Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti

Years and years ago, I found this recipe from Betty Crocker for a chicken stuffed manicotti. It was really simple and super yummy! Scott loves and requests it often. Well, today on Facebook, a friend asked for favorite manicotti recipes and so I gave her this one and this one but discovered that I had never posted my chicken recipe. So, today is the day! Enjoy!

(The original recipe can be found here.)

Betty Crocker's Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti

Ingredients

1

jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen™ organic pasta sauce (any variety) 

3/4

cup water

1

teaspoon garlic salt

1 1/2

lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded) 

14

uncooked manicotti shells (8 oz)

2

cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

Chopped fresh basil leaves, if desired

Steps

• 1

  Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Spread about 1/3 of the pasta sauce mixture in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.
• 2

  Sprinkle garlic salt on chicken. Insert chicken into uncooked manicotti shells, stuffing from each end of shell to fill if necessary. Place shells on pasta sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining pasta sauce evenly over shells, covering completely. Cover with foil.
• 3

  Bake about 1 hour or until chicken is no longer pink in center and shells are tender. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with basil.

Originally, I got this recipe from a magazine and it included this handy picture showing how to stuff the uncoooked manicotti tubes. (Being uncooked makes this step "super-easy" because the tubes don't rip.) The chicken can get a little mangled because it's not often an exact fit, but that just "tenderizes" it, right? 😃