Herbed Chicken and Rice Casserole

I am always looking to create simple meals. And if they can lend themselves to batch cooking, that’s even better! This is one such meal that is easy to put together and also has tons of flavor! You can easily double or triple the recipe.

Chicken and herbs are always a great combination. In this recipe, I used a combination of fresh and dried herbs as my garden currently has a lot of fresh rosemary and thyme and I decided to add some of that. You can cook this dish on the stove top or in the oven using either a Dutch oven or a cast iron pot (I used a cast iron pot).

This recipe is great to make ahead and refrigerate or freeze. It is also a great one to bring on the road when you are traveling. We recently went on vacation to some national parks and since we booked an AirBnb with a kitchen, I cooked this dish in the morning and transferred it into four disposable containers (one for each of us) inside a cooler. We explored outside until noon and then found a picnic table where we sat down to eat our delicious chicken and rice casserole!


5.0 from 1 reviews
Herbed Chicken and Rice Casserole
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
Chicken marinade:
  • 1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-by-2-in pieces
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning blend (make sure it is AIP compliant)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
Casserole:
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 2 strips of uncured bacon, cut into small pieces
  • ½ medium onion, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 8 cups cauliflower rice (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves chopped fine (or 2 teaspoons dried)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves chopped fine (or 2 teaspoons dried)
  • 1 cup chicken bone broth
  • Sea salt as needed
Instructions
Marinating the chicken:
  1. Add all the marinade ingredients along with the chicken in a mixing bowl and mix using your hands to coat the chicken pieces well with all the spices. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
Cooking the casserole:
  1. Place a medium size cast iron pot or a Dutch oven on heat. Add the avocado oil. When the oil is hot, brown the chicken pieces (you may need to do this in batches) for 2 to 3 minutes on each side and transfer to a separate dish.
  2. To the same pot, add the bacon pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes until they crisp up and turn brown. Next add the chopped onions and celery. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes and add the cauliflower rice, the herbs and the broth. Add the partially cooked chicken pieces too and stir to mix everything well.
Finishing on the stove:
  1. Cook uncovered and let the broth come to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on low heat for about 12 minutes. Open lid and cook for 2-3 minutes or so until all the liquid is evaporated and the chicken is cooked.
Finishing in the oven:
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Cover the pot and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover for last 5 minutes to let all the liquid evaporate.

 

About Indira Pulliadath

Indira Pulliadath is a nutritional therapy practitioner (NTP) and an AIP Certified Coach. Before working as a Nutritionist, she worked as a researcher in the healthcare industry for 15 years in the field of pharmacoeconomics. She started exploring healing diets five years ago when she was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. The disease pretty much crippled her, progressing very rapidly to all her joints. Over a period of two years, she tried several diets and alternative therapies, which did not help her much. Finally it was the AIP diet that helped to reduce her pain and inflammation greatly. Once she began to get better, she decided to switch careers and become a nutritional therapist so she could help other people. When she is not doing health coaching or researching, she is experimenting in her kitchen! She loves to develop Paleo and AIP versions of her family’s favorite recipes. You can find her recipes on her blog 'Cook2Nourish’ and on her Youtube channel. She is also active on Instagram and Facebook. Indira lives in Connecticut with her husband and two teenage children. As a family they enjoy hiking in the beautiful trails in and around Connecticut.

3 comments

  • Lorie McMahon says

    Hi! I want to try this recipe but have to modify it a bit. I need to remove the garlic powder, bacon, maybe the celery too though it’s a small amount so it may be fine. I was wondering if you have any ideas on what to use to replace them. For the onions I will use scallion instead. (Yes, I am following a bit of a low-FODMAP diet and also limit my histamines somewhat.) Any ideas are appreciated. Thank you!

    • Indira Pulliadath says

      Hi Lorie
      Sorry for the delay in replying! You can omit all those ingredients and make it. I am sure it will still be tasty since the herbs give it lots of flavor. The scallions are a good choice as replacement for the onions. Instead of celery, you could add some other vegetable like carrot, broccoli or zucchini. Hope that helps! ~ Indira

  • Stefani says

    This dish was easy to prepare and delicious! The rosemary and thyme combination was great. This will go into our meal rotation even when I complete AIP.

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