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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.
This dish is AMAZING! My fiance loved it too and asked to take leftovers to work. Sidenote: he isn’t even on a low carb diet. 🙂
Hi there, just found this and wanted to add a time saver. I prepared everything as stated however I added 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and my house of some seasonings. But instead of the baked chicken I bought a store bought rotisserie and cut it to cubes. Saved time and was so easy. I also used cheese cheese and since I wasn’t sure what to do with the broccoli I added it frozen. Baked this for 40 min and it was perfect! Moist and an easy weekday healthy meal that the fam loved! I’m going to look for others on your site! Thanks for sharing 😘
Thanks, Whitney! Love that tip!
I cut this recipe in half (with some adjustments) to make only 4 servings since I was making it for myself only. I used about 1.15 lbs. of chicken, a 10 oz bag of frozen cauliflower rice, and a whole 16 oz bag of frozen broccoli cuts (recipe only required half the bag once servings were reduced). Used 1.5 cups of mozz cheese (but 2 cups would have been fine). I also sautéed some minced garlic and added that in as well as the other spices. I used two eggs instead of one (one was recommended after the recipe was cut in half). I first cooked the chicken only 15 min to maintain moisture and make sure it didn’t over cook. I heated up the cauliflower and broccoli according to package directions and drained excess water, but didn’t drain the water out completely. Added all ingredients together per the directions. I cooked the casserole for 30 minutes, then added the Italian blend cheese on top for the last 20 minutes. The casserole came out perfectly!! Was not dry at all and lots of flavor!! I tried a little sour cream (per a recommendation in the comments here), once I had a portion on a plate, which was good, but not required. I plan to use the leftovers for work meals. I have a hard time finding good gluten free low carb recipes. Thank you so much for posting this great recipe!
This honestly look incredible! Right up my street – have pinned it so I can make it soon!! Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂 x
Made this tonight! Yum. Loved the cauliflower rice combined with the other ingredients.
Changes I will make: reduce salt, bake chicken 10-15 minutes before adding to mix (rather than 20 min at 400) bake at 375, top with sour cream.
Really great keto recipe! Thank you.
Excited for my leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
I have half a cooked rotisserie chicken left, if I peeled that, would it work just as well?
Yes!
From a very early age my son has made it clear that if I cook Broccoli, Chicken and Rice every day, he will be more than happy to eat it every day. We usually cook it on the stove, occasionally adding cauliflower to the mix, but the whole process is time consuming and uses lots of dishes. I’ve tried other recipes for casserole versions that just didn’t work well.
Last night we tried your recipe with only one change—I am the only Hispanic in our family; my wife and son are Germanic. So we compromise on spices and go with Cajun since we love the local flair here in New Orleans. I also prefer to cook the chicken in my Instant Pot and shred it using my KitchenAid mixer with metal paddle. I also used a Fiesta Blend cheese on top, but kept the mozzarella inside.
I would have loved to have had leftovers for tonight’s dinner, but that wasn’t happening. Nearly the whole dish disappeared, and no one knows where it went. Thank you for a recipe that will be a regular at our house.
That makes me so happy, Stephen! I’m so glad that everyone liked it. It’s one of my favorite recipes, too 🙂
My family loved this recipe! It was easy to prepare!
Thanks, Jill!
Hello,
This looks great! If I want to use fresh cauliflower rice and fresh broccoli that I have on hand (not frozen), do you just recommend cooking them on the stove first to soften a bit?
Thanks.
Hi! Came across this recipe tonight on Pinterest while looking for Keto chicken recipes….so we went ahead and made the casserole for supper…with an extra dollop of sour cream on top…and my family loooooved it 😉 my kids are 9 &11, and went back for seconds! Definitely a keeper! Probably one of the best Keto recipes we’ve tried. Thank you ;))
Thank you so much, Beth! 🙂 So happy you and the family loved it. It’s one of my favorite recipes, too!
How much for i piece how many ounces and what are macros
My husband is lactose intolerant, but can usually handle parmesan cheese. Could that be substittuted for the mozzarella??
Yes! I say go for it. More parm may make the whole thing a little salty though so I would leave out the salt.