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This Savory Chicken Casserole Recipe is one of the best guilt-free comfort food recipes we have ever had. You will not believe this is dairy-free, gluten-free, and paleo-approved.
Savory Chicken Casserole
Do the words casserole and clean eating REALLY go together? Well, today they do! This is a great feel-good food recipe. It actually tastes cheesy although there is no cheese and NO dairy of any kind!
Even though this is a healthy chicken casserole the whole family will love it. This is a great weeknight meal and it’s perfect for food prep because it tastes great leftover (hot or cold!).
If you want more meal ideas, check out this chicken tortilla casserole for a different flavor profile. You may also enjoy my zucchini noodle lasagna.
Can I Use Different Vegetables?
You sure can! I love green peas in this because it reminds me of a creamy chicken pot pie without the crust. You can add in peas and carrots, broccoli, asparagus, or cauliflower. Use your imagination and use whatever vegetable you prefer or enjoy.
I also like adding in onions or mushrooms for a different richer flavor profile. This is just a guide. You can make this your own by adding in any vegetables you want.
Should I Bake This?
This recipe does not require baking. However, you can pour into a cast-iron skillet or a baking dish and pop into the oven to heat through and add a bit of crisp or color to the top. If you eat cheese, a bit of cheese on top can be another addition that adds flavor. You could even sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top for a bit of crunch.
As it stands, you don’t have to bake the savory casserole, but it adds an extra layer of texture you will probably love. Plus, it gives you a bit more time to throw together a nice side salad to go on the side of your casserole meal.
Can This Savory Chicken Casserole be Frozen?
Yes! I love that this is such a great make-ahead recipe to put into freezer bags or a disposable baking dish and wrap well to freeze. You can thaw and reheat, or add to the oven straight from the freezer to heat through.
Just make sure you label and date the casserole before you freeze. That way you will always know what you have on hand in your freezer.
Tips for Making Savory Chicken Casserole
- For the shredded chicken you can either boil it (our favorite!), make it in the Instant Pot, or if you are really pressed for time you can use rotisseriechicken.
- You can either buy the whole butternut squash and peel and cut yourself or let the grocery store do that for you by purchasing the already peeled and cubed butternut squash!
- Coconut cream is skimmed off the top of coconut milk (save that coconut milk for your next protein shake or smoothie!). Or you can purchase a can of the coconut cream (we’ve seen it at Trader Joes but it looks like it’s available on Amazon here too!)
This was originally published on March 11, 2014, and updated April 13, 2020.
Savory Chicken Casserole
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
5 from 8 reviews
- Author: Whitney Carlson
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This savory chicken casserole is one of the best guilt-free comfort food recipes we have ever had. You will not believe this is dairy free, gluten-free, and paleo approved.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup coconut cream (skimmed off of the top of a can of coconut milk)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/4 cup green peas (if using frozen, thaw prior to adding to recipe)
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
Instructions
- If you have not pre-prepared your chicken, place chicken in an additional pot of boiling water for 8-15 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and shred chicken using forks or a stand mixer. Not sure how to boil chicken? We’ve got you covered! Check outthis post.
- Meanwhile, soften cubed and peeled butternut squash in a large pot of boiling water for approximately 40 minutes. Remove butternut squash from pot using a strainer and place in a large bowl. Using a potato masher, mash butternut squash to a smooth, but somewhat chunky texture.
- Add apple cider vinegar, sea salt, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, thyme and onion powder to the mashed butternut squash and stir to combine.
- Mix in the coconut creme and oil, stirring to combine.
- Stir in coconut oil, coconut creme, shredded chicken and green peas.
- Place mixture in a large skillet and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes on medium heat.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Paleo Grubs Stove-tip “Cheesy” Paleo Chicken Casserole
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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Comments
Brandi Morrill says
Mine came out kind of dry. What did I mess up on?????
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Whitney Carlson says
Hi Brandi, I am so sorry I am just now seeing your comment. When you left it we were in the process of transferring websites. Although you might not care anymore I wanted to acknowledge your comment! Did you following the recipe exactly or did you make substitutions? One reason I can think of is if you overcooked the chicken (which is easy to do). I hope you gave it another try and that it came out better the second time.
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Whitney Carlson says
COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS WEBSITE (ADMIN):
Hubby made this tonight for dinner. It smelled so good and turned out just like the picture. My only concern is it tastes so sweet. I am trying to figure out if he used the wrong coconut product. Did anyone else get a really sweet result? Thank you for your help
I think we found the answer. I pulled the can of coconut cream out of the garbage and read the ingredients. It had added sugar in the ingredients 🙁 We have learned our lesson and will try the recipe again without the sugar bomb.
So yummy! My 5 and 2 year old and husband really enjoy it!!! It’s our new staple:)
This was so good, I changed the recipe a little bit by roasting the butternut squash and sautéing some shallots and garlic together then adding everything. I also added a teaspoon of poultry seasoning and toasted that with the garlic and shallots! Awesome recipe 🙂
I tried this recipe this week and loved it. My butternut squash was almost mushy after 15 minutes of boiling but I probably had small cubes. I used twice the amount that the recipe called for and still had extra squash for later. I cooked two chicken breasts (7oz each) in about 15-20 minutes. So all together this recipe was very quick and easy for me but it did use a lot of pots and pans. I did make one mistake with the coconut though. Instead of the can of coconut milk for the cream, I bought what I thought was organic coconut cream. It turns out I misread the label and it was really creamed coconut. Not the same thing at all but I used it anyway. I’m looking forward to making this again with the correct ingredients.
This is really good – I’ll definitely make it again.
I made a half recipe with minor modifications. To help speed the process along, I bought pre-cut butternut squash at Trader Joe’s (12 oz). Put it in a glass bowl with some water in the microwave; it took about 15 minutes in the microwave before it was ready to mash.
I also had cooked, shredded chicken in the freezer so I pulled that out. Didn’t have garlic powder so I used fresh minced garlic instead.
Post Thanksgiving, this would be a great way to use up leftover turkey. I’d even make this w/o the meat to serve as a side dish especially if going to a potluck, etc.My BF is eyeing my plate from across the room right now…
This was delicious! Even my 2 year old loved it, thank you!
I just read other comments, and next time I may try making it with broccoli instead of the peas, but the peas were really good with it!
I’ve had this pinned forever;) Finally made it tonight using left over rotisserie chicken from Costco. Yum! Thank you for the recipe!
Made this last night for dinner! So yummy!! Will definitely be making it again 🙂
I doubled it too and had great results.
I really like this recipe so much:) I’m lactose intolerant, so the coconut milk is just great for me; Tastes great and doesn’t make me sick!
I ended up using a whole butternut squash I roasted. There was about 2.5 cups which I thought was a good amount for the amount of spice. Very tasty. Thank you. 👍👍👍
super easy and delicious!! thanks for this recipe and for your blog- always enjoy your tips! 🙂
Absolutely love this recipe. Easy to make, had all ingredients, except for the squash, on hand. I shared this recipe several times and even to some to the gym for my gym family to taste, lol.
This was DELICIOUS!!! I wasn’t sure what to think since I’ve never had Coconut Milk before, but I loved it. I wound up doubling the recipe – my husband LOVED it and we’ve got more for leftovers! 🙂 This will be a staple in our home from now on! Thank you so much!!!!
Just made this for dinner – oh my gosh – added to my favorites list! So tasty!
This is delicious !! Thank you
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Ashley V Ledford says
Chicken casserole is one of my favorite meals- all times of the year – and this recipe is a perfect healthy version! I have never added peas before- what a great way to incorporate some veggies! 🙂
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Whitney Carlson says
Hi Ashley! I’m so glad you love the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and comment. 🙂
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Juston McNalley says
Whaaat?!?! Can’t believe this is so good even without the cheese and creamy soups you typically add to casseroles. Amazing creation!
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Whitney Carlson says
Hi Justin! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and review. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
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Melodi Cadwell says
Followed recipe exactly! My husband and I are just starting to eat clean. I have to say it has taken me a very long time to get to this point. He is the pickiest eater I have ever met. He loved this dish, insisting on the leftovers for his lunch. He gave this recipe a solid 10 stars. He wanting me to make it a Second time. The second time we made this dish we add sautéed onions and celery!!! We absolutely loved it both ways!!!
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Whitney Carlson says
That makes me so happy to hear, Melodi! I’m so glad both of you like the recipe. I hope you enjoy our others as well. 🙂
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kkSize says
I’m looking for new ways to use chicken because it’s such a staple in our house, but there are only a few recipes I circle through, that it gets boring to make again and again. This one is so simple and easy to make and is delicious! It’s helpful to have more healthy recipes added into our rotation.
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Whitney Carlson says
I’m so glad you liked the recipe! I agree chicken can get boring so we are always looking for ways to switch it up. Thanks for taking the time to comment and leave a review.
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Lynn Charland says
I made this recipe last night. Even my picky eater didn’t complain. So, to me that is a win. I did double the recipe so I could have leftovers.
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Whitney Carlson says
Hi Lynn! I’m so glad that you (and your picky eater!) liked the recipe. It’s still one of our favorites even years later. Thank you for taking the time to comment and leave a review.
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Jenny says
WOW! I love this recipe. I followed it exactly as is and it is one of my new favorites. I would like to try it with broccoli next time but it doesn’t matter what veggie this is truly the best clean eating recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
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Javier Cortes says
Amazing! Such a delicious recipe.
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