Chicken Enchilada Casserole {Keto, Low Carb and Grain Free}

This Keto Chicken Enchilada Casserole madeย withย cauliflower as it’s base is grain free, low carb and gluten free!

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Mexican food is much loved by my family so making cleaner, lower carb versions have begun to consume my thoughts.ย Actually it doesn’t even have to be Mexican food, more like comfort food is what they crave and I think what we all crave.

But when trying to live a life in a healthier way and as for myself as low carb as I can, I want comfort food too, but not the carbs. I certainly don’t want to make two meals, one for my family and one for me.

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Low Carb Chicken Enchiladas

This version of a low carb chicken enchilada casserole has no flour or corn tortilla’s in it as one might expect. Everyone had gone crazy for my Bacon Cheeseburger Cauliflower Casserole so I adapted it from that.

If you’re looking for something with more carbs or don’t really care about the carbs check out these recipes:

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Keto Mexican Toppings

This to me with all the toppings is complete comfort in a bowl.ย I’m discovering that it’s always all about the toppings for me.ย We eat with our eyes and food not only needs to be flavorful but must be as colorful as possible to be appetizing. Olives, jalapeรฑos, salsa, sour cream and avocado are all perfect to top this dish with!

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So essentially it’s like a taco/enchilada bowl or maybe it should be nicknamed ย enchiltaco or tacochilada??

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Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Whenever I make a whole roasted chicken, usually it’s the breast meat I end up freezing since my family is all about the dark meat. ย I love to use up left overs don’t you?!ย I freeze the breasts and then use them in recipes like this. Win win for me and win win for the family with a new invented recipe for chicken!

When I made this for my family I DID NOT tell them cauliflower was on the bottom. After they all enjoyed their dinner and ate it up, even the hubby I told them they ate cauliflower. Again they were shocked as they were before when I made the bacon cheeseburger casserole! They not only ate it up but said they loved it and make it again. WINNING!

Brenda’s Notes:

  • To keep it low in carbs I did not add typical corn or black beans as one would normally see in an enchilada. Feel free to add those if you desire.
  • Feel free to use cooked ground turkey or turkey breast instead of chicken if that’s what you have for cooked left over meat in the house.
  • If you don’t have smoked paprika I would suggest getting some! SO much tastier than regular paprika.
  • Find enchilada sauce without sugar if possible and as low carb if you can.
  • This recipe was first published in March 2015 and updated with video in July 2018.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Keto, Low Carb)

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4.38 from 8 votes

Chicken Enchilada Cauliflower Casserole {Low Carb and Grain Free}

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 357kcal
Author: Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

Cauliflower Base

2nd layer

  • 1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken shredded
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 10 ounces enchilada sauce
  • 2 cups Mexican Shredded cheese
  • Optional toppings: lettuce olive, avocado, sour cream, salsa

Instructions

  • Steam the cauliflower florets until tender.
  • Place the florets into a food processor and pulse until it looks like rice in texture.
  • Mix in the flour and spices until combined well.
  • Set aside to cool before stirring in the eggs.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large bowl add the shredded chicken and spices and stir until combined.
  • Spread the cauliflower into a 9 by 13 as the first layer.
  • Place the shredded chicken over the cauliflower base as the second layer.
  • Pour the enchilada sauce over the chicken.
  • Top with all the shredded cheese.
  • Cover and bake 30 minutes.
  • Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is nicely melted.
  • Allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing.
  • Top with optional toppings and enjoy!

Notes

ย 
NET CARBS: ย 6g
ย 

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 760mg | Potassium: 454mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 870IU | Vitamin C: 36.9mg | Calcium: 221mg | Iron: 2.3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @sugarfreemom and tag #sugarfreemom, I'd love to see your dish!

 

 

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About Brenda

Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.

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95 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I finally made this, but turned it into Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Cauliflower Casserole. It is SO good, and I was groaning in pleasure as I ate it! Definitely rivals my Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas made with corn tortillas! I was so happy with this. A real winner, Brenda. Can’t wait to try the cauliflower base with ground beef and my homemade red enchilada sauce!

  2. 5 stars
    I love cauliflower and chicken! I find that cauliflower is one of the easiest veggies to mask. I actually even convinced my 9 year old to dip them in ketchup and eat them that way! I would love to share your recipe on my blog with a link back to your blog for the recipe. Would that be alright with you?

    1. Thanks! As long as the recipe isn’t reprinted on your blog and just a link to mine to get the recipe, that would be great thanks!

  3. 5 stars
    This looks so good! Do you think it would work in an 8 X 8 inch casserole, with two layers of cauliflower interspersed with two layers of chicken? Do you think that middle layer of cauliflower would be cooked enough to give the right texture?

  4. This recipe is crazy genius. Made it today with only omission being the coconut flour( just personal preference since I don’t like the flavor. The cauliflower set up nicely with just the eggs.) This was incredibly good. I had something similar to this in Mexico, made with masa of course, and this gave me that same homey, warm, comfort food feeling w/o the added carbs. Texture so close to a tamale and was even better after it set up in the fridge and was reheated. So tired of making recipes where people make a claim that doesn’t hold up. But when you say you can’t tell there is cauliflower in here you are so right. Thank you for this one. Truly genius!!

    1. Thank you for this review. My only aversion was the coconut flour. I plan to make this for dinner tonight!

  5. 5 stars
    This casserole is fantastic! The Cauliflower base, to me, is similar in texture to a Tamale, without the corn husk, of course. This is perfect for our family since we love tamales, but I have been too apprehensive to tackle them and my husband is unfortunately allergic to corn.

    My husband made this for the guys at work tonight. The three man crew consumed all but a small square in one sitting.

    1. I really want to try this, but one person in my family does not like really spicy food. What would you rate it on a hotness scale?

  6. It is way too early in the morning for me to be craving enchiladas, but I am! I love any dish with cauliflower in them. What’s fun about cauliflower is that it is so easy to sneak them into so many dishes. Great job, Brenda!!

    1. Since this is laid out in a 9 by 13 baking dish, what I do is visually divide the dish in half from top to bottom, cut with a knife and then divide both of those sides into another half. Then I make a long cut down the entire middle of the pan from left to right, giving you 8 servings.

  7. Winning is right! This casserole is fabulous and I love the cauliflower on the bottom. I’m all for fooling family members at the dinner table. Kudos to you for this amazing recipe. I’ve pinned it and can’t wait to try it!

4.38 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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