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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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).
Loved this. I subbed a bit of bashed up Banza pasta for the cauliflower (plus extra broccoli) and added some apple cider vinegar to the sauce which really brightened it up. Will definitely make this again.