Cheesy Chicken & Shells with Peas and Prosciutto

thetipsyhousewife
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A Light Lovely Dish That Tastes Like Early Spring

Shells, chicken, peas and prosciutto in a skillet with a cheesy cream sauce

Everyone loves an easy skillet dinner, especially one that includes pasta. This Cheesy Chicken & Shells with Peas and Prosciutto is going to be a family favorite at dinner time.

There is a complete recipe at the end of this post with a printable option but first I want to go over a few tips and tricks to making this Cheesy Chicken & Shells With Peas and Prosciutto. This will make it easy for you to make.

Let’s get started!

A block of Cheddar Gruyere black truffle cheese next to a cheese grater

The Cheese

As you can see from the picture, I used a Cheddar Gruyere with Truffle, but you can use any cheese you wish for this recipe.

I think a harder, white cheese like a cheddar would also be a good choice for this recipe. Ultimately you can use any cheese that your family prefers for this recipe.

You will see when you read the recipe that I use three cups of cheese. You can use less cheese than this if you prefer but I would use at least one cup of cheese to make this.

I have also used a brick of cream cheese for this recipe and it came out delicious.

Pieces of chicken cooking in a skillet

Don’t Crowd The Pan

Although you are only using a small amount of chicken for this recipe, it is important that you give it room in the pan to cook.

In other words, do not crowd your chicken. Cook it in two batches. This space will give the chicken room to get nice and crispy and let that butter and oil to do its work.

Chicken pieces being tossed in corn starch in a Ziploc bag

Using Corn Starch

I love using corn starch with in-pan fry chicken. I especially love to use it when I am making a sauce that I want to thicken.

The corn starch gives the chicken an excellent texture and it also allows the sauce to thicken perfectly. I have another great recipe using ARGO Corn Starch for an Asian Inspired Fried Chicken.

Consider trying it if you have extra chicken after this recipe!

You shouldn’t have any problem with the sauce thickening if you follow the recipe perfectly but if you do, you can use a little more corn starch to make a slurry A slurry is just a little bit of corn starch dissolved in a little water that you add to a simmering sauce to thicken it.

The ingredients for the dish including chicken, pasta shells, cheddar, heavy whipping cream, green peas, and prosciutto

Simple Ingredients

This recipe has very few ingredients which makes it very affordable. What I love about this recipe is that it can feed a crowd.

I also love that it reheats very well. It makes a great make ahead meal, lunch, or pot luck item. You can keep it warm for a long time in a crock pot.

The chicken cooking in the pan

Seasoning Your Chicken

I do not like to give measurements for spices in my recipes. Everyone has different tastes so you should season and taste your food according to what you like.

In this recipe you can wait to season the chicken until it is fully cooked so that you can taste and adjust. Start with a teaspoon of each and you can always add more.

I like to use Poultry Seasoning in this recipe because it adds a nice layer of flavors. I buy it at Thanksgiving when it is on sale and I use it throughout the year.

Chopped up pieces of prosciutto

The Prosciutto

If you aren’t familiar, prosciutto is a cured Italian ham. If you are unsure about this ingredient, you can use regular ham or even bacon.

Give prosciutto a try sometime though! It is delicious.

In this recipe you want to make sure to mince the prosciutto up very fine. It can be stringy so make sure you mince it well with a sharp knife.

Let’s Get Cooking!

Yield: 8 to 10 Servings

Cheesy Chicken and Shells with Peas & Prosciutto

Skillet with pasta shells, chicken, peas, prosciutto and cheese sauce

An easy skillet meal with a creamy cheese sauce, savory chicken, peas and prosciutto. Delicious and super simple to make. This recipe will be a new family favorite.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces of medium pasta shells
  • 1 lb of chicken, cut into bite sized cubes
  • 12 ounce of bag of frozen peas
  • 3 Cups of shredded cheese, I used a white cheddar with truffle
  • 4 T of butter
  • 1/4 of olive oil
  • 6 thin slices of prosciutto, minced
  • 1/4 C of corn starch
  • 2 C of chicken broth
  • 1/4 C of heavy cream
  • Seasonings To Taste
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Poultry Seasoning
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder

Instructions

  • Place the cut up chicken in a ziploc bag and add the corn starch, shake to coat.
  • Set a pot of water to boil for the pasta and the peas.
  • In a skillet, heat 2 T of the butter and some of the oil to cook the chicken. I cook the chicken in two batches so the pan isn't crowded.
  • Add the chicken to the hot pan with the butter and oil and cook all the ay through and browning on all sides. I add the seasonings now. I don't give measurements on the seasonings because everyone has different tastes. Start with a teaspoon, when the chicken is cooked, taste it and you will know if you need to add more. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set aside in a bowl and cook the second batch of chicken.
  • When your water starts boiling, add your pasta and your peas and cook according to package directions.
  • When you finish cooking the second batch of chicken, remove it from the pan and add it to the bowl with the other chicken.
  • Add the chicken broth to the pan you cooked the chicken in and bring it to a simmer. Use a spatula and scrape the meaty bits off the bottom. Get all the bits up. Let this simmer for ten minutes.
  • Add the chicken back to the pan with the broth and let this simmer for about ten minutes. The corn starch on the chicken should start to thicken the broth to a glaze. Keep checking, when the broth coats the back of a spoon, add the prosciutto and the heavy cream. *If your chicken broth isn't thickening, add a little corn starch like 1 tsp, to a small cup and dissolve it in some water, 2 T, and add it to the broth stirring until smooth and the broth thickens.
  • Let the chicken mixture simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add your cheese a cup at a time, to the chicken mixture, stirring until it is all smooth and creamy.
  • Drain your pasta and your peas and add it to the pan of chicken and stir to combine.
  • Top with black pepper.

    • Notes

    You may want to reserve about a 1/2 c of pasta water in case you need to thin out your chicken mixture if it gets to thick.

    © thetipsyhousewife
    Category: Easy Dinner Ideas

    Enjoy Your Meal

    This recipe is a favorite around here. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do!

    If you make it, post it to Instagram and tag me @thetipsyhouswife. You can also follow me on Facebook @tipsywife.

    If you love fast and easy recipes, follow me on Pinterest to keep up with all my latest recipes.

    I also have a fun YouTube Channel where I cook and do other fun things!

    Thank you for reading and happy eating!

    Love, Tipsy

    Kung Pao Spaghetti

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