Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Casserole for Full GAPS

Creamy, cheesy and full of bacon and mushrooms, this chicken and cauliflower rice casserole feeds eight from one baking dish. It starts with already cooked, shredded chicken, so you can use meat from a stockpot or another plain chicken preparation.

In our house, a pot of meat stock goes on first thing in the morning so we can have stock or soup during the day. When that pot contains chicken, the cooked meat gives me a useful starting point for another meal. For this casserole, weigh out the cooked chicken after shredding it and keep it refrigerated until you need it.

The skillet does most of the work before the dish goes into the oven. Bacon cooks first, then its rendered fat carries the onion, mushrooms and thyme. Cauliflower replaces the rice, cultured sour cream coats the filling, and cheddar melts over the top.

Making this for Full GAPS

Make this version when homemade cultured sour cream and cheddar are already foods you tolerate. It contains dairy and is not an Intro recipe. Use raw or properly cultured, additive-free cheddar rather than a processed cheese product.

The salt-only home-cured bacon is unsmoked and made without sugar or chemical curing agents. “Uncured” on a package does not tell you all of that, so check the complete ingredients and preparation.

Have the homemade cultured sour cream ready before you start. That recipe uses finished milk kefir to culture the cream, so choose it once you tolerate that cultured dairy form. This casserole uses the finished cream as an ingredient; it does not include the time needed to make it.

What to prepare before heating the skillet

• Cooked chicken: Weigh 1½ pounds after cooking, then shred it into bite-size pieces. Raw chicken will not work with this skillet-to-oven sequence.
• Cauliflower: Cut the large head into roughly 2-inch pieces, then pulse in batches. Stop when the pieces resemble coarse rice, before they become a paste.
• Onion and mushrooms: Chop the large yellow onion and button mushrooms so they can cook together. Keep the mushroom pieces recognizable rather than mincing everything finely.
• Sour cream and cheddar: Stir the finished cultured cream before measuring. Shred the cheddar so you can spread it over the filling.
• Butter: The optional measured butter is for the skillet if the bacon is lean. Keep the separate, unmeasured butter for greasing the baking dish.

How to make the casserole

1. Heat the oven and rice the cauliflower. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor in batches, using about 7–8 short, one-second pulses per batch. Check for coarse, rice-size pieces and stop before they turn pasty.
2. Crisp the bacon. Cook the chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Lift it out with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
3. Cook the onion and mushrooms. Add them to the bacon fat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. The mushrooms will release liquid before their edges begin turning golden. Follow that cue before moving on.
4. Add the thyme and salt. Push the vegetables aside to make a space in the center. Add the thyme and measured salt there. Stir for about 45 seconds, until fragrant, then mix through the vegetables.
5. Cook the cauliflower. Add the riced cauliflower. If the bacon was lean and left too little fat, add the optional skillet butter now. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Make the creamy filling. Stir in the cooked, shredded chicken, reserved bacon and cultured sour cream until evenly combined. Taste and add a little more sea salt if needed.
7. Top and bake. Butter an 11-by-7-inch baking dish. Spread the filling evenly in it and scatter the shredded cheddar over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and beginning to turn golden and the center reaches 165°F (74°C).
8. Finish with green onions. Scatter the chopped green onions over the hot casserole and serve.

The texture to look for

The mushroom step makes a difference to the finished filling. At first, the pan may look wet as the mushrooms release their liquid. Keep cooking and stirring until their edges begin to brown. Adding everything else while that liquid is still collecting can leave the casserole watery.

The cauliflower should stay in small, distinct pieces. Once the chicken and sour cream are mixed in, the filling should look evenly coated. Spread it to an even depth in the dish so the center and edges can heat together.

Look for cheddar that has melted and is just starting to color. The thermometer check matters too, especially if the cooked chicken started cold from the refrigerator. A golden top alone does not tell you the center is hot enough.

Equipment that helps

A food processor makes the cauliflower prep easier. My Ninja BN801 uses its processor bowl and chopping blade for this job. Work in batches below the maximum fill line, stop the blade completely before opening, and remove the chopping blade carefully before emptying the bowl. Another suitable food processor works too.

You will also need a large skillet, a slotted spoon, an 11-by-7-inch baking dish, a grater, measuring cups and spoons, a kitchen scale for the cooked chicken, and an instant-read thermometer. Keep the stated baking-dish size for the listed timing.

Serving, timing and leftovers

Serve the casserole hot as a main dish. If raw vegetables are already part of your diet, a simple green salad can go alongside it. The chicken, cauliflower, mushrooms and dairy make a substantial filling without adding rice.

The card allows about 45 minutes for the casserole itself, with the chicken already cooked and the bacon and cultured cream already made. Give yourself extra time for any chopping or shredding you still need to do. Making stock, curing bacon and culturing sour cream are separate preparations.

Refrigerate leftovers in shallow, covered containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the room is above 90°F (32°C). Keep the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below and use the leftovers within 3–4 days. Reheat a portion until it reaches 165°F (74°C) throughout.

Questions before you start

Does the chicken cook during the oven step?

Start with cooked chicken. Weigh it after cooking and shred it before adding it to the skillet. The oven step heats the assembled casserole and melts the cheddar; the stated timing is not a method for cooking raw chicken.

What if the bacon leaves very little fat?

Use the optional butter listed in the card when you add the cauliflower. That measured butter is separate from the small amount used to grease the dish. Bacon varies in how much fat it renders, which is why the skillet butter is conditional.

Can I grease the dish with ghee?

Yes, you can use homemade ghee for greasing. The sour cream and cheddar still make this a dairy-containing casserole.

Can I prepare the ingredients earlier?

You can have the chicken cooked and shredded, cauliflower riced, vegetables chopped and cheddar grated before you start. Keep the cooked chicken refrigerated until you use it. Follow the skillet-to-oven sequence when you are ready to make the casserole.

How do I double it?

Choose 2× in the card for 16 servings. Use two 11-by-7-inch dishes to keep a similar filling depth, and work in skillet batches if needed. Check the center of each casserole. A larger batch or a fuller oven may need more time, so use the temperature and texture cues along with the clock.

More chicken dinners

For another baked chicken meal with cultured dairy, try the chicken broccoli casserole with yogurt cheese. The planned Dinner Cookbook will bring more GAPS dinner ideas together; check the WFLI shop for current releases.