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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 carnitas, chicken tostadas, sopes, you name it.
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.
More recipes you’ll love
- Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Healthy Turkey Fajita Rice Bowl
- Mexican Carnitas Recipe
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Fried Jalapenos
Broccoli Cauliflower Rice Chicken Casserole
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 kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons unsalted 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in April 2016. It was retested, rephotographed, rewritten, and republished based on reader feedback in March 2018.
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!
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”.
But if you cook the chicken for 20 minutes you still have to cook everything in the last step for 50 minutes? Step 7 says 50 minutes after everything has already been cooked. I feel like something is off. I’m not a cook though haha so I’m just making sure
Do you cook with a lid on it?
Wondering why bake for 50 mins when everything is already cooked? My top browned after about 30 mins
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?!
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
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.
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!!!!
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.
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 🙂
how much sour cream do you suggest? i don’t want my casserole to be too dry tonight
I cut out 1 cup of mozzarella (probably could’ve cut out another cup) and I ended up only needing to bake it for 25 minutes as opposed to 50. I might also add some red pepper flakes next time for a little bit of extra flavor but it came out great regardless!
What if I sautéed my chicken first rather than putting it in the oven? Would that still turn out well? I’m not a huge fan of baked chicken.
From my knowledge of cooking chicken both of these ways, I would just make sure it’s done all the way through but just barely. Like, to ensure it doesn’t overcook by being baked altogether afterward. Maybe marinating it prior would help!