Confetti Chicken Casserole
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Published Jun 12, 2019, Updated Nov 28, 2022
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Transform chicken, kale and corn into a delicious chicken casserole that comes together quickly if you prep a few key ingredients ahead of time!
I’m so excited to share a recipe from my friend Cassy of Fed & Fit today. Although I’ve followed Cassy’s blog for years, I finally met her in person at the Everything Food Conference this year. Cassy was in Salt Lake for the conference, but also there for her book tour.
I learned a little bit more about the book and her focus on batch-cooking and was SOLD. Ya’ll know I’m a huge advocate of meal planning and I love the batch-cooking method so this was right up my alley.
I was so excited to get her new cookbook, Cook Once, Eat All Week and dug in literally as soon as I got home from the conference. The idea behind the book is to take three simple ingredients and turn them into three easy-to-assemble meals. Genius, right?! I spent a little over 2 hours in the kitchen on the weekend, but then had key ingredients ready to make three different meals for the week.
I followed Week 9 in the book, which focuses on baked chicken, kale and corn. I picked this menu because I love fresh corn and it’s in season right now. With the chicken, kale and corn that I prepped on Sunday we were able to make three tasty meals: this Confetti Chicken Casserole, Mexican Chicken and Corn Street Tacos and a Green Goddess Salad.
Everything was delicious and super easy to put together since I’d done the prep work on Sunday. The recipes made 4-6 servings and since it’s just me and Isaac eating, the three meals made enough for 7 dinners, with just 2 hours of prep on the weekend and about 30 minutes of prep/cooking on the three nights we served the meals.
It felt super streamlined and I loved how easy it was. It was also really cool to see three simple ingredients transform into flavorful and unique meals that made us totally forget we were eating the same three ingredients all week.
Isaac and I enjoyed all the meals, but this Confetti Chicken Casserole was definitely our favorite, which is why I asked Cassy if I could share the recipe with you! Hopefully, this gives you a good taste of what Cook Once, Eat All Week is all about and inspires you to start batch-cooking as part of your meal prep routine.
Ingredients in Confetti Chicken Casserole
- corn
- kale
- onion
- red bell pepper
- garlic
- chicken
- mayonnaise (we’re using avocado oil mayo)
- cheddar cheese (totally optional)
- bacon
- green onion
- black pepper
How to Meal Prep Chicken Casserole
The whole point of Cassy’s cookbook is to batch-cook simple ingredients and turn them into three easy meals to enjoy throughout the week, but since I’m just sharing the chicken casserole recipe, I’m only going to give you details of how to prep for that meal.
Bake Chicken
To bake the chicken, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 40 minutes in a 375°F oven, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices run clean when cut. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into 1/2 inch cubes. Let cool completely and store in the refrigerator until ready to prep the casserole.
Cook Bacon
I also like to bake my bacon in the oven so it doesn’t splatter all over my stovetop – bake on a rimmed baking sheet at 400ºF until crisp, 12 to 18 minutes. The total time will depend on the thickness of your bacon. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool. Be sure to use a rimmed baking sheet because grease will form and if your baking sheet isn’t rimmed it will drip all over your oven and could cause a fire.
Cook Onion and Red Pepper Mixture
For this step, just heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 to 6 minutes, until the vegetables are wilted and slightly browned. This can be done up to 3-4 days in advance. Store in the refrigerator until ready to prep the casserole.
Cook Corn
If you choose to use fresh corn on the cob, you’ll need to cook it in advance. Just husk the corn, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water reaches a boil, add the corn and boil for 5 minutes, then remove from the pot. Once cool, slice the corn kernels off the cob. I share an awesome tip for cutting corn from the cob in my corn salad recipe so be sure to check that out!
Shred Kale
Wash and remove stems from the kale and shred it ahead of time. This step isn’t 100% necessary as you can certainly do this night you want to make the casserole, but it helps keep the casserole prep super easy.
Put Casserole Together and Bake
The night you want to serve the casserole, it’s basically just a bunch of mixing! In a large bowl, stir the onion and red bell pepper mixture, corn, kale, chicken, mayo, salt, and pepper. Transfer this mixture to a baking dish and top with shredded cheese and bacon. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes. Top with green onion for garnish and enjoy!
Want to learn more about batch cooking or find more recipes like these? Grab your copy of Cook Once, Eat All Week.
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Confetti Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cups cooked fresh corn kernels, or frozen
- 2 cups shredded lacinato, aka dinosaur kale
- 4 cups cubed baked chicken, you’ll need 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts – see notes
- 1/2 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional
- 6 strips bacon, cooked and sliced or crumbled
- 1 large green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion, peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, until the vegetables are wilted and slightly browned. This can be done up to 3-4 days in advance. Store in the refrigerator until ready to prep the casserole.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the precooked onion and bell pepper mixture, corn, kale, chicken, mayo, salt and pepper until combined.
- Transfer the chicken mixture to a 3-quart (9X13) rectangular casserole dish, then top with the cheddar cheese and bacon.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbling.
- Meanwhile, slice the green onion and set aside.
- After removing the casserole from the oven, let it cool slightly, then garnish with green onions and serve!
Notes
- To bake chicken: preheat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place about 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast on the lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 40 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices run clean when cut. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into 1/2 inch cubes. This can be done in advance, just store in the refrigerator until ready to prep the casserole.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
looks like the perfect summer dish and a great way to sneak some kale into my family’s diet!
Love this healthier take on a casserole!! 🙂
Looking forward to trying this out tomorrow! Do you cook it with the lid on or off in the oven?
With the lid off.
Thank you! It tasted so delicious 🙂
My grocery store doesn’t carry the lacinato kale… what would be a good substitute? Curly kale? Collard greens? Thanks!
Curly kale will work great!
Thank you so much! This recipe was so delicious. We chowed down before I could even get a picture.
I could’t find lacinato kale either, so I used frozen chopped kale (I thawed it before mixing in) and it worked great!
I’ve made this a couple times now, we like it better when the cheese and bacon is stirred into the mixture (instead of on top).
Oh, it’s great to know that frozen chopped kale works too! Thanks for sharing that. And I like the tip about mixing the cheese and bacon into the mixture instead of on top. I’m sure that’s tasty too!
I’ve made this so many times and each time guests and family devoured it. I do not keep kale in the house. But I used broccoli instead. I was a little lazy and didn’t even cook the veggies ahead of time. Still turns out delicious! I also mix the cheese and bacon instead of it being on top, and ran out of mayo so used some yogurt with a tiny bit of mayo. Sooooo good! A crowd pleaser! I’ve given out this recipe each time!
Hi Stacey! I am so glad that you’ve enjoyed this recipe and that your modifications worked out well. Thanks for sharing and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
I really enjoyed this recipe. I used daiya non dairy cheddar cheese because I have an intolerance to dairy. The cheese didn’t melt as nicely as regular cheddar cheese but it was delicious and necessary. I skipped the bacon. I also used frozen corn. I’m wondering if it added a little extra moisture because it wasn’t as thick as a casserole typically is. But I think tomorrow it will set more. Either way it’s delicious and I love all the flavors. I added siracha and was one happy preggo lady. And my husband and I will have at least 3 meals each. Thank you!
Hey Stephanie! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Yes, the Daiya non-dairy cheese definitely doesn’t melt as nicely as regular cheese, but I’m glad the dish still turned out for you! Did you let the frozen corn thaw before adding it in? That could have been the issue. If you added the corn still frozen it probably released extra moisture during the baking process. If using frozen corn again, I’d definitely recommend letting it thaw out first. Hopefully that helps!
And thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it! The ratings are super helpful. <3
Love the recipes on this site. My husband continues to compliment my cooking skills with these recipes! My family can’t get enough!
Ahh I love hearing that, Alicia! 🙂 So glad the recipes are a hit with the fam. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, I so appreciate it!
This was pretty good! We used olive oil mayo. The amount of salt needed was not listed, so we went with 1/2 tsp.
Thanks for trying my recipe, Holly! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I just updated the recipe to reflect the amount of salt, so sorry about that!
HUSBAND APPROVED! My husband asks me to make this every single week without fail. We usually have enough for leftover and pop in back in the over for another go the next night. I add Old Bay style spice mix to give it a little kick. Such a versatile recipe!
Woot woot!! So glad you guys are loving so many of the recipes!!
Love this dish! I made a couple swaps due to grocery stock issues and completely omitted the bacon, and it still came out delish! Perfect one pot meal, although I also served it on top of quinoa for the big eater in my family. Will definitely be adding to my rotation!
Yay!! I’m so glad this casserole was a hit, Chloe! Thanks so much for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Made this twice, so yummy!
I made this on a Sunday afternoon, so I spent the time to make it all at once, but it still didn’t even take that long! This was so good and will definitely be added to the rotation of simple weeknight dinners!
Tried this recipe today and it was really good. I didn’t have time to bake chicken, so I cooked the chicken in instant pot with salt and pepper and shredded. Loved the flavor of the casserole and how easy it came together. Definitely will do again. Thinking about adding the leftovers to pasta and making into a pasta salad for lunch tomorrow.
So glad this dish was a hit, Cathy! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
Could I replace the kale with cabbage? I forgot that this recipe has it and I don’t have kale on hand.
Hey Jen – Totally. Cabbage should work just fine.
Fixed the casserole tonight and it was a hit!!
Could I replace the kale with cabbage? I forgot that this recipe has it and I don’t have kale on hand.
This was so yummy! Have made several of your recipes and have yet to disappointed! Is there something you would think to work instead of the corn? Always makes me think of Shepard’s pie in a casserole… thanks !
So glad you loved this recipe, Jamie. You can always skip the corn if you don’t prefer it. 🙂
Substituted spinach for kale and was great!
Yay! Glad it was a hit, Tess! Love the substitution. Thanks so much for the review. I really appreciate it!
Do you think this could be frozen? Would you freeze before or after cooking?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not. I would cook it fully, let it cool and then freeze it. Let me know if you try it!
I’ve made this recipe for a long time but I add 1 cup uncooked instant rice and use about 1 cup of broth from where I boiled my chicken. Plus I drizzle melted butter over the crackers.
So glad you’ve been enjoying this chicken casserole, Nayeli! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
My husband and I really liked this casserole! The kids thought it was ok, and they ate most of it. We served it over white rice. Next time I will reduce the amount of corn and add more bacon, but we are definitely making this again!
I really want to make this for my mother and I as it sounds like something we’d both enjoy. I was wondering if regular mayo would work? I have avocado oil, I have regular may, I just don’t have avocado oil mayo.
Regular mayo will work!
We LOVE this recipe. It comes into rotation often in our house. You can easily switch up the ingredients with what you have. Sometimes we use different color peppers, add frozen peas if we don’t have corn and I’ve used turkey bacon a couple times as well. It’s comforting, healthy, and easy to put together with leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the store.
Woo! This makes me so happy, Miah! I’m glad you’re enjoying this recipe, thank you so much for sharing your review and star rating, I appreciate it so much.
Wow this recipe is SO GOOD!!!!! healthy and delicious! Eating bird food is by far my favorite food blog, so many great recipes!!
Ahh yay! This means so much to me, I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Katie. Thank you so much for sharing your review & star rating, I truly appreciate it!