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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.
Tried this recipe last night and it had a great taste, but the cauliflower was too crisp and seemed uncooked. I cheated and used a bag of Publix cauliflower rice. After doing some research, I think that was my mistake.
I don’t think it had enough moisture in it for it to cook properly. It was not dry, just too crisp. Will try again, preparing my own cauliflower.
How many servings?
Wondering if you could help me convert cooking to a crockpot? Trying to make this for my office Lunch Party ! 🙂
Been on low-carb diet 4 – 5 weeks now. This has been the best recipe so far. Thank you so much. Everybody agreed it’s a keeper.
Thank you so much, Jeff! I’m so happy that you love it, especially while on a diet. I know it can be tough to find recipes that are delicious when following a certain way of eating.
I made this tonight…..after reading the comments, Here’s what i did: I put the riced cauliflower (if you have a Costco close, they have huge bags) chopped fresh onion and chopped fresh broccoli and sliced mushrooms in a skillet with a little olive oil. I put a lid on it and cooked for about 10 minutes. (This helped pull out some of the water.) At then end i put in 3 cloves minces garlic and mixed in. In a large bowl, i whisked two eggs (as one post suggested) and mixed with a cup of sour cream, 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar and 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese Mixed that up well, added the cauliflower mixture (using a slotted spoon so i would have the water too) Mixing well and put into a greased casserole dish (it made a HUGE casserole). Baked on convection at 375 for 40 minutes, covered. Then topped with some fresh mozzarella and baked it 15 more minutes, uncovered. At the end i put the oven on broil until that cheese was all nice and brown. Ya’ll, it was amazing!!
Used a slotted spoon so i WOULDNT have the excess water. Sorry….should have proofed before posting!
How much frozen riced cauliflower did you use?
Hi Kristen, I just updated the recipe with the amount using frozen riced cauliflower since so many people seems to be opting for that instead of the homemade. I used 2 10-ounce bags of riced cauliflower. Hope that helps!
I thought it was quite good, but it was a bit dry. I will make it again, but I’ll add some milk or chicken broth to it, and I’d leave off the top cheese until the last 15 minutes or so. It got too brown and I had to cover the dish halfway through. I don’t think it would hurt to add some real onion or garlic (rather than or in addition to the powdered versions), for a bit more flavor, and some pepper. Just FYI, I used fresh cauliflower, fresh broccoli (both raw and uncooked) and cubed rotisserie chicken. It’s a keeper.
Looking forward to trying this tonight!
I have a large bag of riced cauliflower from Costco, and am not sure how much will equate to a large cauliflower grated- do you have an approximation for ounces?
Thanks!
Hi Leigh! I’ve updated the recipe and use 2 10-ounce bags of frozen cauli rice. Hope that helps!
TRied it twice. First time by the recipe and it was a bit weak on flavor.
Second time I added cheddar cheese, doubled the broccoli, garlic powder and onion powder. Then I added ADAMS RESERVE Umami Bomb seasoning – 2tbsp and it wasn’t amazing
Hi there, I have bags of frozen cauliflower rice. Should I heat them up first or put them in frozen?
I would heat them up and then drain any excess liquid.
Do you steam the cauliflower rice before you add it to the casserole or just put it in raw? Also, I am going to use fresh broccoli instead of frozen therefore, once again so I add it raw or steamed? Thanks, excited to try!
Hi Brittany, I would add it raw.