Paleo Chicken Casserole
Paleo Chicken Casserole is a quick and easy weeknight meal but delicious enough that you could definitely serve it around the holidays. Only whole ingredients, gluten free, dairy free, and low carb!
Most of the time casseroles are filled with preservatives and gross ingredients. This is mainly because they call for condensed soups and tons of dairy. So it’s kind of hard to find casseroles that are healthy, taste good, and still feel like a comfort food.
This paleo version is creamy and is a great one-pan meal because it’s got protein, veggies, and “rice”. I know what we are having tonight!
For this paleo chicken recipe, you will need to have some cooked chicken on hand. I love making a big batch of shredded chicken in the slow cooker. You can use it so many different ways and you already have it on hand. It’s great for salads, casseroles, and soups!
Ingredients Needed
- Shredded chicken
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower rice
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Olive oil
Sauce
- Onion
- Vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic cloves
- Unsalted cashews
- Lemon juice
- Nutritional yeast
How to Make Healthy Paleo Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large pan, add the oil over medium heat. Place the mushrooms and onions in, and saute for a few minutes. Then add the bite-sized broccoli florets and continue cooking.
Pour in the cauliflower rice and cook for 2 minutes.
Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish with the shredded chicken.
Add the veggie mixture in an even layer over the chicken.
To make the sauce, add a cup of broth and diced onion to a large pan over medium heat. Cook until the onions are tender, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Cook until the broth has evaporated, you don’t want any liquid remaining so it’s creamy at the end.
Transfer the onion and garlic to a blender, add a ½ cup of broth, and the remaining ingredients. Pulse until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
If needed, add more broth to thin it out and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Pour the sauce into the casserole dish so that everything is coated well.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and is bubbly.
Storing Instructions
Keep the leftover chicken casserole in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Tips and Variations
- Instead of broth, you could use coconut milk.
- If you like bacon, you can fry a batch and crumble it on top before baking.
- Substitute regular rice for cauliflower rice if desired.
- Omit the nutritional yeast if you aren’t a fan. It just gives it a cheesy flavor.
- You can also use shredded brussels sprouts in place of the broccoli to switch things up.
- To make things easy, you can use fresh store-bought rice cauliflower.
More Healthy Casserole Recipes:
- Crockpot Tuna Casserole
- Paleo Sweet Potato Casserole
- Keto Chicken Casserole
- Paleo Green Bean Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken & Cauliflower Rice Casserole
- Whole30 Breakfast Casserole
Paleo Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 2 heads of broccoli
- 2 cups cauliflower rice
- 8 oz mushrooms canned or fresh
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Sauce
- 1 ½ cups white onion diced
- 1-2 cups low sodium vegetable broth divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp raw unsalted cashews
- 2 tsp lemon juice start with just 1/2 and taste after blended!
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400º Fahrenheit
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and diced onion and stir for a few minutes. Add the broccoli florets (make sure they’re in bite-sized pieces and not too large) and stir for another 2 minutes. Next, add your cauliflower rice and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Place the shredded chicken in a 9×13-inch casserole dish, covering the bottom. Add the sautéed mushrooms, onions, broccoli and cauliflower rice in a flat layer on top.
- Next, make your sauce.
- Add the onion and 1 cup of the broth to a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. Cook for about 8 minutes until the onion is very tender. After 8 minutes, add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes more, stirring often. All of the broth should have evaporated by now. If not, keep letting it cook until the broth is all gone. You don’t want any more liquid once it’s done cooking, so the end result is thick and creamy.
- Add the cooked onion and garlic to a blender. Add 1/2 cup more of the remaining broth and the remaining ingredients (salt, pepper, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast). Blend on high for a couple of minutes until very creamy and smooth. Add any more broth to reach desired consistency, if necessary. Taste and add any more salt & pepper or lemon, if desired.
- Pour on top of the mixture in the casserole dish. Use a spatula if needed to make sure everything is well coated.
- Cook the casserole for ~20 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling and slightly reduced and thickened. Garnish with fresh rosemary if desired and serve immediately.
