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I've been coming up with Whole30 recipes for almost a year now, and I've found that casseroles are some of the hardest recipes to Whole30-ify. Why!? Well, by nature, casseroles are usually a combination of creamy, gooey, and cheesy. With no dairy, and no "cream-of" mystery soups, how's a girl gonna hit that casserole sweet spot?
WELL... in case you missed it, last week I posted this recipe for Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip. It's Whole30-friendly, i.e. no cheese -- but it gets its rich, creamy texture from cashew cream and homemade mayo! And since that recipe makes about 4 cups of dip, you'll have plenty left to whip up this chicken casserole!
Spinach Artichoke Chicken Casserole
[Whole30 - Paleo - Gluten Free - Grain Free - Dairy Free]
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip
1/2 cup almond meal
1 Tbsp ghee
Salt, pepper, italian seasoning (or fresh parsley if you have it!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions:
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high.
- Add raw chicken pieces to skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until chicken is browned on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper.
TIP: To save time, you could skip this step altogether! Just throw the raw chicken into the 8x8 casserole pan and increase baking time by 10 minutes or so. - Arrange chicken in an 8x8 pan, then top with the Spinach Artichoke dip, dividing it evenly over the chicken.
TIP: If you cook the chicken in an oven proof skillet, you could just leave it in that pan to assemble the casserole! - To make your "breadcrumbs," melt ghee in the microwave, then combine it with the almond meal, 1/2 tsp of italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
TIP: If you have leftover fresh parsley from the dip, throw that in with the topping instead of the italian seasoning - or in addition to it! You can use this "breadcrumb" topping for any casserole! - Sprinkle seasoned "breadcrumbs" over the casserole and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, broiling for the last 5.
- Remove from oven and enjoy!
