Chicken Chili Casserole- Low Carb & Keto

Have you been missing Chicken Chili Casserole ever since you started your Low Carb or Keto diet? If so, I am so happy that you’ve found this recipe! 

Below I have given you a recipe packed with great flavor, delicious creamy sauce and just a hint of heat.  

Chicken Chili Casserole is definitely considered a comfort food. Many people (including myself) have fond memories of this dish, whether you’re keto, low carb or SAD (Standard American Diet).  Normally this casserole has a flour based sauce (or condensed chicken soup) with a TON of corn tortillas and cheese. I mean, what’s not comforting about that right? 

So how in the world can you get your hands on all that delicious chicken goodness and still keep your carb count low? Easy! I’m happy to show you below ☺

This post is all about turning that old school high carb dish into a rich and creamy Low Carb and Keto Friendly version of Chicken Chili Casserole.

The Best Chicken Chili Casserole- Low Carb & Keto 

Chicken

One of the most important ingredients in this recipe is the chicken. I mean, how can it not be? It’s in the title right? For this recipe I have chosen the fastest, least laborious variety of chicken: the delicious, store bought, pre-cooked rotisserie style chicken that I purchased from Costco. They seriously have the BEST price for a rotisserie chicken. 

If you have time to spare and really want to be hands on in this step, you can absolutely prep your own chicken. Below are just a few options to chose from and some preparation ideas: 

• Raw- Whole chicken, breast, thigh, leg, leg quarters.
  • Baked, stove top, air fried, smoked (this prep method sounds so enticing), BBQ.
• Pre-cooked frozen- chicken quarters, tenders, breasts, thighs, rotisserie pieces.
  • You would only have to follow the manufacturers cooking instructions listed on the package.

Any of these options will be amazing. Do what fits your schedule, budget and lifestyle.

Once your chicken is cooked place it on a plate and allow it to sit and cool down for at least 10 minutes and then shred. You don’t want to burn your fingers on hot chicken. 

Chicken Chili Casserole- The Creamy Bit

This is the part of the recipe that will take the longest. Technically it’s not even that long. You’re going to want to re-create that creamy lovely chicken chili sauce base. Instead of adding flour and butter to the pan and creating a roux we’re going to use cream cheese.

Before we make our sauce we need to build some flavors. Let’s start by dicing our onion.

Grab a sauce pot or a sauté pan and preheat it on low.   Once your pan is hot add your oil. I used avocado oil, but you can use coconut, olive, ghee or even rendered fats like tallow, duck fat, lard or bacon drippings.

Next steps are to add the onion, green chilies, pepper and salt. 

Sauté until onions are slightly translucent. Add the garlic.

OMG, I found one of my new favorite things. Have you ever seen frozen garlic? I had no idea that it existed!  It may seem lazy, but I now use this garlic in all recipes where cooked garlic is needed.  It does have a really gross ingredient (canola oil), so if you’re on a low carb diet due to health reasons I do not suggest that you use this brand. 

Click here to buy from Target

Once your onions are translucent you’ll add the cream cheese. Cutting cold cream cheese into cubes before adding it to my sauté pan has worked really well for me. You will want to continuously stir the cream cheese in the pan with a whisk until melted, and then you’ll add more cubes of cream cheese. Once the mixture is pretty thick, you’ll begin to add your chicken broth. 

One of our favorite cream cheeses to use is the Philadelphia brand.

Click here to buy from Target

Here’s the part of the preparation that is completely up to you. I like my chicken chili casserole with a lot of black pepper. If you don’t there is no need to add more, but I do suggest tasting your cream sauce and adjust seasonings to your taste. If you want a really thick cream sauce you’d add less chicken broth or more if you want a thinner sauce. I prefer to go with thicker at first and then once I add my shredded chicken to the pan I’ll start to add more chicken broth until it’s the consistency I’m looking for.  

Just remember to be conscious of how much chicken broth you’re adding to the cream cheese. Unlike the original, this recipe does not have corn tortillas and therefore will not have another component to absorb a really runny sauce. 

Chicken Chili Assembly Time

Finally we get to the interesting part! What the heck are we using in place of the corn tortillas? We are using chicken deli meat! Don’t freak out, it is super good. The deli slices I used were really thin, so they did not impact the flavor of the casserole. However, it does exactly what you want it to do by creating those yummy layers needed to replicate the original chicken chili casserole. 

Assembly of this low carb and keto version is the exact same as the original. This time the deli meat is playing the tortilla.  You’ll add a couple of tablespoons of the sauce to the bottom of your 9″x13″ baking dish, then add a layer of deli slices, a layer of creamy sauce, a layer of cheese, and repeat to your heart’s content. Top it all with more cheese, because why not?

Delish Toppings

Once you baked your chicken chili casserole and you’ve let it sit for about 10 min, go ahead and plate it up.

You can enjoy as is, or you can add some yummy toppings. Some of our favorites are:

• Sour Cream
• Cilantro
• Onion
• Avocado
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Squeeze of lime
• Hot Sauce (We love Cholula and Sriracha)

One of the key takeaways here is you are the one that gets to make the decisions in your kitchen for you and your loved ones. Remember to choose the ingredients that you love and what works best for you, your health and your wallet. 

Please let me know if you enjoyed this low carb and keto version of Chicken Chili Casserole!

Chicken Chili Casserole- Low Carb & Keto

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Indulge in this low carb and keto Chicken Chili Casserole. Just like the creamy, delicious and comforting Chicken Chili Casserole you remember. Your whole family is guaranteed to love it!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 oz onion
• 16 oz cream cheese (2-8 oz bricks)
• 4 oz canned green chilies
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 ½ lbs pre-cooked shredded chicken
• 8 oz chicken deli meat
• 8 oz shredded colby cheese (or cheese of choice)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings- optional

• Sour Cream
• Cheese
• Tomato
• Avocado
• Guacamole
• Onion
• Cilantro
• Lettuce
• Hot sauce/salsa
• Squeeze of lime

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. To a sauce pan add avocado oil, diced onion, green chilies, salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent.
3. Add garlic. Turn heat to lowest setting.
4. Once garlic becomes fragrant add ¼ of your cream cheese mixture. Wisk until melted. Repeat until all cream cheese is melted.**
5. Gently stir in chicken broth until desired consistency is met.
6. Incorporate shredded chicken in sauce pan. Add more chicken broth if necessary.
7. Continue to cook on low, uncovered for 10 minutes.
8. To a 9"x13" baking dish add a few tbsp of sauce (this is just to ensure your deli meat doesn't stick to the pan. You want a very light coating of sauce)
9. Begin with adding the first layer of deli meat, then add chicken chili sauce, and finally cheese. Repeat these steps until pan is full. Top with cheese.
10. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly.
11. Once removed from oven allow to rest for 10 minutes.
12. Serve and add desired toppings.
13. Enjoy!

Notes

** 4. This is where you decide if your cream cheese sauce is too thick. While whisking add chicken broth a little at a time.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1/8
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 399Total Fat: 30.9gSaturated Fat: 17.7gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 744mgCarbohydrates: 8.2gNet Carbohydrates: 7.9gFiber: .3gSugar: 2.3gProtein: 24.8g