Manicotti with Creamed Chicken and Almonds
Manicotti with Creamed Chicken and Almonds is stuffed with a mixture of diced chicken, spinach and ricotta cheese and topped with a creamy Gruyere cheese sauce and sliced almonds. So rich and delicious and makes a really impressive restaurant quality meal.
Servings: 6
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy cream divided
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed in paper towels to get rid of excess water
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 box manicotti shells cooked according to package directions.
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Sprinkle flour over onion mixture. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in the chicken broth. When thickened, whisk in 1/2 cup of heavy cream.Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in Gruyere cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add crushed red pepper flakes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, spinach, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and egg. Stir to mix well. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.Add in 1/2 cup of the sauce. Stir.
- Stuff manicotti shells with the chicken mixture. Arrange manicotti in baking dish.
- Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream into the gruyere sauce and pour over the manicotti.
- Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and the almonds. Cover and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes.
Notes
For the chicken, I like to use a rotisserie chicken or cook 2 to 3 chicken breasts in my crock pot.
The manicotti can be assembled up to 8 hours ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to bake it. Add about 5 minutes onto the baking time.
Nutrition
Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 580mg | Potassium: 701mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 6537IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 384mg | Iron: 3mg