One of my goals this year? More casseroles. Seems fitting to kick off that endeavor with this simple, mouthwatering Buffalo Chicken Bacon Casserole!
With a homemade buffalo sauce, spaghetti squash, and bacon, this hearty casserole is gluten free, paleo, and Whole30. It keeps well in the fridge, making it a perfect meal prep companion. But, more importantly, it’s packed with flavor that’ll leave you dreaming of tomorrow’s lunch.
How to make spaghetti squash casseroles
Buffalo chicken bacon casserole isn’t my first rodeo with spaghetti squash-based casseroles. Really, the whole thing is pretty simple.
The largest portion of prep for this casserole goes to pre-cooking the spaghetti squash.
Everyone has their favoite way of doing this. There’s no right answer here!
You could pierce the spaghetti squash with a fork, leaving it otherwise intact and baking it whole.
Or you could cook the spaghetti squash in the slow cooker.
Finally, you can use the instructions I’ve included, cutting the squash in half and seeding it before baking it.
We all have our preferred methods. So roll with whichever one you like best. The point is, you need to cook the spaghetti squash before making the casserole.
The next key to spaghetti squash casseroles hides in the sauce. It’s eggs!
Now, there’s a delicate balance here. Eggs are necessary to thicken the sauce a bit and whole the casserole together after it’s cooked. But you don’t want so many eggs that you can taste it in the end. After all, this isn’t an egg bake!
For my spaghetti squash casseroles, I almost always find that one to two eggs will do. The finished casserole holds its shape, but doesn’t end up eggy. Perfection.
How to prep shredded chicken for casseroles
Oftentimes, you’ll just use leftover shredded chicken for casserole and soup recipes.
But what happens when you want to make a super delicious-sounding casserole like this buffalo chicken bacon casserole and you only have raw chicken breasts on hand?
I’ve got two solutions for you.
As the recipe instructs, you can poach the chicen breasts. This is easy, makes perfectly shreddable (plus tender) chicken, and you can accomplish it while you bake the spaghetti squash.
Or you could prep a bunch of shredded chicken in advance using my Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken recipe. Your choice!
Worth noting, however, that 96.7% of the time, I poach my chicken breasts. Once you do it a couple times, you tend to have that shit memorized so you can poach some breasts on the fly and feel like a total kitchen badass doing it.
More Whole30 casserole recipes
- Spaghetti Squash & Meatball Casserole
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Mushroom, Bacon, and Cauliflower Casserole
Bacon Buffalo Chicken Casserole (Paleo, Whole30)
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Spicy and buttery, this bacon buffalo chicken casserole is packed with flavor. And it's paleo and Whole30 friendly! This casserole reheats well, so it works great for meal prep.
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 8 slices uncured bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups leftover shredded chicken
- ¾ cup frank’s red original cayenne pepper sauce
- ¼ cup ghee
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Carefully cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Place the squash cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook for 45 minutes or until squash is tender. Use a fork to separate out the spaghetti squash strands from the peel. Let cool enough to handle. Measure out 4 cups for the recipe, and reserve the rest for whatever else your heart desires!
- Add the spaghetti squash, bacon, and chicken to a large bowl, stirring to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the hot sauce, ghee, coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, eggs, sea salt, garlic cloves, and black pepper until smooth. Pour this mixture into the spaghetti squash mixture and stir until fully incorporated.
- Pour into a lightly oiled 9×9 baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes, until the center no longer wiggles when you move the pan. Transfer to the top rack in the oven and turn the broiler on high. Broil for 5 minutes, watching carefully, until the top is lightly browned. Let cool slightly, then serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week.
Keywords: bacon buffalo chicken casserole
Lara says
This looks awesome! In step 4 I noticed it mentions adding the ranch but there’s no ranch (I assume dressing?) in the recipe. Can you clarify? I also don’t see where to add some ingredients like apple cider vinegar and frank’s sauce. Thanks!
Chelsea says
Lara, I just updated the recipe. Thanks for letting me know! I failed to proofread the recipe before I posted it this time - this oversight serves as a reminder to myself as to why I can't skip that step! 🙂