Loaded Chicken & Potato Casserole | PALEO, Whole30

You all know by now that comfort food is the name of my game.  I have always been a "good eater" and have gotten so much joy out of food.  

But when my metabolism basically hit the breaks in high school, I realized that as much as I loved to indulge, I had to get control of my over-eating.  At first, for me, this meant denying myself of all things delicious and cutting my calories to an extreme deficit (plus over-exercising, and just overall obsessing about anything I put in my mouth).  

Talk about an unhealthy turn of events.  I went from an over-eater to an under-eater, and food & weight loss took over my thoughts and well-being.

Fast forward a few years and some yo-yoing later, to when I found the Paleo style of eating.  It was just such a relief to finally realize that I could eat to satisfaction while maintaining my weight- just by keeping my diet clean and free of the foods that didn't agree with my body.

Food could be used to maintain weight- but also to fuel me with energy for my daily life and provide me with a healthy body to take me through whatever phase of life I was in.  Once it was all about body image and what size pants I wore, and now it's about bigger, better things.  Like having a healthy body that I hope will someday grow healthy babies, and live long and well enough to love the special people in my life.

Too deep for a casserole recipe post?  Maybe.  But sometimes I feel it's important to bring things back to the real reason for Paleofying these comfort-style dishes.  Because eating clean is good for our bodies, our health, and our mental well-being.  And the fact that it can taste good too?  It's a win-win, you guys.

I hope you enjoy this easy casserole that I based off of a "loaded potato" idea- but with free range chicken for some added bulk & protein.  It has all the smoky flavors I crave, with the savory deliciousness of chopped garlic & onion, roasted broccoli, and crispy bacon.  

Topped with a drizzle of your favorite compliant creamy sauce or ranch dressing, you've got a delicious Whole30 recipe to get you through any comfort food craving.

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
• 2 to 3 cups broccoli florets, chopped
• 1 lb gold potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
• 1/2 white onion, sliced then roughly chopped
• 5 to 6 garlic cloves, quartered

For the sauce

• 1/3 cup olive or avocado oil
• 2 Tbsp compliant hot sauce
• 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian or other herb blend

For garnish

• 6 slices compliant bacon (make sure it's sugar free!)
• 1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced
• "Spicy Cream Sauce" (recipe HERE)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  
2. In a large bowl, mix the sauce ingredients until well combined.
3. Add the potatoes and white onion to the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking dish.  Drizzle with about 1/2 of your sauce, stir to combine, then transfer to the oven.  Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
4. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a pan and set aside on paper towels to drain.
5. Using the rendered bacon fat, brown the chicken cubes over medium high heat (don't worry about cooking it through).  Add the browned chicken to the large bowl with the remaining sauce.  Add the broccoli, garlic, and half of the green onions, and stir to coat.
6. Once the potatoes are done, pour the chicken and broccoli mixture over top.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the broccoli is lightly browned and chicken is cooked through.
7. Top the casserole with crumbled bacon and the remaining half of green onions.  Drizzle with "Spicy Cream Sauce", or a compliant ranch dressing.  Serve hot!