Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole

[nverland]

Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
Prep Time 25 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Total Time 55 minutes Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1/2-pound thick cut bacon
6 jalapeño peppers, cut in half lengthwise (+1 extra jalapeño sliced for garnish)
2 (16 ounce) packages of frozen cauliflower florets
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
pinch of black pepper
2 eggs
1 rotisserie chicken, pulled
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 (8 ounce) containers of dairy-free cream cheese
1/3 cup avocado oil mayo
3 tablespoons hot sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
chives, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease medium size baking dish.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray with coconut oil spray. Place bacon and jalapeños on wire rack and spray jalapeños with the coconut oil spray, as well. Place in the oven to cook for 15 minutes, until bacon is crispy and jalapeños are blistered. Once slightly cooled, run jalapeños under cold water to remove the burnt skin. And if you prefer to a less spicy dish, remove the seeds from the jalapeños. Set aside.
While the bacon and jalapeños cook, steam cauliflower until fork tender. Add to a high-speed blender and blend to combined. Then add nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and 1 egg and blend until super smooth. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, add the pulled chicken and turn on mixer to the lowest speed. This will shred the chicken. Then add red bell pepper, cream cheese, 1 egg, hot sauce and salt and pepper, turn on and mix until combined. Chop the bacon and jalapeños into tiny pieces. Add all the jalapeños along with most of the bacon, leaving some behind for topping the casserole. Mix once more to combined.
Place chicken mixture in to baking dish and smooth out. Then pour the cauliflower mixture on top and smooth out. Top with sliced jalapeños and bacon throughout.
Bake for 30 minutes. Top with chopped chives before serving!