Cracked Out Chicken Tater Tot Casserole – You must make this ASAP! It is crazy good. Chicken, cheddar, bacon, ranch, and tater tots. You can make it ahead of time and refrigerate it or even freeze it for later. I usually bake half and freeze half in a foil pan for later. Everyone gobbled this up! Even the super picky eaters.
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Pin This RecipeStop what you are doing and add the ingredients for this “Cracked Out” Chicken Tater Tot Casserole to your grocery list. You must make this ASAP! It is crazy good. Chicken, cheddar, bacon, ranch and tater tots! I mean, what’s not to love?!?!
This casserole only takes a few minutes to put together. You can make it ahead of time and refrigerate it or even freeze it for later. Since there are only two of us, I usually bake half and freeze half in a foil pan for later. I love being able to pull this casserole out of the freezer on a crazy busy day.
Cracked Out Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 16- oz sour cream
- 1 (10.5-oz) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 (1-oz) package dry Ranch dressing mix
- 1 cup chopped cooked bacon
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 (30 to 32-oz) bag frozen tater tots
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together chicken, sour cream, soup, Ranch mix, bacon and cheese. Fold in frozen tater tots. Spoon mixture into prepared pan.
- Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, until bubbly.
Notes:
Steph
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This recipe is FABULOUS! I do add in a can of chopped green chilies. I sometimes use cheese with a bit more heat too. My husband goes fishing once a year with the guys and this casserole is always what he’s asked to bring! I put it together in two smaller aluminum pans and freeze it. It goes in checked luggage and stays frozen all the way to Alaska! The guys thaw it, bake it, and inhale it! I’ve taken it to church potlucks and family reunions and always get asked for the recipe.
I’ve been making this recipe for 3 years now. It’s been mine and my boyfriend’s go to dish for a hot easy meal. We introduced it to our kid and he loves it. Recently we bought everything for it only to get everything out and realize we didn’t have ranch powder and so we substituted taco seasoning in hoping for the best. It came out just as good if not better. I now use ranch or taco seasoning whenever I make it and my whole family loves it either way.
Was delicious. Will be definitely making it again. Thank you 😊
I’ve made this before and it’s delicious, and my family loves it. However I’ll be short on time today, and I am curious if canned chicken can be used?
You can use any cooked chicken you have on hand.
This was amazing! I made it for dinner two nights ago and my husband inhaled it like it was going to vanish. Leftovers last night, the same thing happened. He took a small amount for his lunch today and went on and on about how good it was, even after a couple of days. His coworkers even eyed his plate and asked what smelled so good! I will absolutely make this again only next time, I’m adding more bacon!
After cooking this recipe how long can you freeze it for?
I suggest freezing this casserole uncooked and thawing and baking as directed. I don’t see the need to heat it, cool it, freeze it, thaw it, reheat it. It will keep 3 months in the freezer.
How far ahead can I make this before cooking it? If I put it together Sunday morning can I wait to bake it until Monday evening?
yes
Can bottled ranch dressing be used rather than dry?
You can make it however you want. This recipe uses the dry seasoning. Using bottled ranch will add a lot more liquid to the dish and it won’t turn out like the photos.
EXCELLENT!
I am a Pro Chef with a 15-year-old son who is the pickiest eater on earth!
His normal fare includes Fast Food Fried Chicken, Mac&Cheese, Ramen, Hamburgers, and Pizza…LOTS of Pizza!
Trying to find new things that will excite his limited palate is excruciatingly difficult!
I decided to try this Chicken Tater Tot casserole because he DOES eat chicken and the tater tots are also a favorite, so I thought I’d give this a shot, and if he wouldn’t eat it, at least my wife and I would have a good dinner.
I cooked this with the exact ingredients and instructions. I usually use recipes I find online as a base from which to modify and adjust, but decided to just try as described. PERFECT!
My son literally INHALED two helpings and demanded that I make this more often! Doesn’t get better than that! My wife and I also enjoyed the flavor, texture, and the wholesome feeling this casserole provides.
Very pleased to have found this recipe and being able to add another meal that my son will eat. He has demanded that I make this regularly!! Will Do!!
Outstanding and a perfect meld of ingredients and flavor. Delicious and filling! Cheers!
Phenomenal!!! Thank you!
This recipe is so easy and everytime I make it they ask for it again. I’ve planned out on my”again mom”board so I can find out easily. I’ve even put it on the. Crockpot during our winter camping adventure.
My son is in college, and this is one of the things he requests for me to bring from home when I visit. Super easy for him to pop in the oven and warm up quickly. College food at its finest!
I made this tonight and my family loved it. I had to go to several different stores to find tater tots😳. It was crazy!
Has anyone made this with french fries instead? the store was out of tater tots lol
Chicken breast or can you use boneless skinless thighs ?? Thanks
any cooked chopped chicken is fine
Can you use can chicken?
sure! Any cooked chicken will work just fine.
I tried this & my family loved it. It was easy & fast I will definitely make it again
Amazing recipe! I swapped the sour cream for cream cheese and it was perfect!
Have made this several times! I’m ‘expected’ to make it at least once a month now:) Made this the first time with leftover marinaded/cooked chicken (Filipino Chicken Adobo: Flavour Kapow!) and make it with this chicken every time.
I use turkey bacon, mexican shredded cheese and crispy crowns. Love making this for all my loved ones!
How long do you cook this in the crockpot and get the tater tots crispy.
I’ve never made this in the slow cooker so I can not say
This is so good !! My 17 year old son requests this all the time
How could something so simple be absolutely so good. Made it last night everyone loved it. This is a keeper for a quick and easy go to. Thank you.
Can you use this using ground beef instead of chicken?
you can make this however you would like
First time making this recipe today!! It is delicious 😋😋 the kids and fiancé loved it!!
It was delicious!!! Do you know how many calories are in a serving?
All of them
This recipe is amazing! My family loves it! To change it up a little I used the zesty ranch seasoning and there were zero leftovers!!! Even my kiddo who is the pickiest in the world asks for seconds. It’s super easy to make, perfect for a weeknight dinner!
My family loves this dish. It is a go-to almost every other week. Was wondering if I could do in the crockpot so it would be ready when I got home from work? If so, how long would it take?
Would give this even more stars if I could! I had some leftover chicken that I had marinated and cooked (Philippine Adobo?) and I have shared this recipe with everyone! Thank you for freezing suggestions.
love this recipe! i make it all the time however i was wondering if i can used this recipe with cooked pasta instead of the tater tots. would this work?
Here is the noodle version: https://www.plainchicken.com/cracked-out-chicken-noodle-casserole/
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Huge hit in the his house!!
Kid, husband, in-law and friend approved. My family and guests really like this dish so 5 stars. I can’t eat it though, as a person who eats mostly raw vegetables the salt content is way too much for me to handle. I may try some lower sodium ingredients next time since it’s a regular recipe in my house now.
This is one of my favorite casseroles Ever !! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
SO glad you enjoyed it, Christine!
We have casseroles once a week in our house(ever since the beginning of Covid). My husband and son both agree that this is their favorite. It made me happy because it was definitely the easiest! 5 stars!
I use the rotisserie chicken from Costco, I use half the tots as a top layer (we like crispy tots) and bacon bits. Makes it faster for me.
Costco rotisserie chickens are my go-to as well! Such a time saver.
SO delish! The ultimate Crisis Cookery yumminess! I will adjust slightly to get a toastier top, and I added a good amount of onion sauteed in butter to the mix….but it was a crowd pleaser!
If you use condensed soup, do you add water?
NO
This was very delicious. I put the potatoes on top because I like golden crispy tater tots. However for some reason they didn’t turn out crispy. I sprayed them with cooking spray but that didn’t work either.
Any idea why? I will definitely make this again. My husband loved it too!
I usually bake my tator tots first. Then add on top of the casserole and bake. That’s the only way I have found to make them crispy.
I put 1/2 the tots in the mix and saved 1/2 for the top. Cooked for 40 mins then sprinkled more shredded cheese and turned the broiler on for the last 5 minutes. Nice and crispy top layer…
Hey Plain chicken!!! I’m a preschool lunch lady and I’d love to try this on my kids! I have already made tater tot casserole with beef and cheddar and they absolutely LOVE it. I have Lambs Sweet Potato Tots in our freezer…do you think this would work with the chicken??? Thank you for any insight!!!!
Sure! Any tater tots will work
What a great idea! Going to my grocer to look for these sweet potato tots!💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼
Love this recipe! So easy and a nice change from the one with hamburger. I found it to be a bit dry so the second time I made it I added a cup of milk and 2 cups of mixture of carrots, corn, and peas.( just to get some veggies in 😉and add color. It was great and the milk worked. Mmmm 😋
how much is one cup bacon? Is this the equivalent of a whole pound?
yes – 1 cup of cooked bacon is approximately 1 pound of raw bacon cooked.
I’m trying it tonight using canned chicken because I have a few cans I need to use.
Good food with little fuss.
This is one of my favorite recipes as it is listed. I saute onion, jalapenos, red and green peppers to add, as well as a can of crm of mushroom. Finish with an EVO Panko mix on top !
Can you cook the chicken in the crockpot so its moist when you shred it? I put chicken on low for 5 hours.
sure!
How do you usually cook your chicken before hand?
I usually use rotisserie chicken.
Do you add the regular can of water to the soup
no
Ok I’m one who hasn’t read all the comments and the answer may be there but I’m asking anyway…can I make this and keep in refrigerator for 2days before baking?
yes
It was pretty good. Even my 3 yr old who says yuk to everything ate some
Sounds like it was a winner!
Do you thaw the Tater Tots before adding to the mixture and cooking?
I did not thaw them.
My wife despises sour cream, any suggestion for a substitute?
Plain Greek yogurt
How much bacon makes a cup crumbled?
About a pound
Can you use frozen hashbrowns instead of Tater tots??
I’m sure that would work fine
This is OUR GO TO HOckEY AND BASEBALL NIGHTS DINNER!!grandkids love it
Do you cover it before putting in oven?
I don’t cover it before baking.
Can I cook this in a Crockpot ?
Sure!
Just love this recipe. My picky eater son loved it. I made it ahead of time and popped it in the oven when I was ready to make it.
This may be a silly question, i know it says 3 cups of cooked chicken. But about how many pounds of chicken would that be?
I use rotisserie chicken and it is about 3/4 of a chicken. It will be about 1-1/2 pounds of uncooked boneless chicken.
This was so so good! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I have made this a few times now… Everyone loves it…I made a few tweeks like added whole corn & dryed onions… Even a 2 year old likes it.. Great recipe thank you… Georgia in Michigan
If I make this the night before and the tater tots are thawed, what would the cooking time be?
It should be the same as written above.
I made this casserole for my coworkers today and it was a huge hit. This casserole is SO GOOD! I don't have access to an oven at work but I wanted it to be hot at lunch so I cooked it in my slow cooker. I put everything together this morning (following the recipe exactly)and cooked it on high for about 3.5 hours. It probably should have gone another 30-60 minutes because the middle, while hot, was not quite as done as the edges. In any event, if you use a slow cooker, don't expect it to look as fabulous as it does in the pictures above but the taste is definitely still there!
This looks amazing! I love how on these recipes everyone always tells you how they changed it from the original instructions or even better, asks ridiculous questions that are clearly stated already in the recipe directions. C'mon people, just read and understand!
I swear if these folks would just read the recipe and directions, they would find the answer to their question.
I was thinking the same thing…
Hey! I have a daughter who can’t have gluten and we made this with gluten free cream of chicken! It was amazing even my picky teens liked it.
Suggestion instead of ranch? I can't stand ranch but everything else sounds delish 🙂
Do you think it would be ok to use cooked tator tots instead of frozen?
What can be used to replace the sour cream?
greek yogurt
Will fully cooked oven roasted diced chicken breast found in the frozen section work for this recipe?
Will shredded chicken work as well?
absolutely! Enjoy!
Will uncooked diced potatoes work instead of the tater tots?
I would think that would be fine. Enjoy!
This was delicious! I used 2 packets of ranch because we love ranch. Definitely making again! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I added a can of cream of cheddar soup as well. Devine!
This was delicious! I added frozen peas to mine.
Can this recipe be done in a crockpot? what would be the heat and time?
So good! I made a mexi version by adding a tin of sliced jalapeno's, niblet corn, and cooking the chicken in fajita spices.
Made this last night and it was a big hit….
It is delicious! So easy to make once you get the chicken deboned.
You mix the tator tots into the mixture?
Yes
You don’t have to. I layer them on top and bake as instructed, followed by a quick broil for crispy tots.
This was delicious. And the leftovers were even better. Thanks!
Perfect comfort food. xo Catherine