Bacon Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole (Paleo, Keto)
This Bacon Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole is the ultimate comfort food. It’s completely dairy free, gluten free, and grain free but tastes exactly like a bacon-wrapped jalapeño popper! Combined with some chicken and cauliflower rice and you’ve got a cozy little casserole the entire family will LOVE!
I absolutely love Jalapeno Poppers. The cool cream cheese + the spicy jalapeños is the ultimate combo. In this casserole, I combined cauliflower rice, pulled chicken, jalapeños, mayo, Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese, and spices to create a creamy, comforting, and delicious meal! The jalapeños lose a lot of their heat when they are cooked, so don’t worry about it being too spicy!
What ingredients do I need to make this Bacon Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole?
Pulled chicken – You can either use a rotisserie chicken or quickly poach your own and shred it (directions below). For rotisserie chickens, make sure to check your labels. Many are made with gluten, MSG and other additives, sugar, etc. I like to get the naked rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods.
Almond milk cream cheese – I get Kite Hill brand which is sold in many stores (Safeway. Giant, Wegmans, Sprouts, MOM’s, etc). The ingredients are Whole30 compliant, but definitely proceed with caution if you are currently doing a round. I’ll leave it up to you whether or not you considered it to be SWYPO 🙂 You can use any of the flavors for this recipe. Chive is my favorite!
Mayo – Sir Kensington’s avocado mayo is my favorite kind of Whole30 / paleo / dairy free / sugar free mayo. I like to get a big jar of it from Costco!
Cauliflower rice – We bake it straight from frozen in this recipe. I usually get a big pack of 1 lb bags from Costco.
Pork Panko– This stuff is the perfect gluten free / low carb / Whole30 replacement for bread crumbs! It adds so much flavor. You can easily make your own by crushing up pork rinds (just check ingredients!), or if you prefer, you can use some crushed up Siete Foods grain free chips instead!
Also, I recently got this Staub casserole dish on Amazon and I’m obsessed! It’s the perfect size.
If you make this casserole, be sure to tag me on Instagram @maryswholelife!
Looking for some other paleo casserole ideas? Check out my Tuscan Spaghetti Squash Casserole or Dairy Free Cheesy Broccoli Casserole.
Happy cooking!
Mary
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Bacon Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded chicken*, see notes - I used the meat from a whole rotisserie chicken
- 4 jalapeños, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 10 oz pack sugar free bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 16 oz package frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 8 oz tub Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese, any flavor
- ¾ cup mayo
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup Pork Panko*, see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Cook the bacon pieces + 1 of the diced jalapenos in a skillet until crispy. Remove them using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Mix the cream cheese, mayo, remaining diced jalapenos, onion powder, garlic, powder, paprika, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the frozen cauliflower rice to the casserole dish along with the chicken, the cooked bacon/jalapeno pieces, and the cream cheese jalapeno mixture. Toss everything together to combine it well.
- Smooth it out using a spatula and top with the pork panko (or crushed Siete chips). Bake it for 30-35 minutes until the edges are bubbling and everything is heated through. Top with sliced jalapeno (if desired), serve, and enjoy!
84 Comments on “Bacon Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole (Paleo, Keto)”
Made this recipe last night and it was soooooo good. My family loved it and is definitely going to be a a staple recipe in our home.
So glad, thank you, Amy!
This is for sure one of my all time favorite recipes! The mixture of the cream cheese, bacon and jalapeño is perfection! And I love that it’s Paleo/vegan. Will definitely be making it regularly!
Love this recipe! Added a little bit of Frank’s hot sauce and it put it over the top. It will be a staple dish in my house!
Super yummy! I thought that all the jalapenos would have made it spicy but not at all. Will be making this again.
Great recipe! I doubled it for my large family and baked it in a 10×15 adding about 20 minutes to the bake time. Everybody ate it well and enjoyed it – that’s hard to come by in a family of 8.
Do you have the nutrition facts for this recipe by any chance?
Adding it now 🙂
This is hands down one of my favorite recipes ever. I make this about once a month and I’ve even froze it a few times to keep for work lunches and it reheated perfectly. This has become a holiday request which speaks highly of the recipe because I’m not much of a cook and it’s so easy to throw together.
This is hands down one of favorite recipes ever. I make this about once a month and I’ve even froze it a few times to keep for work lunches and it reheated perfectly. This has become a holiday request which speaks highly to the recipe because I’m not much of a cook and it’s so easy to throw together.
Yummy! Has anyone calculated the macros?
I’m wondering the same thing. Did you ever get a response?
This is delicious. I processed pork rinds in the food processor for the Pork Panko that works for me every time…
Delicious and so easy to cook! I have been cooking Mary’s recipes since January 2021 and every recipe continues to impress me. This is definitely in our top 5 now!
Is it possible to substitute anything as a binding agent in place of the Mayo? The rest of my family has an aversion to Mayo but this looks amazing!
Hi Mary! Amanda Nighbert recommended this. I am trying it this weekend. Do you by chance have the nutritional info? Many thanks. All your recipes look amazing, 🙂
This looks amazing! Is there anything to substitute the Mayo with? Or will it alter too much if you omit completely? My family has an aversion.
I was surprised as to how good this is as I’m normally not a fan of the dairy free cream cheese. I would HIGHLY recommend this its so good. Also great as leftovers for the next couple days. Just as good with or without the pork panko on top.
Hi, I haven’t tried this but it looks delicious. Curious, could I use regular rice?