Baked Chicken and Spinach Shells

You know the ol' saying "mothers know best"... Well, my mother [almost] always knows best.

You see, last night on my way home (hands-free for all you worriers) we were discussing what we had made for dinner the night before and what was on the menu for last night when I admitted to a flopped dinner two nights ago (one of these times maybe I'll share a flop story) and how I was worried about how dinner was going to pan out last night. After last night's miss and while we waited for the best eggplant parm in the area to arrive at our doorstep, I prepared dinner for last night.

I followed the recipe, adding more garlic of course. I cubed and browned the chicken, added in the minced garlic, wilted the spinach, and added the wine. I boiled and drained the pasta and tossed it all together. Sprinkled the cheese over the top and popped it in the fridge.

My concern - no liquid. Enter mom. Her suggestion: add some chicken broth and bake it covered. So, marching orders were given to the hubs as to how much broth to add and when to pop this sucker into the oven and I twisted my zumba butt off.

When I got home, I pulled the dish out of the oven and tasted to ensure mom's plan worked... SUCCESS!

Thanks mom - you always know the tricks!

Baked Chicken and Spinach Shells

Baked Chicken and Spinach Shells

What You Need:

• 3 chicken breasts, cubed
• 8 large garlic gloves, pressed
• 1 bag baby spinach
• 1/4 c white wine
• 1 box pasta shells
• 1/2 c chicken broth
• 2 c shredded mozzarella

How You Do It:

1. In a large pot, cook pasta as directed.
2. While the pasta cooks, in a large skillet, cook cubed chicken until the juice run clear.
3. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
4. Add spinach and cook until wilted.
5. Add wine.
6. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and add to chicken and spinach mixture.
7. Pour into deep 9x13 baking dish. Pour broth around edges and top with cheese.
8. Lightly cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes at 350*.

Baked Chicken and Spinach Shells adapted from Bitchin Camero.