This low carb and cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Rice Chicken Casserole recipe is perfect for dinner and makes great leftovers. It’s also gluten free!
It may shock some people to hear this, but casseroles were never really a part of my childhood. Sure, there was the occasional attempt at making lasagna and maybe a hamburger helper type of dish, but that was rare. (Wait – are lasagna or hamburger helper even considered casseroles? No clue. See, that’s exactly my point.)
Though my family liked all the ingredients in the typical casserole, we didn’t like them all mixed together. We wanted the ingredients separate just so we could assemble them on our own plate. Think about it – rice, beans, cheese, a protein, salsa and corn tortillas. All those ingredients would make an amazing casserole. But instead we wanted to make our own thing like tacos, tostadas, sopes, you name it.
How to make Broccoli Cauliflower Rice Chicken Casserole {VIDEO}
Oh well. Those are pretty tasty, too. 😉
It wasn’t until I moved in with John that I realized the power of the casserole.
- Usually, very few pots and pans are required. Less dishes to wash equals a win in my book, because let’s get real – washing the dishes after getting home from work is the last thing John and I feel like doing.
- Most importantly, casseroles are often huge! Which means lots and lots of leftovers. If we didn’t feel like cooking the next day, no worries – we’ve got some leftover casserole. SCORE.
Like many people, John doesn’t always like eating vegetables. And because I love him and care about his health, I’m always trying to come up with new ways to incorporate more of them into our meals.
And that’s where cauliflower rice comes in. If you’ve never made “cauli-rice,” prepare to have your mind blown. Here’s what you do. Ready?
How to make cauliflower rice
- Grate a head of cauliflower using a large cheese grater, or lightly pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor.
That’s it! It’s a brand new way of enjoying cauliflower that kids even like! If you need more of a step-by-step tutorial, check out my recipe for Mexican Cauliflower Rice.
Aside from all the “hidden” veggies in this dish, my favorite part of this Broccoli Cauliflower Rice Chicken Casserole is all the cheese!
4 cups of shredded cheese to be exact. Some people may not think that’s enough, so if that’s you, go for it. Sprinkle some more in there.
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- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
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- Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Fried Jalapenos
WATCH THE RECIPE VIDEO
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 10-ounce bags frozen cauliflower rice (or 1 head of cauliflower, riced and cooked)
- 1 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli cuts
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 3 cups, shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a large 3-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil. Set aside.
- Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally to make them thinner, lightly coat them in olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Liberally season with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking, heat the bags of frozen cauliflower rice and broccoli according to package instructions. Discard any excess water or moisture.
- Remove chicken from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully chop baked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large bowl, add cooked cauliflower rice, broccoli, chicken, eggs, mozzarella cheese, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and butter. Toss together until fully combined.
- Transfer casserole mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining Italian blend cheese.
- Bake for 50 minutes, until the cheese on top has fully melted and started to brown slightly. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Gillian says
Tried this recipe tonight and everyone loved it! Super easy, I replaced some of the rice with frozen cauliflower and it was so good! Definitely will make this again! <3
Kelly says
I made this last night and it wasn’t something I would make again. Family didn’t like it much either. The two teaspoons onion and garlic powder was too much. It just really affected the flavor competing with the cheese. I think maybe cream cheese or sour cream or heavy cream for some moisture and less seasoning good make it nicer.
Hannah says
This recipe was SO easy and it tastes AMAZING!!! i dropped the oven temp to 375 to cook the casserole and cooked it for 38 minutes and it was so perfect!!! will 100% make it again. thank you!!
Bethany Andrew says
Super confusing recipe here – is the chicken thawed or frozen when you start? Also, that seems like a LONG time to put the casserole in. And you mention butter in the recipe but I don’t see it anywhere on the ingredient list? I just threw mine in the oven with a can of cream of mushroom after reading everyone’s comments on it being dry :|. We will see!
Isabel says
Hi Bethany, the chicken is thawed and then it is baked for 20 minutes as indicated in step 2 of the instructions. Butter is the 2nd to last ingredient on the ingredient list – is says “2 tablespoons butter, melted”.
Wendy says
Do you cook with a lid on it?
Jo hat says
Wondering why bake for 50 mins when everything is already cooked? My top browned after about 30 mins
Jennifer says
Yeah I think that might have dried mine out a bit! Prob bake less next time!
Also, how is the nutrition 10net carbs? I feel like a portion should be much less…. all the ingredients are so low ten seems a bit high to me?!
Bridgette Alexander says
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Jennifer says
This recipe was great! My family loved it! A tip for those that found it bland, the riced cauliflower I used had lemon juice and garlic added (Green Giant brand). The additional flavors made a tasty casserole! You could definitely add some lemon juice and garlic o yours.
JM Richter says
I follow led tecipe exactly. The oven temp was too high considering all elements were pre-cooked except to melt the cheese. 375 at 30 mins would have been more appropriate. That being said, the casserole had ZERO flavor & it won’t be a repeat for us.
It definitely needs more flavor!!!!
Brittany says
I just made this and it’s SO good! Thank you! I actually used vegan cheese rather than dairy and it was still SO good.
Melanie says
It was really tasty! The only thing is that the casserole itself is very dry. It would need some sort of sour cream/ cream cheese mix or soup. Besides that, the taste was definitely there. A small tip: add the cheese on top in the end to avoid burning it.
Happy I tried it!
I will definitely modify it next time.
Thank you 🙂