Step-by-Step Method
Here’s a full sequence to prepare and bake your Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Shells.
Step 1: Pre-heat and prepare
Pre-heat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C) (assuming the version using baking). Some versions use 180 °C (~350 °F) for stuffed shell varieties. Recipe By Me
Lightly grease (spray) your baking dish or coat with a little oil/butter so the pasta doesn’t stick.
Step 2: Cook pasta shells
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook according to package instructions—but aim to stop just short of fully tender (“al dente”), since they will bake in the sauce and continue to soften. One source emphasises this:
“Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the jumbo pasta shells according to package directions, but aim for al dente (slightly firm) as they will continue to cook in the oven.” Recipes by Clare
Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking and to stop cooking. Set aside.
Step 3: Prepare broccoli & chicken
If using fresh broccoli: steam or blanch florets until just tender-crisp. You want them bright green, not overcooked. Then drain/pat dry to avoid excess moisture.
If using frozen broccoli: thaw fully, drain excess moisture, pat dry.
Chicken: If you are using raw chicken: cut into bite-sized pieces, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder; heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat; cook chicken until no longer pink. One version uses cooked chicken already, which speeds things up. Punchfork+1
Leftover or rotisserie — just dice/shred and add.
Step 4: Make the cheese sauce
Depending on approach there are two main routes: roux-based sauce or shortcut soup-based sauce.
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