This savory creamy chicken potato casserole is the perfect healthy comfort food for cold winter nights! Hearty roasted potatoes are baked with chicken, bacon, and a creamy sauce that you won’t believe is dairy free. It’s kid approved, easy to make and the leftovers are perfect for a filling lunch the next day. It’s Whole30 compliant and paleo friendly.
Winter is all about soups and casseroles for me. Oh, and maybe a good one-skillet dinner like this Creamy Tuscan Chicken or Beef Stroganoff.
I decided to gather some inspo from my Chicken Broccoli Bacon “Rice” Casserole for today’s recipe.
I made the sauce a little creamier, kept the bacon and chicken and swapped out the veggies for roasted potatoes. Needless to say I was totally thrilled with the result!
It definitely satisfies your craving for cozy, filling comfort food while still leaving out all the dairy that’s usually a staple in casseroles. Plus, it’s Whole30 compliant in case you’re planning a January Whole30!
What You Need to Make this Chicken Potato Casserole
This casserole is filled with clean ingredients, good fats, carbs and protein.
You’ll see that many of the ingredients are my staples that show up again and again, nothing fancy and no surprises. Here’s what you’ll need to prepare the casserole:
- russet potatoes
- avocado oil or olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- nitrate free bacon
- ghee or rendered bacon fat
- onion
- garlic
- fresh thyme leaves
- arrowroot flour, or tapioca
- chicken bone broth
- coconut milk full fat
- mustard
- nutritional yeast (optional)
- cooked shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken is fine)
- chives or green onions for garnish
How to Make this Creamy Potato Chicken Casserole
Preheat your oven to 425° F and toss the potatoes with the oil, sea salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder. Spread the potatoes on the bottom of a 9 x 13” baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until soft. Once done, lower the oven temperature to 375° F.
While the potatoes cook, prepare the bacon and sauce. Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Keep 3 Tbsp of the rendered bacon fat to use for the sauce, or discard and use ghee instead.
Wipe out the skillet of burnt bits if necessary and heat over medium heat, then add either the ghee or bacon fat.
Add the onions and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme and continue to cook until soft, about 1 minute, adjusting the heat if necessary to avoid burning.
Whisk the tapioca flour into the onion garlic mixture and cook for about 30 seconds. Add in the broth, coconut milk, mustard and nutritional yeast, (if using), while whisking. Raise the heat and bring a gently simmer stirring and cook for another minute, until the sauce thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Add the shredded chicken to the casserole dish with the potatoes and mix, then pour the sauce over the top and gently mix to coat. Crumble the bacon and stir half of it into the chicken and potatoes, then sprinkle the rest over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or just long enough to heat through.
Garnish with the chives or scallions and serve hot. Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Are White Potatoes Paleo?
I get this question every time I post something involving white potatoes. The answer depends on who you ask, but for the most part (at this point in time), most will say that white potatoes can absolutely fit into a paleo diet!
White potatoes were added into the Whole30 program several years back (as long as we’re not talking restaurant fries!). And yes, they are high in carbs, but the Paleo diet isn’t about limiting carbs – it’s about eating real food.
That said, not every “real food” is for everyone of course – so it’s best for you to decide what works for you and what doesn’t. Labels aren’t as important as nourishing your body based on what makes it healthier! And that will be different for each person. For more info on the white potatoes on a paleo diet, click here.
To sum up, many people who live grain free and paleo are totally fine with some white potatoes here and there. I’m guessing if you’ve reached this point in the post, you may just be one of those people 🙂
I hope you’re ready for a hearty, creamy, flavor-packed casserole that’s bound to become a staple in your house!
Grab your favorite casserole dish and all your ingredients because it’s time to cook – let’s go!
Creamy Chicken Potato Casserole {Paleo, Whole30}
Creamy Chicken Potato Casserole {Paleo, Whole30}
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs russet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1” cubes
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 8 slices nitrate free bacon
- 3 Tbsp ghee or rendered bacon fat
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3 Tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken bone broth
- 1 cup coconut milk full fat
- 1 Tbsp mustard any kind
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast optional
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken rotisserie chicken is fine (just check ingredients for Whole30, if needed)
- Sliced chives or green onions for garnish
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 425° F and toss the potatoes with the oil, sea salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder. Spread the potatoes on the bottom of a 9 x 13” baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until soft. Once done, lower the oven temperature to 375° F.
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While the potatoes cook, prepare the bacon and sauce. Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Keep 3 Tbsp of the rendered bacon fat to use for the sauce, or discard and use ghee instead.
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Wipe out the skillet of burnt bits if necessary and heat over medium heat, then add either the ghee or bacon fat.
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Add the onions and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme and continue to cook until soft, about 1 minute, adjusting the heat if necessary to avoid burning.
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Whisk the tapioca flour into the onion garlic mixture and cook for about 30 seconds. Add in the broth, coconut milk, mustard and nutritional yeast, (if using), while whisking. Raise the heat and bring a gently simmer stirring and cook for another minute, until the sauce thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
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Add the shredded chicken to the casserole dish with the potatoes and mix, then pour the sauce over the top and gently mix to coat. Crumble the bacon and stir half of it into the chicken and potatoes, then sprinkle the rest over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or just long enough to heat through.
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Garnish with the chives or scallions and serve hot. Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Nutrition
Want More Paleo Casserole Recipes? Try One of These!
Chicken Broccoli and “Rice” Casserole
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These look great, how to save these without a printer?
Penny – Click on ‘print this recipe’ then take a screen shot then save in your photos.
Just wondering if you’ve tried freezing it ahead? Or does the sauce break
What can I use instead of coconut milk? If I use almond milk should I add some sort of thickener? No matter what brand of coconut milk I buy all I taste is coconut – I must have an uncanny ability to taste coconut lol
Amy- use canned full fat coconut milk. Not the kind you drink out of a carton. You won’t taste coconut 🙂
I used full fat canned coconut milk and I still tasted coconut.
Try the asian brand. It’s the only one I buy.
There are MANY Asian brands of coconut milk.
I was super excited to make this, but it was very runny and the potatoes were mush. I even cooked the potatoes for less than the recipe called for because I didn’t want them to be overcooked. Will not be making again.
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Thoughts on using macadamia milk instead of coconut milk?
It says 314 calories, what is the serving size?
There are no measurements given to the ingredients as of 12/29/2020. My family and I had a good laugh, we couldn’t believe it, a recipe without amounts😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I commented a couple days ago when I read your post about this recipe and came to your listed ingredients, the first time you list them in the post there are no amounts. Today I came to this recipe again & I discovered you list the ingredients again later WITH AMOUNTS later in the post.
4.5/5
Great dinner meal for the family. Everything that is satisfying in life (food wise) is in this dish. Thanks, Michele! Perfect dish following the holidays as well. Feels like you’re still cheating 😉
This is so yummy! I love your recipes they are the best! Especially because I have a kid who can’t do dairy.
The recipe ingredients listed arrowroot powder, but the instructions noted tapioca. We used arrowroot and it worked well! I made this for company and we all devoured it, no leftovers! Hubs said he would prefer the potatoes and be not as big, but I cut them exactly 1 in as noted in the instructions. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Amazing block about the creamy pasta. The writer has written in blog amazingly. If anyone wants to know about manufacturer and supplier can find it on Chinese B2B Marketplace
This is delicious! I added frozen peas to the cream mix at the end and heated them through before adding to the chicken/potato mix. This was a crowd pleaser and will definitely be a regular meal in our household!
Not a fan of the sauce. Coconut overpowering. Doubt my son will eat it when he gets home. Would’ve been good with maybe a gravy instead.
Sorry, that review was too harsh. My son actually loves it! It tastes a little better after being in the fridge for a bit. The coconut flavor settled down a bit.
My husband said, and I quote: “this could be dangerous it is so good”. Thank you for a new favorite!!!
Do you think this would work well with sweet potato
Just curious if anyone has made this a day in advance and just heated through for a meal? Wondering if that would work to make prep faster on a work night…
Did you try it? I was wondering too if it could be prepared the day before without the sauce separating.
Have you tried making it the day before and then cooking the next day? Wondering how it came out!
Hi there! I noticed the ingredients call for arrow root flour but the instructions say tapioca – can you use either?
Looking forward to making this!
She says both. Use one or the other.
This dish is amazing. Everyone in my house devoured it. I don’t like coconut flavor so I subbed cashew cream. It’s addicting.
I baked and shredded the chicken and baked the potatoes the day before. Also, the leftovers are better than the day it is made! So good.
tried this recipe last night for three people. All enjoyed. Will try again. I added shredded spinach before heating in the oven. My son shredded cheese on top.
Oh yummy! This is a definite keeper! My daughter and sister loved it!
Awesome!!! Thank you for this delicious and easy recipe! It’s a keeper! Going into my personal recipe box! Please continue.
Work switched to 4 10s and I was so thankful I picked this recipe for the first night of a long work day. It came together quickly and the taste was amazing. Husband and teenager both agreed it was delicious.
Reheated a portion for lunch in a skillet for a quick lunch and it was just as good as the night before.
This was delicious! Kids liked it too. Everything you do is great!
So delicious! Definitely a keeper!!
This wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t make it again.
All of Paleo Running Momma’s recipes are fantastic. But this one takes the Gold. It’s like heathy thanksgiving leftovers.
I really liked this and so did my 17 yr old which is unusual! I used evaporated milk because I don’t like the taste of coconut milk in dishes other than curries. I will try macadamia if i am doing whole 30. Thanks for this!
Could I substitute capers for bacon? My wife is Muslim and so we don’t do pork but this recipe looks amazing and we’re embarking on the Whole30. Wdyt?
Delicious and easy! Great comfort food for winter weekends.
So good! Added green beans and mushrooms to get some more veggies in. Delicious! Couldn’t even taste the coconut milk! Will definitely be making again.
This is in the oven as we speak! Smells amazing! Easy to tweak with what you have on hand too! Love recipes like this!
This is perfect for when you want something comforting. It looks terrible in the dish (the scallions help), but it doesn’t matter because it tastes delicious. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow.
Just made this for dinner today and it tasted delicious!
We really enjoyed this! It will definitely be a keeper – especially when we’re on Whole30 round. I used plain Nutpods instead of coconut milk. I cooked chicken breasts in the instant pot and added frozen peas/carrots and green beans after shredding the chicken. The mixture sat on warm setting in the instant pot while the potatoes and sauce cooked. The veggies were perfectly cooked by the time the mixture was added to the potatoes. I also added fresh rosemary and sage to the sauce. It all reminded me of Sunday dinner from my childhood. Thanks for another great recipe!
Have you ever tried making this in a instapot? Just curious if it’d work!
Made this tonight and it was a big hit with the family! Everything I have ever made from you blog has been delicious. Thank you!
What can I use instead of canned coconut Milk. Can’t do coconut milk currently. TIA
You can probably use any dairy free milk for this one.
Do you have a suggestion of something to sub out the mustard with?
I made this for my family last night and it was a huge hit! Thank you so much!
Hey dumb fuck. Have you ever cooked this? Rad your instructions. They suck ass
Hi, the recipe calls for arrowroot flour but the directions say tapioca flour. I made it using arrowroot flour. Also, is there anything else you could use in place of the coconut milk? It gives it a slight coconut undertone and I’m not a fan of coconut taste. Thank you for a yummy recipe!
What are your thoughts on freezing this prior to baking?
Is the mustard dry mustard or like yellow mustard? (Liquid)!?
This was very good.. I followed the recipe as written and added raw broccoli to it just to add some veggies in it. I would make this again. Thanks
My husband decided to do the paleo diet so i’ve been trying to find good recipes to make him… I really want to make this one but I am allergic to coconut. Could I substitute with almond milk? Thanks!
So bloody tasty! Thanks this was such a good hearty meal even my partner loved it and he’s picky at the best of times.
This recipe is such a winner! My family absolutely loved it. They loved it so much they went back for multiple servings. I will definitely make this recipe again and again.
My husband and I loved. And had leftovers so even better. Hearty yet healthy. I’m thinking of adding some veggies next time to vamp up the nutrition even more ☺️
Sooo good! Hubby loved it (and he’s not always easy to please) so thank you! I can always count on you and your recipes!!
Thrilled you loved it!
Our daughter made this for us when we visited. I’m going to request it every time we go there now. It was fabulous! Very tasty, and it doesn’t take long to make.
Very good
Easy to pull together on a weeknight and super tasty. This will be in the rotation, even after W30!
This is seriously delicious. I meal prepped this and had it for my lunch every day during the week. The only thing I did differently was omit the bacon cause I don’t eat pork. I also threw some crushed red pepper flakes in and called it a day! Served with a side of roasted veggies. SO GOOD! Thank you!
Has anyone had any luck freezing this casserole to eat at a later date? I’ve made it fresh for the first time today, but would love to make a few more for the freezer for when my baby arrives! Any tips or tricks would be appreciated!
This is our new favorite recipe! Even my husband likes it and he doesn’t like many of the paleo meals I make. I need a cookbook with all of your amazing meals!
Can I add broccoli?
Wow made this for the first time tonight for a crowd of 5. I made extra and it was enough to feed 9 people at least and we almost finished it off. DELICIOUS!!
Made this recipe but added asparagus while I was sautéing the onions. It was great! Will definitely add this to my recipe line up. Thanks for sharing the recipe and all the great tips.
The ingredients list has arrowroot, but the directions list tapioca as the thickener. Are they interchangeable?
It shows Arrowroot flour in the ingredient list but Tapioca flour in the actual recipe instructions. Which in is better?
Sorry didn’t see someone already asked
This is really good! Highly recommend.
I had to leave a review, because this is damn delicious! I made a few modifications that I think made it even more exceptional. First, I doubled the amount of mustard (I used stone ground) to balance out the coconut-y taste. I also added frozen peas and mushrooms into the cream sauce at the end, and heated them through prior to adding to the casserole. Lastly, I sprinkled shredded parm on top of the casserole. I initially baked the potatoes 30 min instead of 35, and they weren’t mushy at all at the end. The sauce wasn’t runny for me either. My boyfriend just devoured two helpings – this will definitely be in our rotation!
Can this be made ahead of time and baked later?
I’ve made this recipe before with good success. It’s a lovely cold weather “comfort food” dish. Today I doubled the recipe and added mushrooms and broccoli – so delicious. Thank you so much!
Delicious. I added thawed frozen broccoli to it and used Dijon mustard. My only criticism is the recipe says this is eight servings. As a smaller female, you’d have to have a very small appetite to get eight servings out of this. I’d say it’s four servings, maybe six at best.
So delicious and comforting. Made this for my senior Mom who struggles with loss of taste after chemotherapy, and she really enjoyed it! The flavours are great. I will certainly make again.
This will be on my dinner rotation for sure. Easy to make and very good.
I am allergic to coconut, any suggestions on a substitution?
I think I’m not a fan of Nutritional Yeast. I’ve had it in another recipe and I didn’t like it, but chalked it up to that recipe. When making new recipes I like to follow as much as I can to the list. It’s fine. It’s good if you like that weird cheesy flavor nutritional yeast gives, then it’s for you. The flavors of this are good (with that exception) I would probably make it again without it. The harvest casserole recipe, YUM!
Absolutely delicious! Probably one of the best meals I’ve made. Thank you!
Fantastic, easy to make and very delicious. My husband said you can make this again.
Wow, this was delish!!! I followed the recipe, using dijon mustard and the nutritional yeast, but also sauteed some baby bella mushrooms with the onions and garlic and added frozen peas to the sauce. This was such a hit! So creamy and flavorful
I made this tonight and it was very good!! I love that it made such a large portion too for leftovers. Will be making this again!
Whole family loved it!
OH MY GOODNESS… this was absolutely delicious! We have been on Whole30 and just moved over the Paleo. To say this was “lick the plate clean” good is an understatement!! Thank you so much for your delicious recipes
This was absolutely delish!! 10/10 recommend and will be making again. My fiancé loved it as well! Paired with broccoli and mushrooms and it was a delicious meal. It’s nice to have a comfort food casserole that doesn’t tear up your insides! 🙌🏼
in Chicken Potato Casserole I use ghee for the ghee flavor and ghee nutrition and rick creamy feel is my added perk. I always use pure cow ghee in my kitchen. Ghee is a better cooking oil and I find it a better option for cooking than bacon.
To know more : https://milkio.co.nz/pure-cow-ghee/
Delicious and easy! I saw you post this on IG and had to make it! Takes a while to cook but is not labor intensive. I thought this dish would be heavy with the high fat ingredients like bacon and coconut milk but it’s not at all. It’s closer to 6 servings in my opinion. Great family dinner!
So good! I used leftover thanksgiving ham so it was like potato soup.
Love this recipe. This is in my dinner rotation at least once or twice a month.
I have not made this yet but have an allergy prone kiddo. Thoughts on omitting the mustard?
Delicious! I added frozen peas and twice as much bacon because… well, bacon. It was perfect rainy day comfort food.
I tried this for our families first dinner on Whole30 and my husband and four teenage sons all LOVED it, and there were ZERO leftovers.
I struggle with recipes with coconut milk tasting too coconut-y. I personally could taste a SLIGHT hint but I’m the one who knew it was there, no one else noticed.
I added FOUR tablespoons of nutritional yeast and I think that really made the change in terms of covering the coconut taste, in case anyone is worried.
I also used dijon mustard, and not normal mustard, so I feel like it ended up having a very noticeable mustard taste. Again, I am the only one who noticed it apparently but that also helps really mask the coconut IMHO.
I also didn’t plan well, so I ended baking chicken breast with the potatoes and then just cubed the chicken instead of shredding and it was great. I think next time I’ll make smaller potato cubes. But this was an easy recipe to do when I didn’t have prepped chicken ahead of time.
Overall, this was a huge hit, with my boys asking me to put in into permanent rotation in our house.
Delicious casserole that’s hearty & filling! In the future, I’ll omit the Thyme because it was very loud. Will definitely make again. And seems like the perfect leftover lunch!
My nine year old daughter LOVED this!!!! (me too) Her exact words, no joke, were, “mama make this every night for dinner”.
Excellent! I am always wary about making dinner with coconut milk that is not an Asian dish because it seems no matter what the recipe calls for it still has a strong coconut milk flavor. Not this one! It was tasty! I couldn’t even tell it had coconut milk in it. My daughter said it had a Smokey taste. Maybe it’s was the combo of the bacon, bacon fat and dry mustard. Anywho, me and my picky family loved it and it going on the dinner list. Thank you for a great dinner!
Yup. This is super yummy. I’ve done Whole30 a few different cycles, and am so sad that I didn’t know this recipe sooner. This is definitely a new favorite and would be amazing even if you aren’t on whole30. Recommend to use the nutritional yeast, as it made it even yummier.
Super tasty!!! Everyone loved it!
This was so delicious! The family didn’t even know it was dairy free!
I did you regular flour and oat milk for this recipe (I’m only dairy free so the flour wasn’t a huge deal breaker for me, I just used what I had on hand)
Sooo good!
How big is a serving size? We love this recipe! So delicious!
This is a hit for my whole family. It’s so comforting and creamy. I make it every couple weeks!
This looks so good!! Unfortunately I can’t have coconut. Any suggestion on replacing the coconut milk? Thanks!!
This dish was delicious. My 10 year old approved of it and has no clue there is no dairy in it. All though she is not following Whole 30. This is a major win for me that she loved it even though k did let her have some sour cream with it. This will definitely be a staple in our meal recipe box
Day 7 of Whole30 and was looking for a new weekly meal prep, this was so good! I used pork broth that I had leftover and it turned out great!
A new family favorite! Thank you for sharing
Incredible! Kids and husband loved it! The coconut milk gives this such a delicious flavor!
This was really good, everyone in the family loved it. Comfort food, yet healthy! Will be adding to our meal rotation.