Casseroles are a fantastic way to simplify meal times. They involve minimal effort-simply combine ingredients in a baking dish, bake, and dinner is served! This keto chicken casserole is not only delicious but also filling and incredibly easy to prepare. If you have pre-cooked chicken, you can have it ready in minutes!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple and Quick: This one-dish meal takes only 40 minutes to prepare and practically bakes itself.
- Keto-Friendly: Perfect for those following a ketogenic or low-carb diet.
- Versatile: Easily customizable with your favorite vegetables and seasonings.
- Great for Leftovers: Makes excellent leftovers for meal prep or a quick lunch.
Ingredients
For Cooking the Chicken:
- Chicken breasts
- Oil (Avocado oil is recommended for its high smoke point, but olive oil can be used)
- Salt and pepper
For the Casserole:
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- Dijon mustard
- Minced garlic
- Dried thyme
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper (optional, for a little heat)
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Bacon bits (store-bought or homemade)
- Scallions, sliced (for topping)
Optional Additions:
- Small broccoli florets (lightly steamed)
- Bell peppers
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Pork, steak, or fish (as alternatives to chicken)
- Red bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, chili powder, ground cumin, and spicy (or mild if you would prefer) salsa
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a rimmed baking dish with foil and grease the foil.
Cook the Chicken:
- Arrange the chicken breasts in the prepared pan.
- Spray them with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Alternatively, you can bake, broil, or poach the chicken. Rotisserie chicken or boneless chicken thighs can also be used.
Prepare the Casserole Dish: Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Make the Creamy Sauce:
- In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, pepper, dried thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper (if using), and ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
Combine Chicken and Sauce:
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly.
- Cut the chicken into cubes or shred it.
- Add the chicken cubes to the bowl with the mayonnaise-sour cream mixture and toss to coat.
Assemble the Casserole:
- Transfer the chicken mixture to the prepared casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake: Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through, about 10 minutes. (See notes below for using cold chicken.)
Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle the casserole with sliced scallions and bacon bits. Serve immediately.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Tips and Variations
- Make it Creamier: If you prefer a creamier casserole, consider doubling the amount of sour cream or adding cream cheese.
- Add Vegetables: To make it a complete meal, lightly steam small broccoli florets and mix them into the casserole before the final stage of baking. You can also experiment with bell peppers, spinach, or other low-carb vegetables.
- Use Leftover Chicken: If you plan to use cold leftover chicken, microwave it, covered, to warm it up before adding it to the casserole. This ensures the casserole heats through evenly.
- Spice it Up: For a spicier casserole, add a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, red pepper flakes, or a dash of hot sauce to the sauce mixture.
- Cheese Variations: Experiment with different types of cheese, such as mozzarella, goat cheese, or Parmesan, to create unique flavor profiles.
- Bacon Substitutes: If you don't have bacon bits, you can cook bacon until crispy and crumble it. Alternatively, use other smoky toppings like smoked paprika or liquid smoke.
Important Considerations
Cooking Raw Chicken in Casserole
While it's possible to cook raw chicken in a casserole, it's generally safer and more flavorful to pre-cook the chicken. Raw chicken releases liquids as it cooks, which can make the dish watery.
Making Casserole Without Starch
Low-carb casseroles are typically made without starchy ingredients. This recipe omits traditional starches and still delivers a wonderfully flavorful result.
Using Mayonnaise
If you prefer not to use mayonnaise, you can omit it and double the amount of sour cream. However, keep in mind that mayonnaise adds extra creaminess and flavor.
Thicken the Sauce
When you make this casserole you got to make sure you’ve cooked the bacon, mushrooms and chicken fully because you don’t your casserole to turn into a soup. This happens many times when there is still moisture in the meat and veggies. Now some water is inevitable but you don’t want soup. Which is why make sure you fry that chicken and mushroom and cook out most of the water. Or you reduce the sauce till it’s nice and thick. Also remember to be careful with the SALT because when you reduce the sauce it’s going to concentrate the flavours so it will become saltier as you reduce it.
Adjusting for Different Cream Types
One of the constant questions in my videos is why does my heavy cream look much thicker than the average American heavy cream or even the cream you get in most parts of the world. Well I actually don’t know. I use a local brand that is actually only 25% fat so it’s technically not heavy cream. However this cream also has a tendency to ‘split’ when cooked too much. But if you are using the standard American/UK/Australia cream then you can add it when you add the cream cheese and the cheddar. Then you can cook down the cream till you get the nice thick consistency for the sauce.
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
Nutrition Information
Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners.
Serving Suggestions
This keto chicken casserole is delicious on its own or served alongside:
- Cauliflower rice
- Steamed vegetables
- A side salad
Meal Prep and Storage
- Make-Ahead: You can assemble this casserole up to one day in advance. Store it covered in the refrigerator and bake as directed when ready to serve.
- Leftovers: You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to four days. Gently reheat them, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. Take into account the age of pre-cooked chicken when storing leftovers.
- Freezing: Cool the baked casserole completely before freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations on Keto Chicken Casserole
Keto Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Keto Buffalo Chicken Casserole has all the flavors of your favorite dip in a delicious casserole that you are going to love.
BBQ Chicken Casserole
If you like BBQ Chicken, you are going to go wild for this BBQ Chicken Casserole. Even the kids will beg you to make this one.
Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole.
Seriously folks, just take a second to re-read that. A keto chicken bacon ranch casserole.
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Casserole
This cheesy chicken broccoli casserole is a stunningly easy and delicious keto dinner recipe. It comes together in 25 minutes and has less than 5g net carbs per serving!