Whole30 Chicken Broccoli Casserole (paleo, dairy-free)
A must-make Whole30 casserole recipe that’s creamy, cheesy and flavorful – without any cream or cheese! Shredded chicken is mixed with sautéed mushrooms and broccoli, then topped with my Vegan Alfredo Sauce for an easy and healthy weeknight dinner.
Whole30 Chicken Broccoli Casserole
While many people seek out Whole30 recipes as part of a January or September Whole30 reset (the months most do the program), I like to remind folks that Whole30 recipes are still delicious every day of the week. They’re just free of gluten, grains, dairy, sugar and legumes. But they’re certainly not lacking in flavor.
In fact, I’d wager to guess most people think this recipe has dairy, because it’s super creamy and cheesy-like. You can thank my Vegan Alfredo Sauce recipe for that (which on it’s own is a reader favorite recipe).
What’s in this Whole30 Casserole Recipe?
If you’re wondering what’s in this Whole30 casserole recipe, ingredient-wise, let me cut to the chase. It includes shredded chicken, sautéed mushrooms and onions, broccoli, herbs and my Vegan Alfredo sauce. It’s a handful of simple ingredients, then it’s baked to perfection.
The end result is a creamy, savory, packed-with-flavor casserole recipe that gets even better the second day (if you happen to have leftovers).
How to Make this Whole30 Casserole Recipe
Make the Vegan Alfredo Sauce
The most important thing in this recipe is remembering to soak your cashews overnight for the sauce. You could also make the entire Vegan Alfredo Sauce recipe the day before and store it in the fridge until you’re ready. Or you could make it same day. It’s entirely up to you.
Make the Shredded Chicken
Cook the chicken on the stovetop, then transfer the chicken breasts to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Turn the stand mixer on low for 15 seconds and you have the easiest shredded chicken ever. If you don’t have a stand mixer you could use two forks to shred. But if you do have a stand mixer, this is one of my favorite kitchen hacks.
Sauté the Vegetables
Quickly sauté the mushrooms and diced onion, then add the broccoli and sauté a few minutes longer until it’s crisp tender. Super easy.
Assemble the Casserole
Once all of the individual pieces are done, it’s simply a matter of assembly. Add the shredded chicken to the bottom of a casserole dish, then layer on the broccoli and mushrooms. Pour on the Vegan Alfredo Sauce (that’s thinned with a cup of chicken broth) and bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes in a 400F oven.
When the casserole comes out of the oven it’s bubbly, tender, creamy, savory and so delicious you’ll definitely go back for seconds. Enjoy!
For More Delicious Whole30 Recipes:
- Tuna Stuffed Avocados
- Shakshuka
- Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp
- Dijon Baked Salmon
- Best Ever Guacamole
Watch Me Make This Whole30 Casserole Recipe:
Whole30 Chicken Broccoli Casserole (paleo)
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked and Shredded Chicken
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 heads broccoli, florets removed
- 10 cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 recipe Vegan Alfredo Sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- rosemary, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the Vegan Alfredo Sauce and set aside. This can also be made the day before and stored in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and diced onion and stir for 3 minutes. Add the broccoli florets (make sure they're in bite-sized pieces and not too large) and stir for another 3 minutes or until the broccoli is crisp-tender and bright green.
- Place the shredded chicken in a 9x13-inch casserole dish, covering the bottom. Add the sautéed mushrooms, onions and broccoli in a flat layer on top.
- Stir the chicken broth into the Vegan Alfredo sauce, then pour on top of the broccoli in the casserole dish. Use a spatula if needed to make sure everything is well coated.
- Cook the casserole for 20-25 minutes. The sauce should be bubbling and slightly reduced and thickened. Garnish with fresh rosemary if desired and serve immediately.
Lisa's Tips
- Note that the Vegan Alfredo Sauce requires you soak cashews before making the sauce, so plan ahead when making it.
- This is a great meal prep recipe! For more meal prep ideas, make sure to watch my Meal Prep Ideas video, Spring Meal Prep and Summer Meal Prep.
If I’m using regular Alfredo sauce, how much is needed?
Hi Tiz – You will just need about 1 cup of sauce :)
Such great favor and texture. My only problem is my cashew Alfredo sauce wasn’t creamy enough. Any suggestions?
Hi Tracy – if you’d like it thicker/creamier, just reduce the amount of broth. :)
Lisa,
Love your website! Like you I have multiple auto-immune issues. Your recipes have been Invaluable!
I want to try your Whole 30 Chicken Broccoli Recipe, but have been told to stop eating night shades & lectins. Sadly I’m told cashews are in that category. What other non-dairy substitute would/could you suggest to replace the cashews
in this recipe?
Again Thank You for all your hard work, imagination & for sharing all of it with us!
Nana C.
Hi Nana – I would actually look for a dairy-free coconut based alfredo sauce!
Tried this recipe last night and salmon patties night before. Both tastes amazing and husband loved both. I dont cook often so not sure why my chicken was quite chewy… any tips?
I really trust you to make healthy food that’s flavourful. Just about to make the falafel and hummus.
Hi Emma – I’m glad both you and your husband loved these recipes! As for your chicken, it might have just been overcooked. Every oven is different so I would either reduce the heat level or reduce the time. Let me know how you like the falafel and hummus :)
Couldn’t wait to try out this recipe! I finally had all the ingredients this past week and made it as a meal prep.
The alfredo sauce is to DIE for and I am for sure going to be using that for pasta soon. I understand that this is a “whole-30” recipe but it would really benefit from some quinoa or rice to add some heft.
Hi Dariyan – I’m glad you loved the alfredo sauce! I’m sure it will taste amazing paired with pasta. Let me know how it goes :)
This was seriously delicious! I love this recipe and will definitely make in the future.
Thanks so much Emily! I’m happy you loved it!
Delicious! Everyone in the house loves it, and it’s been printed off to be added into our regular rotation!
Yay! I’m happy to hear that. Thanks Megan!
My sauce was not as smooth as a traditional Alfredo. Recipe overall just fair.
Sorry you didn’t love the recipe Ann. Did you use a high-powered blender to make the alfredo sauce? You can see it’s ultra smooth and creamy on my post, so if it wasn’t smooth for you it could be due to the power of your blender. Hope you love the next recipe you try!
This looks delicious! I haven’t made it yet but I am excited to try it. Does this freeze well? I live by myself so 6 servings is too much for me unless I can freeze it. If it doesn’t freeze well I’m going to half the recipe.
Hi Andrea – I too am one person at home. So yes, freezing larger meals is important for me and I’m happy to say this meal does freeze well. I hope you enjoy the casserole!
Just made this recipe and oh..my..god so good. The Alfredo sauce is amazing. Will definitely be making this again soon
Thanks Mad – I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, the alfredo sauce is truly amazing! :)
Oh my….this is DELICIOUS. Can’t stop making it and please don’t be tempted to replace the sacue with a roux; this one is tip top!
Awesome, so glad you loved it Emma! Thank you for the kind words!
Easy and delicious! My kids (ages 1 and 4) loved it, too!
Yay, I’m so happy you and the whole family enjoyed the casserole! :)
I made this over the weekend and it was delicious, especially the next day! Used the chicken stock from poaching the chicken breasts to thin the alfredo sauce – it was flavorful and satisfying, without the heaviness of “regular” alfredo sauce.
Yay, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Grace!
I cannot recommend this enough! Even my toddler loved it ❤️ Officially part of our regular dinner rotation. M
Yay, its always a huge win when the toddler enjoys the recipe! So glad you all loved it.
Recipe does not state what the chicken broth is for
Hi April – The chicken broth needs to be mixed into the Alfredo sauce on step 5.
This dish is totally amazing — way more than the sum of its parts. Absolutely satisfying and delicious, don’t save it for just when you are doing Whole30! And that sauce… I’ll be making it to use in a bunch of other dishes. I want to note that I made the whole thing up and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours before making, since I wanted to go to a late yoga class and then just pop it in the oven when I got home. The chilling had no negative effect, it came out perfectly (I did cook it for an extra 10 minutes). Thank you Lisa!!!
Yay! I’m happy you loved it! It’s amazing what a few simple ingredients can do when matched together, isn’t it? And thanks for sharing the note about the sauce as well. :)
I am not paleo, Whole 30, etc. but love the idea of this recipe. I’m wondering if I use regular homemade or jarred Alfredo sauce, would I still need to add the chicken broth to it? Do you add chicken broth because the vegan sauce needs that additional liquid or would regular Alfredo sauce still need it too?
I add broth to the vegan alfredo sauce as it’s pretty thick on it’s own and it thickens up more while cooking. You could certainly try it with jarred alfredo sauce and I think it should be fine. :) If it’s a super thick alfredo sauce you could always thin it down a bit as well.
I’m new to cooking at home and decided to make this my first attempt. I used some ingredients I already had on hand and it turned out great. The dish lasted me 5 days. The ingredients I substituted for were beef bone broth and two dark gravy packets. Lisa Bryan gets it. This is the only cooking site I’ve found that makes cooking easy and fun for me, a single dad that has been keeping the fast food restaurants in business for years. Thank You Lisa
You’re more than welcome Noel! And good for you! You should feel really proud of yourself for whipping up your first casserole recipe. Thanks so much for your kind words and I’m happy you love my recipes. I can’t wait to hear what you whip up next. :)
I made this tonight and it was perfect. My whole family loved it and it was creamy and flavoriful!
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear you all enjoyed it!
Really enjoyed this dish. I’m not whole 30 or Paleo, but avoid dairy due to allergies and I’m trying to learn to cut out more grains/bread. I didn’t have enough or the right kind of mushrooms and it was still delicious. Easy to do once the chicken was cooked ahead.
Wonderful! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe Brandy!
Do you know what the calories are per serving?
Hi Elisabeth – the calories and nutrition information are listed below the recipe. :)
Could you add pasta noodles to this?
Of course! Always feel free to tweak. But just if you’re trying to stay Whole30 pasta would not be Whole30. :)
Made this for my first night of Whole30, and boy is it delicious. I think I would roast the broccoli seperate next time to keep it a little lighter, the cashew sauce makes it pretty rich. Thanks so much for this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the casserole Sarah! x
I made this today and it came out great! The only thing I didn’t have was dried rosemary so I put in some dried parsley. I think it would be even better with the rosemary. The Alfredo is amazing!! I was in doubt it would taste like the unhealthy version but it does! I think the only thing it needs is a crunch factor so next time I’m thinking I might put in water chestnuts like those old school 1950’s casseroles. I sprinkled a little more nutritional yeast on top (like you would cheese) and the whole thing was delicious. By the way the shredded chicken in a stand mixer trick is genius. I will do that more in the future!
I think water chestnuts would be a fab add to this recipe! And love the nutritional yeast on top. Go you Karen! x
Going to try it tonight. Looks like comfort food
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it Karen!
This dish is amazing! I had a bunch of people coming over for dinner today, and only two of us are doing Whole30. I will tell you everyone had at least seconds. Some people had thirds! I had just a little bit leftover from the entire pan when all was said and done. The recipe was so easy to follow and the results were spectacular. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe and video! What a hit! Can’t wait to try even more of your recipes!!
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear everyone loved it Cynthia! I always go back for seconds on this recipe as well. Haha.
Wonderful recipe. I made it with Turkey and Turkey broth, it was absolutely wonderful! My husband loved it!
Awesome! I’m sure it’s equally delicious with turkey. Thanks for sharing that substitution!
Hi! If going to make and freeze do I bake it and then freeze it or make and put in freezer without baking it? Also could I make the night before(without baking), keep in the fridge and then bake the next day?
I would make it and freeze it. I wouldn’t assemble and let it sit.
This is so delicious! I can’t wait to make it again. My whole family loved it. So yummy, so healthy. Thank you Lisa!
Awesome! I’m happy the whole family loved it Annette! :)
Just made this tonight… sooooo delicious, thank -you for the awesome recipe!!
Yay! I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe Lori! x
Dear LisaThis is a super recipe. Again I did some modifications. I don’t eat meat so I used quorn fillets, I can’t tolerate onions so I used celery stalks in its place both for the main dish and the sauce and I don’t use nutritional yeast but had some leftover parmesan cheese and used that instead in the sauce. But I think it’s close enough to your original recipe and I absolutely love it. Also it will give me two or three leftovers for one effort of cooking it. This will be on my favourites list for the rest of the winter! Thank you!!!!
Wonderful! I’m happy you were able to make modifications to suit your diet and that you enjoyed it! It’s a great winter casserole recipe for sure. :) x
Can this be frozen after the complete casserole has been made and then thawed out to reheat? Please let me know, thanks so much!
Yes! No problem. :)
Ho! Ly! Crap! This was DELICIOUS!!! It was also quite easy to make. I can’t have onions or garlic, so I used asafoetidae powder instead (but it’s a very similar in taste, so I don’t think it changed the overall recipe profile very much). I also could only find roasted cashews in the store I was in, but they work pretty well. There was a tiny bit of graininess to the sauce, but I think that would be fixed by using raw cashews as the recipe dictates. Anyway WOW this shot right to the top of my family’s favorite weeknight recipe list! A+!
Yay! So happy you loved the recipe and were able to modify it to suit you. Love hearing that it’s a family favorite recipe!
Would it work with white mushrooms instead of cremini (i have some in my house already) or does the cremini mushrooms make it much better and its worth it to go to the store for it?
Yes, you could use white mushrooms as well.
HI
I wanted to know of another cream that you can make that does not have any nuts.:)
Thanks
shelby
Hi Shelby – thanks for the feedback! I’ll consider that for a future recipe. :)
This recipe was absolutely delicious!! Perfect to satisfy that comfort-food craving on a winter day, with whole food ingredients. Thank you so much Lisa for this healthy ingenious recipe! I’m sure to hit my fitness goals eating healthy and delicious like this!
Yay! I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe Karen. It is great comfort food (and healthy to boot!) for these cold winter days. :) x
This was amazing! Worth 10 stars! Thank you a thousand times! I have been on a mission to find healthy recipes my whole family will enjoy. My son, in particular, is very fussy about food. He HATES meat, most vegetables, and fruit, and, well, pretty much everything I make unless it’s crappy kid food. Well, to my surprise, tonight’s experiment was a smashing success. He ate a small plateful, including the chicken, without being asked, cajoled, threatened – he even had seconds, people! First time in 4 years!!!! I was shaking a bit trying to keep my cool as I wordlessly served him a second helping of this casserole. My daughter, who eats everything anyway, but never doles out praise, made sure to tell me “Mom, keep the leftovers, I want to eat that tomorrow!” I’m stunned!!! You all need to try this meal!
Yay! That sounds like a win all around. So happy the entire family loved the recipe Janelle! :) x
I would love to try this recipe, but my boyfriend can’t eat nuts. Do you have any recommendations for working around that? Thanks!
I’ve seen some vegan alfredo sauces online that use coconut milk as they base, rather than cashews. I’m sure you could Google to find those. :)
HI there, This sounds so great. My kids are allergic to all nuts. What else can I use instead of nuts?ThanksShelby
You can find some vegan alfredo recipes online that use coconut milk rather than cashews. :)
Could you make this with salmon? If so, would it be ok to cook it beforehand then cook it again in the bake?
Yes, you could definitely use salmon for this recipe (yum!) and then cook and bake it. :)
I can’t wait to make this for my aunt who is battling cancer and needing healthy meals. I’m hoping to make a double batch and freeze it for her family. Does it freeze well or does the “cheese” separate and become less creamy?
That’s so kind of you Ginger! Yes, it definitely freezes well and doesn’t separate. It would be perfect for that purpose!
Beautiful recipe! It’s so simple and I love the use of everyday ingredients! I often have cooked chicken on hand, as well as cooked rice. This meal goes the distance…and it’s perfect for meal prep. Thanks for another winner!
Thanks Traci! And yes, it’s got easy to find ingredients which makes it’s a breeze to whip up. Hope you enjoy it!
This is sooo good! Love the Alfredo sauce. I usually double it and freeze half. So glad to have another recipe for it!!!
Happy you love the recipe Steph! And you’re smart to double it. ;) x
Lisa. whole 30 or not, this dish looks super delish and inviting! The fact that its whole 30 is a bonus! Thanks!!
Yes, that’s so true! Whether you’re doing a Whole30 or not, it’s just a delicious and healthy casserole recipe. Thanks Cathy!
This is totally my kind of recipe! Broccoli is a favourite in our house so I’m going to be making this very soon.
Awesome! Glad this recipe is right up your alley! Enjoy!
This looks amazing! My husband is doing a whole 30 and he’ll be happy to taste another delicious dish.
Awesome! Then you’ll definitely have to send this recipe his way! :)
Always looks for easy whole 30 recipes! My aunt started Whole 30 on January 1 and I have been hunting recipes for her!
That’s so nice of you Cindy! I hope she enjoys this recipe. :)
I am all about casseroles – especially healthy ones! I’m going to check out your vegan Alfredo sauce too!
Me too! Especially this time of year. Casseroles are the best comfort food and healthy ones are even better. Hope you enjoy the recipe Jill!
Any ideas for a mushroom substitute?
You could try sun-dried tomatoes or add a smidge of coconut aminos for that savory flavor with almost any vegetable. :)
This looks so delicious! I swear I just smelled the beautiful rosemary sprigs. Thank you for sharing, Lisa. :)
You’re welcome Nicole! I hope you enjoy the recipe! x