A healthy low-carb paleo buffalo chicken casserole is perfect for sharing with friends and family on game days. It’s sure to score a win!
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Are you looking for a fun recipe that will feed an entire crowd during parties and still help you stay within your carb macros? Well, this low-carb paleo buffalo chicken casserole is always a hit.
The recipe is the perfect surrogate for messy buffalo chicken wings, which, of course, is one of the major staples in football-watching households across the country.
(That reminds me … if you want a less messy wing appetizer, check out my dry rub chicken wings!)
Trust me- this isn’t your mom’s casserole.
For many people, hearing the word “casserole” is unappetizing. That’s because many casserole dishes of the 1970s and 80s were bland and unimaginative. (Think tuna and chicken casserole.)
True, this recipe is a chicken casserole dish. But, chances are, your mother or grandma didn’t make theirs with avocado mayo, ghee, cauliflower rice, and coconut cream – just to name a few of the unorthodox ingredients in this dish.
In fact, and I’m not one to usually brag, but I believe I’ve become an expert at making imaginative low-carb casseroles. My husband and three kids especially love my low-carb breakfast casserole. They also devour the pizza casserole I make!
Yup, casseroles have come a long way. So let’s get started, shall we?
Ingredients For Paleo Buffalo Chicken Casserole
There are three components to the recipe: the crust, chicken topping, and dressing. Here’s some more information about what I used to make each part.
Keto Crust
For the crust, to eliminate all those junk carbs, I highly recommend using riced cauliflower. I use four cups of it cooked.
To make the rest of the crust, you’ll need two large beaten eggs and two large stalks of celery chopped. Also, have a quarter teaspoon of sea salt handy.
Chicken Layer
As for the chicken, you’ll need, um, chicken, obviously. I love shredded chicken. Finely chopped will do as well. For the recipe, I use two cups.
If you have your favorite hot sauce, grab it. I use one-third of a cup here. And if you don’t have a favorite hot sauce, I recommend Frank’s Red Hot. It won’t start a 3-alarm fire in your mouth but does elicit a mild thermonuclear palette-pleasing Pavlovian response.
Moreover, for true Buffalo sauce, you need butter. I prefer clarified butter, or ghee, as it’s also called in Indian cooking. I use a quarter-cup here.
And, for the real deal sauce, you also need ground cayenne pepper. I use about an eighth of a teaspoon. Any more than that, and you will have to call the fire department to put out the fire in your mouth!
Complete the sauce by adding a tablespoon of white vinegar. Conventional buffalo wing sauce uses regular vinegar, but I find the white vinegar balances out the over-sweet taste of buffalo sauce.
Ranch Dressing
To make the ranch dressing, you’ll need avocado mayo, coconut cream, dried parsley, dried dill and garlic powder, and dried chives. Don’t forget the onion powder and sea salt!
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.
Quick Tips :
- Don’t use a lot of white vinegar as it has a pungent, acidic taste.
- For keto cooking, grease the casserole dish with either coconut oil or coconut oil cooking spray.
- After it is fully cooked, bake it for another 10 minutes so that it heats up completely. It tastes the best nice and hot!
How To Make Paleo Buffalo Chicken Casserole
All the details about how to make this delicious casserole are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, here are some step-by-step pictures and a quick overview.
Make The Keto Casserole Crust
For the crust, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease the casserole pan. For this recipe, I used a 7.5 by 11-inch pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the crust ingredients, making sure to spread evenly in the pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Prepare The Chicken Filling
To make the topping, place the chicken in a medium bowl and set it aside. In a small pot, combine the rest of the topping ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
When it starts to boil, remove it from the heat. Then, pour this sauce over the chicken and stir. Next, spread the chicken mixture over the cauliflower rice.
Prepare The Ranch Dressing
Now all that’s left is the ranch dressing!
To make it, combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Now, drizzle it over the chicken.
Finally, bake the dish at 400 for another 5-10 minutes. Doing this will make the chicken nice and hot. Allow it to cool slightly before digging in and being a football widow for the next few hours….enjoy!
What To Serve With Buffalo Chicken Casserole
This is a hearty casserole that will fill you up! Since it has a spicy flavor, I suggest serving something cool and sweet along with it. This creamy cucumber dill salad will compliment it perfectly.
If you are going to serve this at a party, then add some finger foods to the table. Trying making a batch of these keto pulled pork nachos– they are always a hit! Or, keep that buffalo flavor going and make some air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites.
Talk about delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions About Paleo Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Before we get to the printable recipe card, here are some questions people often ask about this casserole.
What can I use instead of avocado mayo?
Honestly, any kind of mayo will work in this recipe. Mayo doesn’t have enough carbs to make a difference. It only matters if you are on a paleo diet.
What can I do if I taste coconut flavors really strong in this casserole?
Use another nut-based cream instead of coconut cream in the dressing if you don’t like the flavor of coconut. I like coconut cream because it is the least inflammatory.
If you don’t need to keep this recipe dairy-free, then you can use heavy cream.
Can I use rotisserie chicken in this casserole?
Yes, this recipe is a fantastic way to use leftover cooked chicken. You can also use leftover cooked cauliflower rice to save time cooking it.
We hope you enjoy this healthier low-carb buffalo chicken casserole. And if you give it a try, be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section below!
More Easy Keto Casserole Recipes
If you enjoyed this paleo buffalo chicken casserole, here are some more low-carb casserole recipes you should try next!
- Keto Taco Pie has all your favorite taco flavors in a low-carb recipe.
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole is another way to use up leftover chicken in a tasty one-dish meal.
- Hamburger Cabbage Casserole has zesty tomatoes and gut-healthy cabbage.
- Keto Philly Cheesesteak Casserole is the best casserole to make for anyone that loves cheese.
- Low-Carb Eggplant Parmesan Casserole is another cheesy dish that is packed with fiber and comforting flavors.
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Low Carb Paleo Buffalo Chicken Casserole Recipe
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
Crust:
- 4 cups cauliflower rice cooked (leftover is perfect)
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Chicken Topping:
- 2 cups cooked chicken chopped or shredded
- ⅓ cup hot pepper sauce Frank’s Red Hot is what I used
- ¼ cup ghee or butter flavored coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Ranch Dressing:
- ¼ cup avocado mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried chives
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 400°F and grease casserole pan (I used a 7.5 x 11-inch) with coconut oil.
- In large mixing bowl, combine cauliflower rice, eggs, celery, and sea salt. Spread mixture into prepared casserole pan.
- Bake crust at at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until edges are starting to brown. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
Chicken Topping:
- Place chopped chicken into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a small pot, combine hot sauce, ghee, vinegar, and cayenne pepper with a whisk. Bring to a bowl over medium heat stirring as needed. Remove from heat.
- Pour hot sauce mixture over chicken and stir to combine. Spread over cauliflower crust.
Ranch Dressing:
- In small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over the chicken layer.
- Bake at 400°F for another 5-10 minutes to heat up the chicken layer. Cool slightly before serving. Additional ranch dressing can be added if desired.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First published on October 11, 2018. Updated on September 16, 2021, with new images and additional recipe information.
Felicia
Do you have a substitute suggestion for the avocado mayo?
Lisa MarcAurele
Any mayonnaise will work.
Danielle
My son made this recipe and followed it exactly
I couldn’t get past the strong coconut flavor of this recipe. It was potent. It wasn’t edible. Coconut and ranch? Not a good flavor combo.
Lisa MarcAurele
You could use a nut based cream instead to make the dressing if you don’t care for coconut. However, I like to use coconut cream as it’s the least inflammatory. And if you don’t need dairy-free, heavy cream is always an option too.
Estelle
Thank you; it is super for diabetics for example!
Sues
What a fun dish! And I love that it’s made with cauliflower… Hoping it can fool my husband because I know he’d love this while watching the game! I also love your step-by-step photos 🙂
Lisa
Thanks Sues!
Molly Kumar
Looove how you did this chicken casserole with cauliflower rice and made it low carb. So yummm
Lisa
Hope you give it a try Molly!