Chicken Cannelloni

I love Italian and I loved this dish. I hunted all over the web for a recipe for chicken cannelloni which is one of my favorite Italian dishes and ended up creating my own based on the aspects of a few recipes I liked. We all loved these. Tomorrow I will post the recipe for the drink my brothers fiance made to go with dinner which was simply AMAZING!


Chicken Cannelloni



Cannelloni Filling 8 ounces chicken breast (about 2), cooked thoroughly and diced into small pieces
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 small can of diced tomatoes in their juices
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon table-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
12 lasagna pasta sheets, approximate size of 5 x 6 inches

Cannelloni Sauce

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, warmed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once butter is melted add flour and whisk, let it cook in the saucepan for about a minute, be sure not to burn. Add milk to the butter and flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Once the mixture begins to thicken slightly add the Parmesan cheese salt and pepper. Continue to cook on medium heat until the cheese has melted.

Once the chicken breast has been cooked thoroughly, allow it to cool.

Dice the cooled chicken breast into 1/2-inch pieces and place into a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, tomatoes, ricotta, mozzarella, pepper and salt, and mix thoroughly.

Arrange precooked pasta sheets on a cutting board and place two or three rounded tablespoons of filling mixture down the center of each pasta sheet and carefully roll pasta around filling. Place the rolled cannelloni, side by side, into an ovenproof shallow baking dish. Place cheese sauce (or Alfredo sauce) and tomato sauce in bowl and mix until well incorporated. Pour sauce over cannelloni covering completely. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over top of sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes.


Serves 6.