Chicken casserole – Paleo style!
Cheese doesn’t agree with me, and I think that is a tragedy indeed. Because I LOVE cheese, especially melted cheesy dishes. My mom makes this baked chicken dish with a mayonnaise and sour cream sauce and the whole thing is covered in melted cheese. It is divine but unfortunately my digestive tract cannot handle all of that cheesy glory. I created this dish to fill the void when I crave Mom’s cheesy chicken casserole.
Since I haven’t had cheese in ages, I my taste buds may be a bit skewed… I think this tastes cheesy, but it is not intended to replicate the exact flavor and texture of a real cheese casserole. Because that would be impossible. The main idea here is that it’s a creamy paleo chicken casserole. And it’s delicious.
There are a few special ingredients here that create this Creamy Paleo Chicken Casserole. First is butternut squash. It lends a creamy texture and a golden color reminiscent of cheddar. An easy way to prepare butternut squash puree is by throwing your squash in the crockpot – here’s how! Second is coconut cream, which makes this dish silky with just a touch of sweetness. You can use the substitutes I list for the coconut cream, if you want. Finally, Herbamare seasoning, which you can find here or at most health food stores, packs a punch of flavor without the work of chopping fresh herbs. It is an organic seasoning salt that contains sea salt and gently dehydrated herbs. You can substitute your favorite seasoning salt. I also love Real Salt’s All-Purpose Seasoning Salt, which you can find here. I get mine from that Amazon link because I haven’t been able to find in my health food store.
If you want just a few extra minutes of prep, top the casserole with toasted coconut. Yum.
Look at that bite, in all of its cheeseless glory!
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (approximately, you can use more)
- 1⅓ cups cooked and mashed butternut squash
- ¼ cup coconut cream (the thick stuff from the top of a can of coconut milk. Don't shake the can) OR substitute yogurt or sour cream
- ¼ cup ghee or butter or coconut oil (coconut oil will impart a stronger coconut taste)
- 1 cup thawed green peas
- 1 tsp. Herbamare seasoning salt (find here) or Real Salt Seasoning Salt (find here) or your favorite seasoning salt
- 1 - 2 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar (Bragg's)
- Optional: ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut for the topping
- Put everything in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the peas are warmed through and everything is melty and creamy. Top with toasted coconut, if desired.
- If you want, toast the coconut in a skillet over medium heat. Stir until golden and toasty which will take just a few minutes.
Is this freezeable? I am looking for dishes that are freezable….that won’t be too watery when you thaw them
I just made this and it was delicious!! I only added enough coconut oil to coat the pan, and I pureed the coconut milk and squash in the blender before adding it to the pan. Turned out nice and creamy and tasted wonderful 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi there! I featured this recipe in my fall recipe round up post today at http://physicalkitchness.com/healthy-paleo-fall-recipes/
Thank you for the inspiration!
Is this recipe suitable for a slow cooker?
Thank you so much for this! I also omitted the coconut cream and used broccoli instead. I didn’t have your seasoning, but I added some garlic and onion and I was so happy to have comfort food 🙂
I finished my first Whole30 and have transitioned to a Paleo lifestyle. This dinner was perfect! I substituted mushrooms for the peas since they were what I had on hand and next time might try it with asparagus. The apple cider vinegar gives this meal such an interesting flavor. Really easy to make and creamy yummines! I can’t believe it’s dairy free!
So this doesn’t get baked?
No, there is no need to bake it as the ingredients are cooked on the stovetop. However, you can certainly re-heat the casserole in the oven.
Hello, did you list the calorie, fat etc.. somewhere? I think I missed that part, the recipe looks yummy.
Cheers,
Javier
Hi Javier. I don’t listen nutrition info on my recipes, but there are free tools online (search “nutrition calculator”) where you can plug in the ingredients and get the nutrition data.
Made this dish for the first time last night and it was DELISH! My husband loved as well. Thank you so much for sharing so many amazing recipes Lauren. And for helping all of us who have health challenges and/or food restrictions to feel empowered!
This recipe is genius! We just had it tonight and it is a fabulous combination of flavors-Did not have coconut milk fat so I used our Specific Carbohydrate Diet 24 hour yogurt. Did not have the spices but I looked them up and kind of copied them best as I could with what I had on hand (am ordering after this comment- Thank You) and the apple cider vinegar just finishes off the recipe to perfection. This is a keeper for us as we are on a very restricted diet due to hubby’s disease and I am constantly looking for a few great comfort food recipes, which are hard to find. Also, I was relieved that the recipe actually was delicious after making it as it appears to me that many of those blogging recipes have apparently never cooked the recipe themselves causing people like myself to waste lots of money on crappy recipes- this is especially true for those of us on the SCD diet-Sorry chicken pot pie bloggers, but no- the crust cannot and does not taste anything like a flour crust!!! Thanks again for testing this and sharing a winner!