This Buffalo Chicken Casserole is the perfect comfort food dish made healthy. It has the buffalo chicken wing flavor you love but is Paleo, Whole30 and Low Carb! You will love this comforting casserole any night of the week.
This Buffalo Chicken Casserole is one of my husbands all time favorite recipes. He loves to take it for work because it reheats really well. It has flavors that taste indulgent but are actually good for you! It is just more proof that eating healthy does not have not have to be boring.
I recommend a few tricks to make this dish even easier than it already is. First, I like to buy a rotisserie chicken for the shredded chicken. They are flavorful and you can shred up the meat in no time at all (just be sure to check labels if doing a round of Whole30). The second short cut is to cook your squash in the Instant Pot. It is so easy and much faster than doing it in the oven. Read my full instructions in HERE to see how I do it.
Recipe Tips:
- After you cook your spaghetti squash, it is best to add it to a cheesecloth or nut milk bag to squeeze out any excess liquid. This helps your casserole hold together better and keeps it from getting watery
- Adding eggs to the dish helps hold it together and also creates a cheese-like crust on the top of the casserole
- Drizzle more hot sauce and ranch over the top before serving to add even more flavor
You Might Also Like:
- Whole30 Spicy Chicken Tenders
- Low Carb Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
- Whole30 Taco Bake
- Whole30 Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast Bake
- Easy Baked Italian Meatballs
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Photography by Loren Runion of SweetRusticBakes.com
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups Chicken shredded
- 1 Spaghetti Squash medium-large
- 3/4 cup Ranch Primal Kitchen or Tessemae's
- 1 cup Hot Sauce Franks
- 2 stalks Celery finely diced
- 3 Eggs
- 2 Tbls Ghee
- 1 Red Bell Pepper diced
- 1 Jalapeno
Instructions
Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat oven to 425'. Using a sharp knife, cut your squash in half (length wise) and scoop out the seeds. Place face down on a baking sheetBake for 15-20 or until it is fork tender (cooking time may vary depending on the size of the squash. Set squash aside to coolOnce cooled, add shredded squash to cheesecloth or nut milk bag and squeeze out excess moisture
Casserole
- Melt the ghee and hot sauce in saucepan over low heat, then toss with the shredded chicken
- In a large bowl, mix the chicken, celery, bell pepper, ranch, and 1/2 jalapeno diced
- Add the squash noodles to the chicken mixture, season with salt if needed and pepper to taste then pour into an 8×8 baking dish
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs and then pour over the mixture in the baking dishGently move the mixture around to help the eggs settle into it and top with remaining jalapeno cut into slices
- Bake at 425' for 20-30 minutes, then broil on high for an additional 5 minutes or until golden and bubbly on top (watch to make sure it doesn't burn)
- Let sit for 10 – 15 minutes before slicing into servingsTop with more ranch and hot sauce as desired
Notes
Nutrition
Hello! I’ve made this before and it was so good. Was curious if I can make ahead and bake later??
Lauren, dud you ever try making ahead and then baking this? Dud not see a response, thought I would check. TIA
This is my favorite whole 30 dinner recipe! I’m not even doing whole 30 right now but I’m having it for dinner. I’ve come up with fun variations too. Even though this recipe is 10/10 the way it is, I am always looking for different ways to use spaghetti squash. Tonight I sautéed garlic, onion, red bells and mushrooms then cooked in some diced chicken. Instead of Buffalo I used half a can of coconut cream and threw in a heaping cup of broccoli. Still did the primal kitchen ranch but I need some liquid to steam the broccoli. The egg on top would make you swear it was smothered in crusty cheese. So darn delish, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
This looks so good! What a great way to sneak some veggies on the kids too!
This is YUMMO!! I am new to Whole30 and this was delicious! it completely satisfied my craving for a similar non Whole30 dip that I would make😋 so thank you, for rescuing me😁
This meal was SO delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will definitely be making it again.
Can this be done with zucchini or another type of squash?
I really enjoyed this recipe! Was curious about the macros…fat content seemed high for the ingredients and the protein seemed low for the chicken and eggs. Either way great recipe!
So good! I added avocado to the top which added a faux sourcream touch. Definitely will make again!
Loved this! My husband (who is not a very confident cook) was able to make this and it turned out wonderfully. I’ve been craving it again and will be making it again this week. Definitely adding it to a bi-monthly rotation!
This was delicious! I was surprised I didn’t even miss cheese in it ha ha. So good!
So glad you enjoyed it Kat!
This was delicious! I was afraid of the fennel…but it gave the sauce the best flavor! I didn’t have fresh oregano…I’m sure it would have been even better! Thanks so much..it’s a keeper!
I saw this recipe posted as a favorite by someone on a healthy eating plan I’m on. My people (3 boys) don’t like super spicy food (we do eat tacos but does that really count?!) so I’m trying to figure out how to reduce the spicy without going totally bland. Any suggestions?? Like half the hot sauce or will that mess stuff up? Luckily husband will eat whatever!
You could reduce the hot sauce for sure and leave the jalapeño out. The adults can always add more hot sauce and jalapeño on top after it’s cooked! I hope that helps 🙂
Can I substitute coconut oil for the ghee?
Any thoughts on adding nutritional yeast to the squash topping for a “cheesy” flavor? I am looking forward to trying this.
I think that would be wonderful, let me know what you think if you try it!
I LOVED this recipe! We’re not doing strict paleo right now, but I like to try to limit processed food and dairy. Plus it’s fall and I want to eat All.The.Squash! I had a huge squash so mine took about 45 minutes in the oven. I took your suggestion from another comment and squeezed excess water out of the squash before adding it to the mixture. My husband loved this too. Question for you- do you think you could make variations of this–like chicken Pad Thai for instance? Just maybe tweak the sauces? Have you tried anything like that? Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Haven’t made it yet but was wondering how it would be without the eggs? Or if I can substitute that for something?
The eggs act as a binder and form a nice ‘cheese-like’ crust on the top, I would have to test another method before giving a substitution recommendation. I am thinking it would not hold together as well without the eggs, but I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it goes if you do!
As I do the first time I make most any recipe, I made this exactly as written using compliant homemade ranch. It is honestly the most delicious whole 30 recipe we have eaten! Do yourselves a favor – make and enjoy!!
Thank you for sharing Sandra, I am so happy that you loved it!
Any experience with freezing left overs? I want to make this but I’m the only person in house eating paleo and don’t want any to go to waste.
Hi Cindy, I have never personally tried freezing it. I would probably recommend making half the amount instead.
Can’t wait to make! Are there other equivalents to Frank’s Hot Sauce? Thank you!
Hi Nancy, You can use any hot sauce you like. But if you are doing a Whole30, be sure to read the labels. Hope that helps!
Yummy recipe! Mine looked and smelled amazing coming out of the oven. It tasted delicious too but it was a bit watery. Did I do something wrong? Any recommendations to prevent the excess water in the bottom? I did cook the spaghetti squash in the oven since I don’t have a insta-pot. I had to cook it for longer as it wasn’t tender all the way through after 20 minutes. Maybe I got too large of a squash? Any tips would be appreciated.
Hi Arianne, Thank you for sharing! Spaghetti squash can be watery sometimes, I would suggest putting the cooked squash in a cheese cloth or sieve to press some of the excess liquid out before mixing it with the other ingredients. Let mw know if that helps!
OMG, awesome! I used 2.5 cups of cauliflower rice in place of the squash. Added a cup of green onion diced. Otherwise as recipe listed and it was amazing.
I am so glad that you liked it! And that you were able to customize it to your liking 🙂
OMG! So much better than we expected and even better as left overs day two! Will make again!!!!
I’m so glad you loved it! We love having it for lunches throughout the week 🙂
Just made this and followed the recipe exactly.. it turned out AMAZING!! The fiancé LOVED it! One of the best whole30 meals I have made yet
You just made my day, I am so happy to hear that you both enjoyed it 🙂
I cant Wait to try this! Can I substitute butter for ghee? Or is there a different substitution you recommend?
You can absolutely use butter as long as you are not sticking to a Whole 30 🙂
Can’t rate it yet since I haven’t actually made it. But I definitely will. Just got an Instant Pot and that sounds like such an easy way to prep the squash. Can’t wait to try…Frank’s Red Hot is my fave!!!
Thank you Elizabeth, be sure to let me know what you think!
Can’t wait to try this! Think it would be good heated the next day?
Yes absolutely!
This was absolutely amazing! We loved it! The veggies were cooked but had a nice bite to them, not soggy at all. The entire dish was great!!!! Thank u
This just made my day! I’m so glad that you loved it, thank you for sharing!
What is the approximate net carb content per serving?