This creamy Dairy-Free Chicken Casserole bakes into a rich, savory, all-in-one dinner perfect for busy weeknights. Made with simple ingredients and naturally lower in carbs, it’s hearty enough that the whole family (kids included!) loves.
"Great kid-friendly meal. Perfect for a busy mom, thanks!" - Natalie
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
- 👪Serves: 4
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 445 kcals and 32 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Cooked chicken, mini potatoes, coconut milk alfredo sauce, cauliflower, and bacon.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free and gluten-free.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This chicken and potato casserole is creamy and comforting but lightened up, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner.
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You can skip the dairy in this hearty weeknight dinner… and you’ll still be impressed. This chicken and potato casserole is made without sour cream or canned cream soups, but it still bakes up rich and delicious, kind of like this slow cooker Tuscan chicken.
Instead, it leans on a creamy coconut milk Alfredo-style base and simple pantry seasonings to bring everything together (just like this dairy-free chicken alfredo casserole). It’s the same comforting combo of chicken and potatoes, just done in a lighter, protein-packed way. Need more ideas? This gluten-free chicken and rice soup is a great one for cooler months!
Jump To
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- 💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flavor Variations
- How To Make Dairy-Free Chicken Casserole
- Expert Tips To Make It
- How To Make It Ahead Of Time
- What To Serve With It
- Dairy-Free Chicken Casserole FAQs
- More Dairy-Free Dinner Recipes You’ll Love
- Dairy-Free Chicken And Potato Casserole
💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Comfort food: This non-dairy chicken casserole is creamy and hearty but lightened up with a homemade alfredo sauce.
Kid-approved: The savory flavor of alfredo with tender potatoes is a hit with kids and adults.
Healthy: Skip the canned creamed soups and other heavy fillers; this casserole is made from whole-food ingredients that actually fill you up.
Ingredients and Substitutions
You can skip the sour cream in this recipe! This dairy-free, chicken and potato casserole may seem like it needs a zillion things, but it actually whips up pretty quickly when you have leftovers.
- Leftover chicken: We use this Dutch oven-roasted chicken the most as I cook a full chicken every week to make for easier meals. Know that how your chicken is flavored will affect the taste of the casserole. Using the leftover chicken from something like air fryer buffalo chicken legs is a great way to add a punch to the casserole, too.
- Mini potatoes: The smaller you chop these, the faster the dish cooks and the creamier it will be!
- Dairy-free alfredo sauce: You need a full batch of my coconut milk alfredo sauce, which only takes 12 minutes to make. You can have the alfredo sauce in the fridge and make it a few days before, just make sure to heat it first!
- Chopped bacon: We normally have some bacon in the fridge after Sunday morning breakfast or making something like bacon-wrapped pineapple (so good!). And it’s definitely something you can make ahead of time. However, know that, of course, store-bought bits work too!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
Make it paleo: To make the easy dairy-free chicken casserole paleo-approved, just substitute the potatoes with sweet potatoes (like in this dairy-free Shepherd's pie with sweet potatoes).
Rice: If you don't have potatoes on hand, you can make the casserole with ¾ cups (measured dry) of rice instead.
Cheesy: We like to add a top layer of dairy-free mozzarella when we have it on hand. However, it's not crucial to the overall taste!
How To Make Dairy-Free Chicken Casserole
Step 1: Layer the veggies and potatoes into the baking dish.
Step 2: Pour on the Alfredo sauce.
Step 3: Add in the chicken and bacon. Pour on the rest of the sauce and pat it down.
Step 4: Add remaining ingredients & bake.
Expert Tips To Make It
If you need to save time, use a rotisserie chicken. Don't think you need to cook chicken that night to make the casserole.
Any seasoning on the chicken will alter the flavor of the chicken and potato casserole. This goes for something like a beef and zucchini casserole, too, where the beef base will alter the taste.
If you’re going to add dairy-free shredded cheese on top, don’t add it until the last fifteen minutes of cooking.
Keep the gluten-free dairy-free chicken casserole from drying out by making sure not to overbake it. If you notice it drying out in the last 10-15 minutes, add a splash more broth or coconut milk to the casserole dish and cook only until the potatoes are tender.
Prevent undercooked potatoes by making sure that your potatoes are covered or at least soaked in liquid at the bottom of the pan.
Store leftovers in an airtight container once cooled for 3-4 days. When you're ready, add a splash of liquid to the dish and reheat in the oven at 325F until warmed through.
How To Make It Ahead Of Time
You can most definitely prep this chicken and potato casserole ahead of time (learn more about making meal prep easier)!
The first way to meal prep is to make the entire casserole ahead of time and store it covered in the fridge before you bake it.
Before cooking, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before popping it into the oven. Make sure to check it halfway through; it may need ⅛ cup of water or chicken broth if the potatoes don’t seem to be softening (you can use bone broth powder for this).
The other way to do this is to simply ensure you have the ingredients ready. Double-check that you have cooked chicken on hand and make the dairy-free alfredo sauce the night before. Then, all you have to do is assemble it when you need it.
What To Serve With It
Though the chicken and potato casserole is a meal all on its own, it also tastes delicious served with a side of any of the following:
Dairy-Free Chicken Casserole FAQs
Yes, you can freeze the chicken and potato casserole. Make sure to layer the chicken and potato casserole in a foil baking dish so that you don't need to transfer it. Let it thaw fully before baking, though, and know you may have to add ⅛ cup water to it as the alfredo sauce will thicken.
You’ll want to cover this casserole while baking for the first 45 minutes to ensure that all the vegetables cook through. The sealed-in heat will cook the dish faster. After the vegetables are mostly soft, uncover the casserole and let the top of it brown up.
If you're freezing the dairy-free chicken bake, you'll obviously have to use a tinfoil casserole dish. However, if you're making it the night before or the day of, a glass casserole dish works best.
More Dairy-Free Dinner Recipes You’ll Love
If you tried this Dairy-Free Chicken Casserole Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Dairy-Free Chicken And Potato Casserole
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cooked chicken chopped
- 2 cups Mini potatoes quartered
- 1 ⅓ cups Coconut Milk Alfredo Sauce
- 2.5 cups Broccoli or Cauliflower finely chopped
- 1 cup Cooked bacon finely chopped, about 8 slices
- 1.5 tbs Green onions chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- ⅛ cup Nutritional yeast optional for topping
- ⅓ cup Dairy-free shredded cheese optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat to 375 Farenheit.
- Place potatoes and broccoli on the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.
- Pour 1 cup of sauce over and mix. Add the chicken and bacon to the baking dish and pour on the rest of the sauce. Pat it down.
- Sprinkle green onions, salt, and pepper flakes.
- Cover with tin foil.
- Bake 45 minutes.
- Remove the tinfoil and bake for another 15 minutes uncovered.
- Remove from the oven and let sit 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
nancy says
delish and perfect weeknight meal - pinning this Dairy-Free Chicken And Potato Casserole for later
fitasamamabear says
It definitely helps keep busy nights sane!
Natalie says
Great kid-friendly meal. Perfect for a busy mom, thanks!
fitasamamabear says
Glad you liked it!
Rosanna says
We loved this recipe, thank you so much!