am #
    This looks amazing; thanks so much for the recipe!
  15. Kevin @ Closet Cooking March 30, 2015 at 2:09 pm #
    Those stuffed shells look so good!
  16. Sarah B March 31, 2015 at 10:27 am #
    Made this last night. YUM, the pimentos were EVERYTHING. I might try a pimento cheese version myself. I mean, it has to be done.
  17. Gwen b April 2, 2015 at 8:18 am #
    This looks so yummy. I am going to make it today. Love these easy recipes
  18. Rachel K April 17, 2015 at 11:02 am #
    I made this!! The family loved it. If you ever put out a cookbook let me know!
  19. Kirsten May 6, 2015 at 2:43 pm #
    Heavenly! Where has this recipe been my whole life? Your photos are beautiful! www.thekusilife.com
  20. Mary October 8, 2015 at 1:19 pm #
    Did you use pimentos or pimento cheese?? It looks like pimentos and says it in the recipe but in the text and comments, pimento cheese is mentioned which is (to me) a very different thing. Planning to make this weekend and hoping to get clarification. Thanks. :)
    • Bev Weidner October 8, 2015 at 1:32 pm #
      Just pimentos! They come in a tiny 4oz jar. Hope ya dig!
      • Mary October 9, 2015 at 1:50 pm #
        Thanks Bev!
  21. Gloria October 19, 2015 at 1:20 pm #
    Can this be put together and baked later?
    • Bev Weidner October 19, 2015 at 8:08 pm #
      You sure can! Let me know how it turns out. :)

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with a Creamy Chive Sauce | Bake a Bite - April 1, 2015 […] Find full recipe at: bevcooks.com […]
  2. Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Stuffed Shells - Savoury Sense - April 13, 2015 […] like to thank Bev over at BevCooks for the inspiration. Her smart addition of the block of cream cheese to the bechamel made all the difference in the […]

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