LOW-CARB CRACK CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Happy New Year!!!! If you are like me, you probably over indulged over the past few weeks. It's time to get back into the swing of things. I ate WAY too many carbs - rolls, dressing, cookies! OMG! It was delicious, but it is time to reel it back in. We are getting back to regular eating with this yummy Low-Carb Crack Chicken Casserole. Eggs, cream, chicken, cheddar, bacon and ranch. YUM!

This Low-Carb Crack Chicken Casserole is super easy to make. It literally takes about 5 minutes to whip up. To get this ready to bake so quickly, I use rotisserie chicken. It is a HUGE time saver! I always have some pulled rotisserie chicken in the freezer for easy casseroles like this one. I also buy precooked real bacon bits in bulk at Costco. Perfect!

I’m a Midwestern girl through and through.

What does this mean?

Well, it means that I put ranch dressing on ev.ery.thing. Like, EVERYTHING.

It also means that, back before I was all low carb, I ate a whole heck of a lot of corn on the cob.

And, most importantly, it means that casseroles are my life.

We absolutely LOVED this Low-Carb Crack Chicken Casserole. It is one of our go-to meals all year, not just in January. We ate this for lunch and leftover for dinner the same night. It was really, really good. We loved the all the flavors! We also loved that it was ready to eat in about 30 minutes!

I know a lot of you like make-ahead and freezer meals. This Low-Carb Crack Chicken Casserole can be frozen unbaked or baked for a quick meal later. If you freeze it unbaked, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before baking. I just pop it in the fridge before I go to bed and it is ready to bake for dinner the next day.

You can use fresh cauliflower and rice it yourself for this recipe or you can use a bag of frozen cauliflower rice. Either will work fine, but I almost always use the frozen cauliflower rice. It’s just easier.

We’re going to start by cooking the cauliflower rice. Follow the directions on the bag or steam your fresh cauliflower.

Cooking the rice first means we’ll avoid the casserole getting too much liquid from the veggies.

While the cauliflower is cooking, you’ll also want to steam some broccoli and fry some bacon.

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 2 10 oz Steam bag of broccoli (you may also use fresh)
• 2 tb butter
• 6 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 12 oz sharp shredded cheese
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tb garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp parsley
• salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook chicken breasts in a slow cooker 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. I always add a little chicken broth and salt and pepper, but you can use water instead. Remove from the slow cooker and shred. My family prefers chicken breasts, but you can use thighs or a whole chicken too. Or, skip preparing the chicken and use a rotisserie chicken instead to save time. 
2. Cook the fresh broccoli or microwave the steam bags of broccoli and drain.
3. In a saucepan, add butter, heavy whipping cream, garlic, and 1/2 of the Italian seasoning. Add softened cream cheese and stir with a whisk until thoroughly combined and cook over low medium heat until the sauce is smooth. 
4. Add cheeses stirring continually reserving 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese 1/8 cup of the other cheeses for the topping. 
5. Grease a 9 X 13 casserole dish and layer the shredded chicken first. 
6. Add the steamed broccoli on top of the chicken. 
7. Remove saucepan with the cheese sauce from the stove and pour on top of the broccoli and shredded chicken making sure that it is completely covered. 
8. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top of the casserole along with parsley, paprika, and the remaining Italian seasoning. 
9. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes. 
10. Enjoy! 

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