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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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.
Nutrition Information
YUM! Very good! I didn’t have the Italian cheeses. I made a substitute with cheddar and parmesan and it was still delicious.
Great recipe, I had to tweak it a little due to one of my bags of rice was busted open. So in replace of that I did a bag of frozen mixed veggies. I cooked the chicken on the stove with seasoning instead of baking and did 30 mins in the oven vs. 50 mins. Family loved it.
Is 400 degrees for 50 min correct??
I loved it ! I added some bacon and so it did not dry out I added some heavy whipping cream /cream cheese mixture to it and it was delicious !!!
I have no idea what I did wrong. I followed the recipe exactly except I used fresh broccoli and rotisserie chicken. The end result tasted like fish. I threw the whole thing out 🙁
Drop the mozzarella cheese and switch to cheddar. I would add onions and some crushed red pepper flakes. Use fresh broccoli and fresh uncooked cauliflower.
Good flavor combination but extremely dry. I also adjusted the cooking time to only 25 minutes. Still dry. Needs a little sauce incorporated with this recipe.
Can I use frozen cauliflower rice and frozen broccoli?
Yes, you can!