Whole30 + Keto Creamy Chicken Cauliflower Rice Casserole
Whole30 + Keto Creamy Chicken Cauliflower Rice Casserole Recipe + Video – cauliflower rice casserole with chicken, mushrooms + kale with a creamy dairy free sauce + crunchy low carb topping. Paleo, gluten free, grain free, sugar free, clean eating, real food.
Table of Contents
Whole30 + Keto Creamy Chicken Cauliflower Rice Casserole
This whole30 + keto creamy chicken cauliflower rice casserole is the ultimate in cozy, comforting meals. But couldn’t be healthier!
Only 9 carbs per serving, and dairy free!
Cauliflower Rice in a Keto Casserole
Rather than using grain rice for the casserole, I swapped in frozen cauliflower rice and it worked perfect!
You can use fresh cauliflower rice if that’s what you have, but I honestly prefer frozen the most. I find that it has the least cauliflower flavor, and is much less “farty” smelling, if you know what I mean, ha!
Creamy Sauce + Other Ingredients
The cream sauce is made from a combination of bone broth, soaked cashews + nutritional yeast. It makes a delicious, thick and creamy sauce that is completely dairy free! If you’re ok with dairy, you can substitute heavy cream instead of cashews. See recipe notes for substitution recommendations.
The keto casserole also has chicken, onions, mushrooms, kale + garlic. Perfect for winter. It is topped with the most genius crunchy topping: pork rind panko! Just ground up pork rinds. It gives it a great crunch. Do no skip this!
Make Ahead Keto Casserole
You can fully assemble this casserole earlier in the week, and then cook it the day you’re going to have it for dinner. You can even freeze it! I would just wait to add the pork rind panko until you’re going to put it in the oven. This way the pork rind panko will stay crispy!
This recipe makes a ton! Enough for 8 servings. Perfect for meal prep and to have leftovers for lunches and dinners!
Watch Cauliflower Rice Casserole Video Demo (3:37 minutes)
If you make this Whole30 + Keto Creamy Chicken + Kale Casserole be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you all and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to share and tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Whole30 + Keto Creamy Chicken Cauliflower Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 6-ounce chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed, chopped (about 3 cups)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 3 12-ounce bags frozen cauliflower rice
- 1/3 cup pork rind panko, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Set in the wire baking rack. Place the chicken breasts on the wire rack, season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and chop into bite size pieces.
- Reduce your oven temperature to 350ºF.
- While the chicken is roasting, heat your cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion and mushrooms. Season with 1 teaspoon salt + pepper. Sautee, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and golden brown. About 10 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Then add in the kale, and sautee until soft, about 5 minutes.
- To make the sauce, in your high speed blender combine the chicken stock, soaked cashews, nutritional yeast and salt. Blend on high for 60 seconds until completely smooth.
- When the kale is soft, stir in the frozen cauliflower rice and chopped chicken. Stir until completely combined. The cauliflower rice will still be frozen. The oven will do all the cooking of it!
- Pour the sauce all over the top of the casserole. Use a spatula to gently nudge it to be completely absorbed.
- Top the casserole with crushed pork rind panko.
- Bake in the 350ºF oven for 20-25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container refrigerated for at least 5 days, or frozen for at least 6 months.
- As always, lots of tips, FAQs and substitution info in the Recipe Notes!
Notes
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68 Comments on “Whole30 + Keto Creamy Chicken Cauliflower Rice Casserole”
If substituting homemade cauliflower rice, should I cook it first before adding it to the caserole? Or can I just throw the cauliflower in right out of the food processor?
If using homemade cauliflower rice, there is no need to cook it Amy. Just add it in as you would the frozen. I sure hope this answers your question and you like the casserole! Happy cooking!
Could I use coconut cream instead of the cashews? I’m nut and dairy free but am dying to try this dish!
You can use coconut cream instead of cashew cream, but keep in mind cashew cream is very thick Mal. I would reduce the liquid by about half, add the coconut cream and adjust accordingly. I sure hope you like it, it’s delicious!
I made this for dinner tonight. “Tastes Lovely” is a huge understatement! This was super-delicious!!! I am in my second week of a Whole30 diet and have been searching for recipes. This is the very best so far. We will be adding this to our recipe file under “Favorites!”
Thank you so much, Natalie!
I am so happy you liked my casserole Jeanne! So glad it was super delicious and it will be part of your regular recipe rotation. I think it is the ultimate healthy comfort food!
OMGosh! I absolutely love this recipe! So creamy, tasty and easy……you feel like you are cheating! I used regular rice for my husbands half and cauliflower rice for mine. And had enough to freeze a small bowl one for me to eat later!
I am so happy you liked my cauliflower casserole Penny. I think the creamy richness makes it feel like a cheat meal, but it’s sure not! So glad you and your hubby enjoyed it.
Super yum! Based upon other reviews, I only used about 1/2 cup of bone broth to cauli mix and doubled the cashew cream sauce. No soupiness here 😊
I don’t see the nutritional info though?
Cassi the nutritional info is listed right below the recipe. So glad you liked it!
Great recipe! But mine turned out very soupy. I substituted bone broth and heavy cream for the cashews. By doing that, was I supposed to omit the chicken stock? I’m wondering if that’s where I went wrong. But will definitely try again!
Sorry the casserole didn’t turn out for you Sandy. I haven’t recipe tested it with the cream/bone broth as opposed to the cashew cream, but I have had commenters say it was runny with that combination. Cashew cream is much thicker than cream, so I would start by reducing the liquid by half and adjust accordingly. Sure hope it turns out better next time.
This is SO good!! If you make it today you’ll wish you would have made it yesterday because you’ve been missing out!! Also, it makes a ton of food, FYI.
I am so happy that you liked my casserole Bonnie! I loved your line about making today and you’ll wish you made it yesterday. LOL! That really made my day. I love it for leftovers and I am so glad you have a ton! Thanks so much for your awesome feedback. I so appreciate it!
Made this recipe tonight (added broccoli) and it was very tasty although a bit soupy. Will make again!
I am glad you liked my casserole Heather. I am bummed it turned out soupy for you. I have had a few commenters notice that different brands of the cauliflower are different sizes. Make sure you are using two 12 oz bags. I have made it so many times and it has never been soupy. I am still trying to solve this mystery! So glad it was tasty though!
Wowza! Natalie, you hit another one out of the park!! We loved it!!!
Thanks so much for the feedback on my new casserole Debbie. I am so glad you liked it! I so appreciate all of your very kind comments! Thank you!
This recipe is fantastic! My husband has been missing his chicken and rice casserole and this casserole hit the spot. Also, the leftovers made for delicious lunches through the week for us both!
I am so glad you like my new casserole recipe Heidi! It does taste just like a chicken and rice casserole. My mom used to make a chicken divan casserole and it reminds me of that. That is fantastic to have yummy leftover lunches for the rest of the week.
I made this today and the flavor was great but it came out quite watery. I noticed your bags of riced cauliflower are 12 oz but the Green Giant and Bird’s Eye brands that I have available here come in 10 on, so I decreased the sauce by 1/3. I don’t have a cast iron pan so I baked it in a 9×13 baking dish. I noticed when I transferred it into the baking dish before adding the sauce that it was watery then. I am thinking that maybe there is a lot of water added to some brands of riced cauliflower so when it finishes thawing in the oven it adds a lot of water. Next time I will fully thaw the cauliflower in the pain and drain it before baking.
Thank you so much for your feedback on my new casserole Brooke. I have had a few commenters say it was watery and I have been truly stumped. I wonder if it is the difference of 10 oz vs 12 oz? You may be onto something. I have made it several times and it hasn’t been watery. Reducing the sauce is a fantastic idea. I really appreciate your input!
This was SOOOO good and I am so thankful to have left overs :) I usually am not a fan of cauliflower rice but this was just perfect. Can’t wait to eat it for lunch tomorrow!
I am so happy you liked my new casserole Cara! It made me smile to read you are thankful for leftovers. I love it when I make a recipe and look forward to having it for lunch the next day. Makes me so happy! I am so glad you liked this, I appreciate you letting me know.
Delicious!! Great comfort food that came together pretty quick. Another great meal from Natalie!! Thanks!
Thank you so much for the nice comments Brie! I am so glad you liked my new casserole. I agree that it is a fantastic comfort food. I am happy it was easy to make.
Made with broccoli rice and was still delish. Stronger flavor of broccoli and as a result it kinda tasted like broccoli cheddar soup!
Thanks so much for letting me know that you liked it with broccoli rice Bridget! That is fantastic that it turned out well, I actually can’t wait to try it myself. I love broccoli cheese soup. Yum!
Keto cream of raw cauliflower chicken is a delicious and nutritious dish. I really like this dish.
I am so happy you liked my new casserole Vin! Finally a HEALTHY casserole! Happy cooking!
My family really enjoyed this! I reduced the salt in the sauce by a teaspoon because I used salted chicken broth and three teaspoons seemed a bit much to add. I also only had about a half a bunch of kale so I supplemented with some spinach and chopped fresh broccoli. Otherwise I followed the recipe how it’s written. Unfortunately my casserole wound up quite soupy but I’ll just reduce the amount of chicken broth I use next time or cook it on the stovetop for a minute or two to pre-thicken it. Thank you for the tasty Whole30 friendly comfort food recipe.
I am so happy you liked my casserole Melissa! I am stumped about it being soupy. I’ve had a few reviews where people share that. I’ve never had it turn out too liquidy so I am recipe testing like crazy trying to figure out what it could be. Reducing your liquid next time is a great idea. I am so glad you liked it though!
I watched your video demo of the recipe so I know you definitely do a great job with testing! It could be something I did in the process or one of my ingredients being different. I’m excited to have this in my Whole30 repertoire.
I made this today but mine came out really soupy. The recipe has 3 cups chicken stock which made a lot of the sauce and it didn’t soak up as much as I was expecting. The flavor was really good though :) I just used a slotted spoon to serve it in bowls. And the pork rind panko? GENIUS!
I am so glad you liked my new casserole Nancy. I have made it 3 times already and I haven’t had excess liquid. I am so sorry yours was a little runny. I am happy you liked the flavors though. Isn’t pork rind panko fantastic?
This was super easy and has tons of flavor! For some reason mine had lots of liquid at the end of cooking still! I did two cups of broth and 1 cup heavy cream. I subbed broccoli for mushrooms. My only thought is maybe I didn’t add enough cauliflower rice. I get the big bag from Costco so I measured but also kinda eyeballed it.
My 1 year old audibly said “mmmm” and I could hardly get another bite on the fork because she was screaming for more! Will definitely make again!
I am so glad you liked my new casserole recipe Katie! I have already made it 3 times and haven’t had excess liquid at all, but I have had a few commenters say that they did. Adding enough cauliflower rice is important, so I am wondering if there wasn’t enough. Mushrooms are also almost all water. I wonder if broccoli absorbs more liquid? I sure hope next time you make it there isn’t too much liquid. I am thrilled that you and your 1 year old liked it!
Another knock out recipe Natalie!!! I was actually kinda bummed that my kids ate it because that took away one of my lunch servings of this deliciousness. ? I actually love that they ate it and liked it. You’re recipes are amazing. Thanks for sharing so many delicious things with the world!
I am so happy you liked my new casserole recipe Erika! That is great that your kids ate it and I totally get what you mean about not having lunches for the week now! LOL! I just love it when I have a healthy lunch I can just heat up. I guess you’ll just have to make another one! Thanks for your nice words about my recipes. I just love sharing them!
Literally the best thing I ever ate!!!
Wow! You just made me so happy Sara! The best thing you ever ate? Yes! I am so thrilled you liked my casserole! Thank you for letting me know, it means a lot to me.
Natalie, you are a genius! This was so easy and SO GOOD!! I’m a vegetarian so I subbed tofu and veggie broth, left off pork rinds, and used peas instead of kale bc I didn’t have any on hand and it was still delicious!
I am so glad you liked my new casserole Kara! I am thrilled that a vegetarian tried it and with a few tweaks was able to enjoy it. Both my mom and sister are vegan, so I am used to making substitutions to recipes at our family gatherings. The addition of tofu and veggie broth is a great idea. Peas would be fantastic too. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I really appreciate it!