I was happy that such a simple dish and with so few ingredients came out tasting like a million bucks.
The chicken is soft, moist, and tender and there’s ample sauce to coat everything and to add flavor. And anything covered in warm, gooey, melted cheese is automatic comfort food. Simply stuff manicotti shells with thin-sliced chicken breasts, smother with red pasta sauce, and bake. In the final ten minutes, add mozzarella cheese. So darn easy.
Tips for success include making sure the manicotti shells are resting on a thick bed of sauce and are then covered completely with sauce. Complete coverage is crucial so that the sauce softens the shells whereas exposed shells will turn crunchy and hard which you definitely don’t want. For stuffing the shells I find using thin-sliced chicken breasts that I slice lengthwise in one-quarter inch strips works well. Two strips slide in easily and then the third strip I just stuff in however I can. I pack the shells very full with chicken because my family doesn’t like it when they’re skimpy on the chicken. They already asked when I’m making this again.
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