How do you thicken a casserole in the oven?

Make a cornstarch slurry for a fast and easy thickener . Use one tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of liquid you would like to thicken. Stir out all the lumps. A few minutes before your casserole is done, add it a little at a time until you are happy with the thickness. Then, let the casserole finish baking.

What is in casserole dish?

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

How do you thicken a casserole without gluten?

Cornflour is a great gluten-free thickener . It has a slightly more gelatinous texture, so only add a teaspoon at time or your sauce may become a bit goopy. Use cornstarch to thicken your stew towards the end of cooking, as cooking it for a long time can break down the starch and your stew will thin out again.

What ingredient is added to casseroles to thicken the dish?

The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot . The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.

What are 5 components of a casserole?

Let's talk anatomy: A standard dinner casserole usually includes a protein, a starch, a vegetable, a sauce (or other binding ingredient), and cheese . But making a casserole is not an exact science, and you can definitely break away from this formula. Check out some fun side-dish casseroles and desserts below!

What are five basic components of most casseroles?

According to food blog High Heeled Homemaker, your basic casserole requires five ingredients: a protein, starch, vegetable, sauce, and cheese . If you have those five ingredients in your casserole dish, congratulations; you just made a casserole, whether it's a beloved recipe or a concoction of your own creation.

Should you cover casserole when baking?

The primary reason for covering a casserole as it bakes is to trap moisture inside the dish . This will not only keep the casserole itself moist, but it will also help get the casserole up to cooking temperature.

What to do if casserole is too runny?

Cornstarch is an excellent thickening agent if you want to avoid the taste of a flour mixture. Make sure you mix a solution of cornstarch and water cold, and then add it to your hot dish. Same can be said for flour.

How do you thicken a runny casserole?

As a rule of thumb, dissolve 2 parts cold water and 1 part cornstarch. Add the slurry to your sauce as it simmers in the slow cooker . Cornstarch is always a good way to thicken a sauce or soup but personally I would recommend going a different route as the cornstarch slurry may change the flavor of the meal.

How do you fix a casserole that is too dry?

If you've already cooked your casserole and find out it's too dry, another easy fix is to warm some broth and then pour it over the top of your casserole . Cover the dish with aluminum foil to prevent the liquid from evaporating and wait for 10 minutes or so before serving.

How can I thicken my casserole sauce?

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

Chicken Poblano Casserole Recipe | 4 ingredients, gluten free (2024)

Jump to Recipe

This easy chicken poblano casserole recipe is full of Mexican flavors and perfect for using fresh poblano peppers from the garden. You only need 4 ingredients and you can make this delicious casserole that is gluten free and lower carb. Great comfort food that’s easy to make!

You might also like this keto Mexican chicken casserole recipe.

Chicken Poblano Casserole Recipe | 4 ingredients, gluten free (1)

My husband and I love poblano peppers and every year he grows more and more of them. They make a delicious appetizer when you stuff them and we also use them to make chile rellenos. Below I have lots of recipes for you to try if you too have an abundance in the garden.

Today I made a really delicious chicken poblano casserole recipe. I was in the mood for low carb comfort food and wanted to use some of these fresh peppers.You have the different textures – soft and tender peppers, chunks of chicken, spicy sauce and lots of creamy cheese!

I only use 4 ingredients in total to make this cheesy casserole.This is a great recipe to use store bought rotisserie chicken in to speed up the process and then you just need the poblanos, shedded cheese and enchilada sauce!

Chicken Poblano Casserole Recipe | 4 ingredients, gluten free (2)

What are poblano peppers and are they keto friendly?

Poblano peppers are a mild pepper often used in Mexican recipes. They have a delicious flavor and they are not very spicy. Below you can see what they look like.

They are often called ancho chiles when they ripen and are dried. You can add these peppers to many dishes for added flavor. My husband grows these every year and we just love them. Below I have links to some of our favorite recipes.

In my opinion poblano peppers are keto friendly but they are a little higher on the carb scale for a vegetable. They have so much flavor though so I think they are a great vegetable to add to your low carb cooking.

I had a hard time finding the nutritional data for poblano peppers but the US Food Database does have the nutrition for 1 ancho pepper which I used in my calculations.

Recipe ingredients I used.

All you need to make this recipe are 4 simple ingredients – poblano peppers, chicken, cheese and enchilada sauce. If you want you can season with salt and black pepper but I did not.

Poblano Peppers
You want to use raw poblano peppers. Below you can see what they look like and I know our Walmart has them all year round if you can’t find it in one of your grocery stores. You could also use regular sweet bell peppers as a substitute but this recipe is really all about the poblanos.

Cooked Chicken
I used chopped chicken breast in this recipe. I buy a rotisserie chicken from Costco (best price and size), take all the meat off, chop it up and then freeze it in 1 cup portions. I use this for TONS of recipes.

You can use dark meat like chicken thighs too if you want, but the chicken has to be cooked. If you have to, get some boneless skinless chicken breasts and then cook and chop them for this recipe. In a pinch you could also used canned chicken.

Shredded Cheese
I bought a cheddar jack blend from Target but you can use just Monterey Jack cheese or cheddar cheese or a Mexican cheese blends. It doesn’t really matter but I really like this blend for a Mexican casserole.

Enchilada Sauce
I bought Old El Paso red enchilada sauce. You will use the whole 10 ounce can. If have another brand you like go ahead and use that. There really isn’t much of a substitute for this ingredient but you could try a very flavorful salsa but it would be as good.

Note I was trying keep this casserole as low carb as possible to make a healthier recipe. However if you don’t care about carbs you could add things like black beans, corn kernels, cooked rice or even flower or corn tortillas. I have a chicken burrito casserole that uses more ingredients like that if you are interested.

Chicken Poblano Casserole Recipe | 4 ingredients, gluten free (3)

How to make chicken poblano casserole.

In this dish I just blanch the poblanos and keep the skin on. If you want you could place them on the grill to char them, place in a medium bowl with a lid for 5 minutes and then peel off the charred black skins. It’s a little more labor intensive then the blanching.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Then get out a large pot and fill with water. Heat the water to medium high heat until boiling.
Cut the peppers in half and clean out the seeds and ribs. Place them in the boiling water for 5 minutes to precook them.
In the meantime, get out a large bowl and fill with cold water and ice. When the peppers are done, quickly put them in the ice bath to stop cooking and make them easy to handle.
Spray an 8×8 inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Slice the peppers in big pieces so they lay flat.
Add one layer using half of each of the following in this order: peppers -> chicken -> sauce -> cheese. Then add another layer using the rest of each ingredient. You will be making 2 layers of each ingredient and ending with a layer of cheese.
Place baking dish in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese has browned. Let the finished dish sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Below you can see the first 4 out of 8 layers in this casserole. Please scroll down for the printable recipe card.

More recipes that use poblano peppers.

If you are looking for making something with your fresh peppers other than this chicken poblano casserole, try one of these delicious recipes. Many are low carb too!

sausage and cheese or chicken and artichoke stuffed poblanos
corn and poblano soup
creamy poblano sauce
bbq pulled pork stuffed peppers
apricot grilled cheese sandwich with poblanos

Chicken Poblano Casserole Recipe | 4 ingredients, gluten free (6)

I really love this keto friendly casserole recipe and I think it will freeze well. It’s great for a quick dinner on busy weeknights. I hope you like it too!

The nutritional data for 1 serving of this casserole out of 6 servings is 290 calories / 12.9g fat / 11.2g carbs / 3.1g fiber / 32.1g protein = 8.1g net carbs