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This low carb Cheesy Chicken and Bacon Casserole is a winner for Trim Healthy Mama followers, low carbers, and keto dieters. Flavorful chicken thighs combined with turkey bacon and riced cauliflower – then covered in a creamy, cheesy, sauce – it’s total comfort food.

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It seems kind of odd to publish an oven-baked chicken casserole at the end of July, doesn’t it? We’re still in the thick of summer and cold salads often sound best. 

However, this Cheesy Chicken and Bacon Casserole is so good I just had to share it with you. Besides, with school starting up again soon you need easy THM-friendly recipes the whole family will enjoy.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs For The Win.

Do you like chicken thighs? If not, no worries – you can easily substitute chicken breast in this Cheesy Chicken and Bacon Casserole.

For most of my life I was squeamish about dark meat. It’s still not my favorite. However, I have found that dark meat is wonderful in casseroles. It just has more flavor!

I’m still not a fan of bone-in chicken or chicken skin so I go for the boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It’s so much easier to work with, especially in a comfort food casserole recipe like this.

Riced Cauliflower Means Low Carb And Keto Goodness.

When you want low carb, THM, chicken recipes using riced cauliflower, or cauli rice, is the way to go.

I used frozen cauli rice for my yummy low carb comfort food casserole. Did you know you can make your own riced cauliflower? This post from Low Carb Yum shows you how easy it is.

The Trim Healthy Mama plan isn’t just low carb though! We also eat healthy carbs in a slimming way.

Those are E meals, and if you want an actual rice-based chicken casserole check out my “Cheesy” Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Bake. It’s even dairy free!

How To Make My Cheesy Chicken And Bacon Casserole.

NOTE: Now, I’m assuming you already have cooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs and turkey bacon on hand. If not, you’ll need to cook some.

I just cooked the chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders.

First, make the cheese sauce. I didn’t get photos of that process but it’s super simple:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add heavy whipping cream and bring to a simmer.
3. Add sour cream, seasonings, and cheese and whisk well until combined and cheese is melted.
4. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
5. Whisk in gluccie (or thickening agent of choice) if desired.

Easy peasy!

Next, combine the riced cauliflower, cooked and diced chicken thighs, chopped bacon, and diced onion in a bowl. Be sure to keep some chopped bacon aside for topping the casserole.

Then pour the cheese sauce over the cauli rice mixture and stir very well to combine. There is just enough sauce to cover everything well. The riced cauliflower releases some liquid during cooking so I didn’t want it to be too soupy. It might look like it’s not enough sauce but it’s just fine.

Finally, pour into a greased casserole dish, top with cheese and bacon, then pop into the oven for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees. When it’s bubbly and the cheese is starting to brown it’s done.

Let it rest about 5 minutes before dishing out if you can. For one, it’s hot! And for two it gives the sauce a chance to stabilize a bit.

How To Fit My Cheesy Chicken And Bacon Casserole Into Your THM Meal Plan.

This recipe falls into the Heavy S category because of the heavy cream, sour cream, and cheese. It’s definitely a keto casserole so if you have keto family or friends to cook for it’s a perfect choice.

Since it’s a Heavy S, we want to keep the rest of our plate on the lighter side. Try…

• Steamed non-starchy veggies
• Fresh non-starchy veggies
• Leafy green salad with a Fuel Pull dressing, like my Creamy Cajun Ranch (made as a dip it’s great with your fresh non-starchies, too)

Enjoy this indulgent comfort food chicken casserole on occasion. Too many Heavy S meals can cause a stall in weight loss!

Your Family Will Beg For More Of This Cheesy, Low Carb Deliciousness!

Finally, I’ll leave you with a glimpse of some #foodbloggerlife. Many times my family has to wait until I take photos before they dig in to my latest creations.

This time, since the dish needed to cool, I brought it back to my office/studio and shot some photos first. Then I served my family and brought the dish back for more photos.

Before long, here comes Mister…

Any recipe that has my family begging for more is a winner in my book!

We’re a family of 4 and I try to not have leftovers so if you’re family is bigger or bigger eaters than mine you’ll want to double this recipe.

Hope you enjoy!

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