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Growing up, my Mom would make us Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole twice a month at least! I associate this meal with comfort food and a feeling of home. The traditional casserole is made using a canned cream of soup, rice, cheese, and broccoli. Easy peasy, but not really THM friendly.
I’ve re-created this casserole to be an S so I’d have more liberty with satisfying ingredients. I’ve lightened this recipe by using cauliflower rice, which gives it a great casserole texture without pushing the dish into crossover territory. Trust me when I say that you won’t miss traditional rice as there are so many other great flavors happening! I used the cream of mushroom casserole from the THM Cookbook with the addition of a 1/4 t.xanthan gum to thicken it. I made my own cauliflower rice (Prep work took maybe 3 minutes total!), but if you’re short on time feel free to use one of the new cauliflower rice options available at stores.
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This casserole is family-friendly and is sure to become one of your new favorite dishes! It makes one 9×13 inch pan FULL so it feeds a crowd.
*If you haven’t purchased the THM Cookbook yet, here are a few THM friendly soups you can substitute:
- 2 1lb bags Frozen cauliflower (Or the equivalent in prepackaged cauli rice)
- Double recipe of Cream of Mushroom Soup from the THM Cookbook (Or one of the alternatives that I listed above!)
- 1 C. Broccoli
- 2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 4 Chopped and Cooked Chicken Breasts
- If making your own cauliflower rice: Steam the cauliflower over medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a food processor (May have to divide it if you have a small appliance) and pulse until the cauliflower is in tiny pieces. Set aside. Combine the cauli-rice, soup, broccoli, chicken and one cup of cheese in a medium bowl. Transfer to a 9x13 inch pan. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Where is the chicken?
Last ingredient listed! 🙂
Sorry I must have totally spaced that! Looks delicious!
4 cups(?) of chicken?
No, 4 Chicken breasts!
thank you, making it right now
I just wanted to ask a couple questions for next time since I made this tonight and it didn’t really turn out ? the flavor was great but unfortunately not the texture. Mine was not creamy, it was watery. In the printable recipe there’s no mention of the xanthan gum so i didn’t see that until after it was already In the oven. Would that make a very huge difference? I also bought the pre riced cauliflower that you can steam In the bag so i did that but then it was very mushy In the casserole. Should it go in raw if you buy it premade? I wasn’t clear on that part either. Thanks for any help. Hoping I can make it again sometime with better results!
Hi, Kat!
The xanthan gum is a personal choice. Depending on what recipe you use, you’ll either need it to thicken the soup up a bit or you won’t. You want the soup to be JUST a little thinner than traditional cream of mushroom soup. If the soup isn’t thick enough, it would make a difference in texture. I would also put the pre-made cauli-rice in raw. I find it to be more realistic tasting then. I hope this helps! 🙂