What's for Dinner? Chicken Stuffed Shells with a Creamy White Wine Sauce

This is a recipe I created based on ingredients for a chicken dish spotted on a menu in Reno a few years ago. We both gave this one TWO thumbs up. It was fantastic!

For best results, cut ingredients into tiny pieces for better fit into the shell pasta.

olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely diced
1 small (4 oz) can stems and pieces mushrooms, drained and liquid reserved
2 oz pancetta, finely diced
fresh basil leaf chiffonade to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Italian blend cheese
1/2 box jumbo shells pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

White Wine Sauce
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 t ground nutmeg

Cook the pasta according to package. Drain well.

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray an 8" square baking dish with cooking spray. Spray a square of foil (large enough to cover the pan) with cooking spray. Set aside.

Heat a large frying pan drizzled with a little oil over medium heat. Saute chicken til golden brown. Remove chicken to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon . Add tomato and drained mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, or til tomatoes soften. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon to the same bowl. Render pancetta in pan juices about 1 minute. Stir in fresh basil. Add to chicken mixture in bowl and stir til ingredients are well mixed. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook a few seconds. Whisk in wine and cook off alcohol, about 5 minutes. Whisk in cream and nutmeg and cook til thickened slightly.

Spoon about 1 T of the chicken mixture into each shell. Spoon 1 cup wine sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with stuffed shells. Pour remaining sauce over the top. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake 20 minutes.

Removed foil; sprinkle with Parmesan and bake 15 minutes or til hot and bubbling. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

I served these wonderful shells with steamed cauliflower and sliced roasted beets.