Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

About

A Keto casserole is a great way to meal prep, but it’s also the age-old classic way of feeding a large group on a dime. This Keto take on a chicken pot pie casserole can be easily portioned into meal prep containers but is delicious enough for the whole family. There’s no pie crust in this recipe. In lieu of a crust, there is a crunchy pork rind breadcrumb layer baked on top of the casserole. While most pot pies have a mix of vegetables, such as carrots, corn, or peas, this Keto version just uses chopped green beans. Green beans are low enough in carbohydrates that each serving can have an appropriate amount of nutrients without adding too many carb macros. Scoop your Keto chicken pot pie casserole onto your dinner plate with your favorite Keto side. If you’re not sure what to serve on the side, head over to the Carb Manager Chicken Pot Pie Casserole w Buttery Rice recipe, which has a side dish included.

What Is Saffron?

Saffron isn’t the most standard kitchen cupboard staple, but you can find it in just about any grocery store with a large spice section. If your local grocery chain doesn’t carry saffron, look for it in Asian or Indian markets. You can also purchase saffron online. Saffron is harvested from a flower and is the little red threads found in the center of the petals. It has a very mild flavor and is mostly used for adding a warm yellow or orange color to dishes. Saffron is considered to be one of the most expensive spices in the world because it is picked by hand and is sold in small amounts by weight. If purchasing saffron just isn’t in the cards for you, you can substitute with a pinch of ground turmeric.

Can I Use Fresh Green Beans?

This Keto recipe calls for thawed green beans from frozen because it cuts down on cooking time. Since green beans from the freezer are softer after they’ve thawed, they can quickly be mixed into your casserole without having to be par-cooked ahead of time. If you mixed raw green beans into the casserole, they would still be too firm at the end of baking. However, if you only have fresh green beans on hand, you can prepare them in advance of this recipe. Simply boil or steam your green beans for just 3-4 minutes before chopping them into pieces. You can salt your green beans before mixing them into the casserole, at your discretion.

Ingredients

20 ounce chicken broilers or fryers thigh meat only raw
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon italian seasoning
1 ½ teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon garlic
1 ½ tablespoon paleo baking flour by bob's red mill
¾ cup chicken broth
¼ cup, fluid (yields 2 cups whipped) cream heavy whipping
¼ teaspoon saffron
6 ounce beans snap green frozen all styles unprepared
1 ½ ounce fried pork rinds

Instructions

Prepare 5 ounces of chicken thighs per serving by patting the meat dry with a paper towel. On a clean surface, seasoned the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, onion powder, and italian seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a sautee pan over high heat and place in the chicken. Cook the chicken thighs for 4-5 minutes per side or until the chicken and spices have turned golden brown. Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board to rest.
Return the pan with any leftover spices and juice to your stove. Melt the butter in the sautee pan over low heat and stir in the garlic. Once the garlic has started to become fragrant in the butter, stir in the paleo flour. Continually stir the flour and butter mixture over low heat until you have a golden roux. If you don’t have paleo flour, you can also thicken your roux with fine almond flour.
Stir the chicken broth and cream into the roux. Turn the stove heat up to bring the liquid to a strong simmer. Then, reduce the heat back down to low and let the liquid bubble for about 3-4 minute until it thickens. Stir in the saffron until the sauce changes to a pale yellow color.
Slice the chicken thighs and fold them into the sauce over the stove. Fold in THAWED green beans. Let the sauce continue to bubble until any excess moisture from the chicken and green beans evaporates. You can raise the stove heat as necessary for the evaporation. Once the sauce has thickened up again, take the pan off the stove.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Pour the chicken pot pie casserole into a standard 11×7 glass baking dish. Spread out the casserole so the top is even, making sure the chicken slices are gently packed in so there are no empty spaces in the dish. Sprinkle crushed pork rinds over the top of the casserole (about 2 tablespoons per serving). Bake the casserole for 20 minutes in the oven, uncovered. Let the dish cool for 5 minutes before serving.