BBQ Chicken Casserole

For most of us, eating healthier involves eating more veggies than we were accustomed to. Maybe a lot more. It’s natural to feel some resistance to the new flavors and textures of foods that weren’t a regular part of your diet before, but usually, they grow on you if you give them a chance. One of the simplest, most effective ways I’ve found to incorporate more veggies like that into our diet is to simply toss them all together with proteins and seasonings we already like. This BBQ Chicken Casserole is the perfect example. My husband hates spaghetti squash and he flat-out groans every time he sees I’ve bought one. Determined to change his mind, I set out to make a spaghetti squash recipe that had some of his favorite flavors: Bacon, barbecue sauce, and garlic. Thanks to the companies offering AIP-friendly barbecue sauce these days, it wasn’t even that much work. Enjoy!

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BBQ Chicken Casserole

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Servings8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon chopped
• 1 small red onion diced
• 2 pounds chicken breasts chopped
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 medium spaghetti squash baked, seeded, and shredded
• 1 1/2 cups AIP barbecue sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• sea salt to taste

Equipment

• bakeware
• cookware
• mixing bowl

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease a large baking dish with coconut oil or lard.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just shy of crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the fat.
• Cook the onion and chicken in the bacon fat until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Add the spinach and cook until wilted, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the chicken mixture, spaghetti squash, barbecue sauce, garlic powder, salt, and half of the cooked bacon. Mix well.
• Transfer to the greased baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining bacon.
• Bake 30 minutes, then serve hot.