Chicken Manicotti

Jeff Jones, 2014, Manicotti before going into the oven

OMG!  This dish is a recent experiment, and we are hooked.  It is sooooo yummy!  I suspect this dish would reheat well, but we have never had any leftovers to reheat.

• 1 package manicotti shells
• Salt
• 2 cups cooked chicken
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1 large onion
• 2 cups fresh mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Salt and bring to boil a pot or saucepan of water.  Once boiling, add the manicotti shells.  Cook until done.

While the manicotti shells are cooking, chop your chicken and put in a large mixing bowl.

Also, chop and saute the onion and mushrooms in the olive oil until nicely caramelized.  When done, add to the chicken.

Chop but do not cook the fresh spinach.  Add the spinach and garlic to the chicken/onion/mushroom mixture.  Mix thoroughly.

When tender and done, drain the manicotti and rinse with cold water so that you can easily handle them.  

Sit at your table.  Put on some cheery Italian music and get busy stuffing those manicotti tubes with the yummy chicken mixture.  Place each filled tube in a baking dish.  When you've filled all the tubes, pour some of the rich Gorgonzola Cream Sauce over the manicotti.  Top with some diced tomato, diced grape tomato, or diced red/yellow/orange pepper.  Cover with aluminum foil loosely to keep moisture in but not stick to the sauce.

The dish's ingredients are already done.  So you will only heat 20-30 minutes to warm the dish until a hot, richly flavored deliciousness.  Serve hot.

NOTE:  This is a great dish to make with leftover chicken (dark meat and/or white) from a rotisserie chicken.  You may also add mozzarella cheese to the chicken mixture.  I've also made this dish where I only topped it with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, but the flavor didn't have quite the punch.  Also, if you bake without a cover, the tubes' ends tend to dry out.

DIETS:
Diabetic:  no
Gluten Free:  no
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (leave the red pepper out of the Gorgonzola Cream Sauce)
Paleo:  no
SugarBusters:  no
Sugar Free:  no
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
Wheat Free:  no
200 Calories or Under:  no

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.