This creamy paleo chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole is packed with flavor and filling in the best way! It’s Whole30 compliant, keto, dairy free and perfect to make ahead of time for easy lunches and dinners.
Here’s are two not-so-scandalous secrets about me. 1.) I used to be anti-casserole and 2.) I used to be anti-cauli rice.
And now he we are, on the first day of 2019 with a DEEE-licious paleo and Whole30 casserole that does in fact use cauliflower rice. Things change, and I’m not afraid to admit that I was oh-so-wrong way back then.
I’m pretty sure all my issues with casseroles AND cauli rice can be summed up with one word: mush. Not the most appetizing word. But in truth, every paleo casserole I tried in the beginning seemed to just turn to mush, in a bad way. (Is there ever good mush, really? I guess not.)
Things have changed, however. A good thick sauce, lots of “goodies” (as I always say), and avoiding the dreaded overcooked cauli rice helps a whole lot.
And you might know by now that by “goodies” I’m talking about bacon, mostly. But honestly the roasted broccoli is a goody in my book as well. When done right it’s completely impossible to stop eating!
This casserole has several steps but it’s overall very easy to throw together. First, you’ll prep and then roast the chicken and broccoli in the oven. Meanwhile, you’ll make the bacon and then the sauce.
The sauce is very simple – onions, garlic, ghee, broth, coconut milk, thickener, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs. I also used nutritional yeast and some spicy brown mustard, which helps mimic the flavor of cheese and adds extra yumminess to the sauce.
The cauli rice is stirred into the sauce at the very last minute to avoid overcooking. Then the cooked, shredded chicken, broccoli, bacon, sauce, and rice are all baked together in a casserole dish. The result is so tasty that you won’t believe you’re actually eating something good for you!
This casserole is perfect to make ahead of time for easy lunches since the leftovers reheat so well. It’s one of those meals that might even taste BETTER leftover since all the flavors have a chance to blend.
It’s great for picky eaters too – the chicken, bacon, and broccoli usually go over well with kids! Plus, the “cheesy” flavor of the sauce has no hint of the coconut milk, so no worries for all you coconut haters. (I’ve learned over the years that coconut seems to be a love it or hate it sort of flavor.)
I hope you’re ready for the best kind of healthy comfort food! Grab all your ingredients and get that oven preheated. It’s time to make the best Paleo Chicken, Broccoli, and “Rice” Casserole – let’s go!
Paleo Chicken Broccoli “Rice” Casserole {Whole30, Keto}
Paleo Chicken Broccoli “Rice” Casserole
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 3 Tbsp ghee or rendered bacon fat
- 1 med onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp tapioca flour or arrowroot starch
- 1 3/4 cups chicken bone broth
- 1/2 cup coconut milk full fat
- 1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast optional
- 1/4 sea salt or to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 1 tsp fresh minced sage leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh minced rosemary
Remaining Ingredients:
- 12 oz cauliflower “rice” - I purchase this already prepped to save time
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 lb broccoli florets
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil, divided Sea salt and pepper
- 1/2 lb nitrate free bacon sugar free for Whole30
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken on a baking sheet and coat with 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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On a separate baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange broccoli and toss with 1 1/2 Tbsp avocado oil plus salt and pepper.
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Roast chicken for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Midway through, flip the chicken and for even roasting. Roast broccoli for 15-20 mins or until fork tender, stirring midway through.
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Once done, lower the oven temp to 400 degrees.
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While chicken and broccoli roasts, cook bacon until crisp in a large skillet, drain, and make the sauce:
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For the sauce, heat a medium saucepan over med heat and add the 3 Tbsp cooking fat. Add the onions, cook until translucent and fragrant, then add the garlic and continue to cook until soft, adjusting heat if necessary.
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Whisk the tapioca flour into the broth and add it to the pan, then immediately add the coconut milk, mustard and nutritional yeast, (if using), while whisking. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, stirring. Once boiling, lower to a simmer and continue to stir and cook for another minute, until nice and thick. Stir in salt and pepper to taste, add the fresh herbs. Stir in the cauliflower rice to soften, then remove from heat.
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Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, or shred, and arrange in a casserole dish, then add the roasted broccoli and the sauce/rice mixture, stir to evenly coat. Crumble the cooked bacon and sprinkle all over, then bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until heated through and cauli rice is soft. Serve hot and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Want More Paleo and Whole30 Chicken Recipes? Try One Of These!
Crispy Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Creamy Chicken Spinach Artichoke Dip
Classic “Breaded” Chicken Cutlets
Garlic Chipotle Lime Chicken in the Instant Pot
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes
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My kids have Broccoli’d me out! Lol. That was the only veggie they would eat so we are a lot of it. Now I can’t stand the sight of it. Any good alternative ideas for the brocoli in this recipe pls?
Do you have any ideas for a substitute for the coconut milk? I am sensitive to coconut milk, but this casserole looks delicious! Thank you.
Yes goats milk
Yum! I purchase frozen cauli rice. How would I use it in this recipe? Should I thaw it first or steam it? Wondering if adding it frozen would save some time? Can’t wait to try this casserole!
Can you freeze this.
I love reading your post. This is one of the best blog ever. Thanks for sharing information. Hope you are sharing the same in future.
This recipe is so good. It’s very similar (maybe identical) to another one on this site which includes brussels sprouts instead of the broccoli and cauliflower rice. They are both fantastic. It’s wonderful to find great Paleo compliant casseroles. You won’t miss the dairy or gluten; the sauce flavors are “cheesy” and savory and creamy. I used frozen cauliflower rice and it worked just fine. And this reheats really well too. Thank you for making such reliably delicious recipes. I feel confident trying new recipe from your blog b/c I haven’t found one that isn’t a “winner” yet!
Did you add the cali rice frozen?
Did you use cook the cauliflower first? Thank you!
Is there any way to make the almond bread less dry? It certainly is better than he recipe given to me by my Dr but it is hard to swallow either because of dense ness or dryness
Are the nutritional facts for the entire recipe or per serving?
Per serving. I printed the recipe and it says per serving in the Nutrition Facts.
Thanks for this! It came out really watery – should I add egg or almond flour? The flavors were great, though!
I would probably just bake it a little longer so that the liquid reduces on its own.
I can’t wait to make this. I’m going to make this tomorrow for breakfast during the week. I’ve over regular breakfast options (mostly eggs) and this looks like it will be AMAZING!!!
I don’t usually comment but this was delicious. The recipe is spot on.
That sauce is something I’ll be making again and again for all sorts of things. Thank you!
This was delish! I will for sure make it next week again. I even liked the leftovers cold. So yummy!
Do you add the herbs to the sauce?
I’ve made this a few times now and am always surprised at how versatile it is as well as delicious! Super easy for a weeknight and you can throw in whatever veggies you have on hand that need to get eaten up. I’ve made it with zucchini, broccolini, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and more. The sauce really makes this one so easy and flavorful!
So I made this and it cAme our delicious but a bit soupy. Not sure what I did wrong. Any ideas? Delicious flavor tho! Thank you!
Michele, Michele, Michele – you truly outdid yourself on this one! I’m doing Whole30 and needed something I could have for dinner and leftovers for lunch. I can’t wait til tomorrow for lunch! Followed the recipe except that whole chickens were on sale this week so I ended up roasting half a chicken and using that instead of the chicken breasts only. I’ve seen some other comments about the sauce being thin, mine was a little but not too much. I used frozen cauliflower rice, partially thawed. Next time, I’ll thaw it and squeeze out the excess moisture in a towel and I’m sure that’ll make the sauce just the right consistency. Of course a little thin sauce didn’t stop my son or I from devouring it!! Thank you!
Wondering how much is a serving?
Thank you
Could I use almond flour instead of tapioca? It’s the only whole 30 flour I have. Also, what would I do if using frozen cauliflower rice? Thanks!
Omg, are you me?? 2 years later and this is my exact question. I have no tapioca flour in my pantry, but I was planning on subbing with almond flour. And I bought frozen cauli rice because I don’t eat it fast enough before it goes bad! Please reply and tell me if you ended up making it this way, and if it was any good!
Super good! Agree it is even better the next day. I used chicken thighs and it turned out perfectly. Also agree its a little runny, but I didn’t care because it tasted so good. Thank you again Michele for another great recipe. I really appreciate how you write your recipes in a way that makes cooking them so easy.
Best cooking steps I have read here which are really very comfortable for me in making of the latest and tasty cooking foods. Thanks a lot
This recipe took way longer than the time listed. It was more complicated than needed to be. The taste was not worth the time. The casserole ended up being runny and didn’t stay well in the fridge. A casserole shouldn’t be this complicated… wasted a whole evening on this
Saaaame. Took a really long time and it didn’t have much flavor. Pretty bummed since it took so much time and energy.
I made this tonight, with actual rice, and it was soooo comforting and cozy and delicious. Not watery just perfect. Looking forward to leftovers. And will try a cauli rice version some other time. Thank you.
Did you cook your rice ahead of time, or just add it uncooked and let it cook in the sauce?
Can this be frozen??
Do you use 9×13 dish or another size. Sorry if it is in the instructions; I promise I looked before posting. Looking forward to trying it!
Yes 9×13
Is the nutritional info for 1 serving or for the whole dish…500 calories with the contents provided seem a bit steep.
I just tried this and it turned out completely watery 🙁 the sauce went into the casserole dish super creamy so I was pretty disappointed. I’m guessing that if I cooked the cauliflower rice ahead of time and squeezed out all of the moisture, it would’ve held up better.
Super delicious! The whole family liked it. I was looking for a chicken broccoli rice casserole sub. I 1.5x the recipe and put it in a bigger pan and it worked great. I made it keto by subbing tapioca flour for glucomannan(1/2-1tsp).
Super delicious and all my kids loved it!
Hi…do you think I could make all of the “parts”….sauce, chicken, broccoli, bacon and store separately and then add the cauli rice and put together and cook? trying to do some sunday cooking for dinners during the week. Thank you!
Soooo good! My family loved it!!
Didn’t love the sauce, but I think just adding more seasonings will be the difference, it was overall really good!!! I’ll definitely make this again. Only change I added was a no steroid helping of fresh sliced mushrooms before throwing in the oven. Tasty!
I definitely said a “massive” helping of mushrooms, not no steroid! Haha
Great and makes fabulous leftovers. My kids ask for this all the time.
This is so yummy! I made it with rice instead of cauliflower rice. The sauce was amazing and my two kiddos ate it so that’s a win.
Did you cook your rice ahead of time, or just add it uncooked and let it cook in the sauce?
I’m not one for following a recipe when cooking but I tried your pumpkin pie and now I’m hooked on your site.
This broccoli casserole is so warm and flavorful for a cold winter night. I modified a little because I was short on time. I used boiled chicken I had on hand from making soup this week, added in some shredded carrots, and used broccolini. I didn’t precook the broccoli and just added it in the sauce with the cauliflower. The bacon on top added the perfect texture.
Wonderful recipe! Tasted great. I used frozen cauliflower rice & frozen broccoli, but next time I’ll use fresh broccoli as frozen doesn’t roast very well. I thawed the cauliflower rice and then squeezed out all the extra liquid before adding it to the sauce. The sauce was slightly runny after baking, so next time I’ll thicken it a bit more before adding it to the casserole. Some members of my family ate it on top of regular rice.
My favorite hash! This will become my ‘go-to’ breakfast. All the flavors meld together in total deliciousness! Made it just like the recipe calls for, and then made it exactly that way again. YUM.
Also an anti cauli rice person, but this. This. It is perfection. I am also really excited about all the leftovers—too often have leftovers that don’t keep well but I think that this is going to stay tasty all week!!
This is seriously delicious. My husband devoured it and was surprised when I told him it was healthy. This is definitely a keeper.
Comfort food at its finest. This is a repeat recipe for my family!
Delish! I made it with some cooked brown rice I needed to use up, and that worked fine for us since we’re looking for low and complex carbs. I loved the sauce so much I ended up making extra for the dish. And I sliced up mushrooms to add before the final bake. <3 so hearty and wholesome and comforting. Thank you for this!
I made this tonight for my family. It was so good. I changed the recipe but not on purpose. I got a few recipes mixed up in my head. So instead of coconut milk I used soaked cashews, drained. It was not on purpose, but worked out. I didn’t have the issues others did, of it being watery, so happy accident there. My husband just said “I could eat this every day.” Winner winner chicken dinner! Gave the kids some homemade bread to round out their meal.
Can this be frozen? We love this dish and am looking to make some things to freeze for after baby comes. Thanks so much!
I like such a dish of rice but I am afraid of pain stomach. This is very harmful to health. I like to share your method with my wife so that she may also prepare it.
Can you freeze this?
Directions were not so straight forward. I ended up adding the rice at the end.
This is my absolute favorite! I’ve made this several times and love it more every time I eat it! You truly make eating healthy fun and easy! Thank you!!
what if we want to use real rice instead of cauli? when would we put it in?
Great recipe! I found there was a bit of liquid maybe from my cauliflower rice after it cooked and I didn’t have bacon to add but it tasted wonderful! Thanks so much!
Love it. Super yummy. But it takes longer than 50 minutes. More like and hour and a half
I love this recipe! It is perfect for my whole family to enjoy when my husband and I are on the paleo diet. I want to make this for my extended family, but my niece is allergic to coconut. Would almond milk be a good replacement for the coconut milk? Thanks!
Yey for a recipe that my kids might actually eat! 🙂
What can I substitute for coconut cream/milk? I can’t have coconut anything.
What would you substitute for the ghee and bacon fat to make this dairy and pork free? I would use turkey bacon in place of pork bacon which would not produce the back n fat.
Unfortunately it was too watery for me. Not sure how to fix it.
This wasn’t the easiest casserole I’ve ever made, but it turned out beautiful! I did not have the right flour, so I substituted almond flour and did add a little extra so it would thicken properly. I found the fresh riced cauliflower in the produce section and that definitely saved some time.
Can this casserole be frozen?
Excellent! This was the first recipe I’ve tried from this blog and it was so delicious… my husband is a pretty picky eater and even he loved it, practically licked the bowl clean 😉 The sauce was the ticket… I think I ended up with a tad more liquid than expected since I used frozen cauliflower rice but honestly we loved it, it was a rich slightly creamy broth that was the perfect amount of flavor without feeling too heavy. The fresh sage really tied the flavors together. I will DEFINITELY be making this regularly!
Loved it. Basically created my own cream soup (instead of Campbell’s and all the garbage it comes w)! We really liked this. My son (10) has a Candida problem and can’t have dairy, sugar, gluten, and lots of other foods. I used almond milk, no yeast, vegan butter, veg broth (not bc of diet restriction, it’s just what I had), and gf flour — it was fantastic! I added a little more broth before putting the whole thing in the oven. It looked really thick and I knew it would get thicker in the oven. Worked out. Also I used jasmine rice.
Can I substitute bone in chicken thighs? Any recommendations on how to make that switch?
I was wanting to use bone in chicken thighs instead,any suggestions on how to make that switch?
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Could you provide make ahead and freezing instructions? Thanks!
Help – Serving Size
How do you figure out what 1 serving to eat is?
THIS WAS FANTASTIC! I left out the cauliflower rice only because I thought I had some and then when I went to get it I didn’t have any; I thought it would ruin the recipe but nope.. it was delish! I’m definitely adding this to my normal rotation. Thank You!
really good! I added sliced portobella mushrooms to the onion garlic mixture
Is this something you can make ahead and freeze? Thank you!
Do you think I could use almond flour instead of tapioca?
Another fabulous recipe that my family enjoyed! Savory and filling. I used 1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa instead of rice cauliflower. Worked great!
Could you make this without the chicken? I’ve got pork chops I was going to do in a skillet. How would you adjust time if at all?
This is now in my regular rotation. Steps I do for ease or b/c I like the sub: use rotisserie chicken, frozen garlic pods, and roasted cauliflower instead of riced. Yum!
Good dish! Flexible to modifications if you have some cooking experience already. Highly recommend subbing in broccoli rabe for the broccoli if you can get it, it works well with the mustard in the sauce. I had about 1.5lbs of the rabe, plus a bit over a pound of thin asparagus, which was enough to be able to leave off the cauliflower rice (which I’m sensitive to). Also went with chicken thighs like another commenter here did, which worked out well.
Since I have a small one-shelf oven, I chopped the greens into thirds and blanched them first, then did the oil+salt+pepper+roasting step while I pan-fried the chicken thighs, then set all that aside and fried the bacon in the chicken grease, then the onions in the bacon+chicken fat, which all went into the sauce. The sauce took much longer to thicken satisfactorily for me than the recipe predicted, but otherwise it was fine. Whole dish from start to finish (including dishes) took about 3.5hrs (although part of that was prepping the extra greens so ymmv).