Chicken Spinach Casserole
My Chicken Spinach Casserole Recipe is great when you are pressed for time. With the bold flavors of garlic, parmesan, and bacon, this easy keto casserole will please the most reluctant low carb eater. It is easy, flavorful, and can be made ahead. You can even make it in a crockpot.
I’ve made this keto casserole countless times over the years, and amazingly, my kids still haven’t complained. But they still love it. This is the only way to get the little ones to eat spinach. When I’m craving a little rich and creamy comfort food, this is one of my go-to keto casserole recipes.
For more great casseroles, try my Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole or Keto Chicken Vegetable Casserole.
We eat a lot of chicken. It is very budget-friendly and easy to cook. You may remember me getting excited when my husband brought me home a two-pound bag of shrimp (which became this Thai Peanut Shrimp Recipe). I was slightly less excited when he brought home 12 pounds of chicken breast. The freezer was packed. So, I managed to squeeze one pack in somehow, and we cooked the rest, coming up with this creamy chicken spinach casserole in the process.
I originally published this post 10 years ago in March 2016 as ‘Chicken Bacon Caesar Casserole’. I’m resharing it now in June 2026 as ‘Chicken Spinach Casserole’ because it is so good and I want more people to find it. Same recipe, super delicious, new title.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Reader favorite with years of positive reviews
- Easy make-ahead meal
- Family-friendly keto casserole
- Great use for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken
- Freezer friendly
Before You Get Started
- Drain frozen spinach very well to avoid a watery casserole.
- Let the cream cheese soften before mixing the sauce.
- Rotisserie chicken is the fastest option.
- Cook bacon until crisp since it softens slightly during baking.
Ingredients
- Chicken – You can use any type of cooked chicken. Rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, baked chicken breasts, or tenderloins. You can chop it or shred it.
- Spinach – Frozen spinach that is well-drained or lightly sautéed fresh spinach both work. Raw fresh spinach can release too much liquid and make the casserole watery.
- Bacon – Freshly cooked and crumbled bacon or store-bought real bacon crumbles are both fine. One tip when using store-bought bacon pieces is to microwave them for a few seconds to bring out their flavor.
- Mozzarella cheese – Pre-shredded cheese saves time, but any shredded mozzarella will work.
- Parmesan cheese – Shelf-stable grated parmesan or refrigerated grated parmesan are fine.
- Cream cheese – I prefer full-fat cream cheese to make the creamiest sauce.
- Sour cream – Sour cream has a nice tang that balances the creaminess of the other sauce ingredients.
- Mayo – Any type will work. I prefer varieties with a milder flavor.
- Roasted garlic powder – Using roasted garlic powder instead of plain is a simple but very efficient flavor booster.
- Dried minced onion – Onion powder or minced fresh onion will also work.
- Salt & black pepper – Season to taste.
See quantities in the recipe card.
How to Make Chicken Spinach Casserole
1️⃣ Make the Sauce
Mix the sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Season to taste.
2️⃣ Add the Chicken
Stir the chicken, spinach, half the bacon, and the parmesan cheese into the sauce.
3️⃣ Put in Casserole Dish
Spray a casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray. Dump the filling into the baking dish. Spread evenly. Top with the remaining bacon and cheese.
4️⃣ Bake the Casserole
Bake until bubbly, hot, and golden brown on top.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can freeze this. Wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for 2-3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven for the best results.
Variations
- Vegetables – Change out the spinach for cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, or your fave veggies. Kale can be subbed for the spinach.
- Tuscan – Swap in Tuscan seasoning and add sundried tomatoes for one of my favorite variations on this recipe. This is very similar to my Keto Tuscan Chicken Casserole.
- Pasta – If you don’t need this to be low carb or gluten-free, go ahead and mix in some al dente noodles. I would suggest doubling the sauce.
Make sure to try my Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole, which uses cheddar and broccoli.
Common Questions
How can I make a casserole keto?
The simplest way to make any casserole keto-friendly is to leave out the starches. Most regular casseroles call for fillers like rice, pasta, or beans. In my low carb casseroles, I use proteins, vegetables, and fat. No starches.
How can I replace canned condensed soup in casseroles?
My typical sauce base for casseroles is cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, and seasoning. With this combo, you can get a smooth, rich sauce without using any cans of condensed soup.
What to Serve With Chicken Spinach Casserole
We usually serve this with a simple side salad, roasted broccoli, green beans, cauliflower rice, or garlic bread for the non-keto members of the family.
Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Yes. Lightly sauté fresh spinach first to remove excess moisture before adding it to the casserole. Raw spinach can release too much liquid while baking.
Can I make a casserole in a crockpot?
Yes! It isn’t hard to convert this to a slow cooker recipe. There are just three steps to making a chicken casserole in a crockpot instead of your oven.
- Cook the chicken in the crockpot. It is very important not to OVERCOOK the chicken, or you will have a dry casserole. Cook chicken breasts on low for 2.5 hours. Add a little chicken broth, butter or oil, and salt and pepper before cooking.
- DRAIN the cooking liquid. Cut up the chicken.
- Proceed with the rest of the casserole recipe. This time just cook it in the crockpot until it is hot.
The most important step is draining the cooking liquid. If you don’t do this, you will end up with soup instead of a casserole.
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Video
Chicken Spinach Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 oz sour cream
- 4 oz mayo
- 2 tsp roasted garlic powder (this is worth the investment, the flavor is amazing!)
- 2 tsp dried minced onion
- 2-2.5 lb cooked chicken cubed
- 12 oz frozen spinach thawed and drained
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 slices crisp cooked bacon or 1/4 cup bacon crumbles
- 2 oz shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 if baking immediately. Or you can prep ahead and keep in the refrigerator for a day or two.
- Combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, and spices and mix thoroughly. I do this first in a big metal bowl.
- In the big bowl combine the cream cheese mixture you just made with the chicken, spinach, parmesan cheese, and 1/2 the bacon and mix well.
- Dump into a 9×13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle remaining cheese and bacon on top.
- Bake until hot about 35 minutes.
Nutrition
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Originally Published March 12, 2016. Revised and Republished June 1, 2026.
Can you leave out the spinach for the picky eaters? Could you substitute store bought Caesar dressing?
Yes to leaving out the spinach. I do not recommend using bottled dressing. The flavor won’t be nearly as good!
Could you use fresh spinach?
Yes, but it may make the casserole watery if you don’t saute it first.
Do you recommend sautéing the spinach first or just thawing and draining as the recipe calls for?
For frozen spinach, you can just thaw it and drain it. For fresh spinach, it is best to saute first.
How much is 1 serving?
1/8th of the casserole.
My family really likes this recipe. I doubled it for our family of 10 (3 are children at this stage). I added a little extra sour cream to make it creamer. Delicious!
This turned out really great! I didn’t have as much chicken as the recipe called for, and had other veggies I needed to use before they went bad, so I added 3 large portabella mushrooms and some leftover broccoli to round it out and it was fabulous! I’ll definitely be making this again!
This is soooooooo good! I will be making this once if not twice a week.
Does this come out watery when cooked? So many keto casseroles are always so watery.
Not at all. You are using cooked chicken and drained spinach so there is no where for excess liquid to come from. Casseroles that use raw meat and/or veggies can be watery. That’s why I prefer to precook both. Just drain your spinach thoroughly.
Question the parmesan cheese is that the jar stuff you sprinkle on pasta or fresh parmesan?
You can use either in this. I’ve used both types successfully.
we make this at least twice a month! sometimes more because my fiancé requests it frequently. this is hands down our favorite keto recipe!
I just made this and its fantastic! It was very easy too. I served it over cauliflower rice cooked in chicken stock. Perfect combo.
This was good, but very rich for a dinner item. It reminded me a lot of spinach artichoke dip. It seemed like it needed some other veggie to fill it out and give it more body. I don’t know that I’ll make it for dinner again without tweaking it with the addition of a chunky vegetable, like maybe cauliflower? But thank you for the recipe!
Sure, go ahead and add cauliflower! We like the richness. Many casseroles are. And just serve it with a big portion of veggies on the side.
Asparagus! 🙂
How much is a serving like in cups
I’m sorry, I don’t have that information. You could weigh your casserole dish empty and after cooking to figure out the exact oz per serving.
I had a tiny bite of this today at work and immediately asked for the recipe…its whats for dinner tonight. Delicious and smells amazing.
I use Blog recipes as a “jumping-off point” for my own creations (and yours are SPECTACULAR for that!) Prefer to use all fresh ingredients whenever possible…not judging you–I know frozen & prepared ingredients can be lifesavers for parents of young children and people that are just plain busy. (I currently view 3 hours in the kitchen chopping//dicing//browning as my “therapy”:) I de-deboned & cubed fresh chicken thighs…fried them in bacon drippings. Sauted onions, fresh minced garlic, fresh bag of baby spinach in same drippings…added to cream cheese block (mixed with mayo, 2 oz sour cream & 2 oz Marzetti’s Ranch Dressing. Added way more bacon & cheese (smoked mozz & American Grana Parmesan + a handfiul of sharp cheddar shreds) Baked for 35 mins @ 350,+ topped with leftover bacon, cheese & some french-fried onions for another 10 mins.
OMG and the family says this A “KEEPER”! THANK YOU!
Spending time in the kitchen is my therapy too when my kids are at school or grandma’s. lol. I’m glad you liked it!
Is all of that Keto friendly? I thought that was a keto blog?
Not all of my readers are keto. Some just like a good creamy casserole. With the exception of the canned fried onions the rest of these suggestions are keto friendly.
I made this last night! It was amazing! I waited to put the cheese on top till the last 5 minutes of cooking, waited till it was slightly golden then when out of the oven I added the bacon on top. I liked it like that! I make another dish similar to this but with fresh broccoli instead of spinach. It’s a favorite at our house.