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
Ingredients:
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 16- oz sour cream
- 1 (10.75-oz) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 (1-oz) package dry Ranch dressing mix
- 1 cup chopped cooked bacon
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 lb 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 for 40-45 minutes, until bubbly.
Notes:
Steph
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This is so good !! My 17 year old son requests this all the time
First time making this recipe today!! It is delicious šš the kids and fiancĆ© loved it!!
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.
What can I use other than sour cream
Cream Cheese would be a good substitute!
What about plain yogurt
I’ve been making this recipe for years. My family can’t get enough of it.bFollow the recipe exactly. It’s perfectly delicious!
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
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 šand add color. It was great and the milk worked. Mmmm š
I forgot to add cream of chicken after baking can I go back and add?
What can I add instead of soup?
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
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 I use ranch dressing instead of the packet?
It will change the recipe since you are adding more liquid. You may need to adjust the baking time – I’m not sure. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Would it turn out okay if the tots were just placed on top before baking?
I’m sure that would be fine.
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 donāt 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.
How much ranch dressing mix should I use? Recipe calls for one 1 oz. package but can't seem to find 1 oz. packets at my local grocery stores.
3 tablespoons equals 1 ounce
Do you think you could substitute cauliflower or broccoli for the tator tots to make it more keto friendly?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
How long would cooking time be if you doubled the recipe?
I've never doubled this recipe in one pan. I can only guess at how much extra time would be needed. I would start at about 15 to 20 minutes. Just make sure it is bubbly and then it is done.
Would heavy whipping cream (unwhipped) work as a substitute for the sour cream or just omit it and add an extra can of soup??? I know our family is odd but we do not like sour cream, yogurt or cream cheese!!! But we do love all your recipes and be included in your eating travel adventures!!! thanks…
Maybe Mayo mix with extra soup?
Do you like ranch? Traditional ranch dip has sour cream, I think it's really more of a ranch chicken tot casserole as opposed to the sour cream alone.
I made this for a super bowl party and it was a hit. I had to bake it a little longer than the recipe called for because I wanted my tots to be golden golden brown.
Also I think it was way too much sour cream for my taste, I won't used the whole jar next time but i will definitely make this again
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!
Hi yāall, making this for dinner tonight and will let you know how it comes out! Thanks
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!
Curious if cream cheese can be substituted for sour cream? I see where you suggested Greek Yogurt, but I have a picky eater that wonāt touch it or the sour cream. Can I make the cream cheese work??
That isn't a traditional swap, but you can certainly try it. Good luck!!
Seriously you cant even tell sour cream is in this once cooked.. It just makes it creamier
Someone else asked how many this dish serves, but I didn't see an answer. So could you tell us how many it serves? I'm planning on making it for a party of 10-12. I'm also serving it with a vegetable tray and fruit.
Delicious
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 canāt have gluten and we made this with gluten free cream of chicken! It was amazing even my picky teens liked it.
Suggestion on a substitution for the Ranch? I can't stand it, but everything else sounds delish š
Misty, I see no reason why you can't omit the ranch seasoning. As for a substitute, I'm not sure, probably any flavor you prefer. Good luck!
I bet onion soup mix would be delish in this!
Suggestion instead of ranch? I can't stand ranch but everything else sounds delish š
do you think it would be ok to put the tots on top so they get a bit crunchy on top?
Do you think it would be ok to use cooked tator tots instead of frozen?
What's the prep time on this?
do you cover this dish as it cooks in the oven
do you cover the dish as it bakes in the oven
I did not cover the dish as it baked.
What can be used to replace the sour cream?
greek yogurt
how many will this serve?
how many will this serve?
I was thinking about making this for a family Christmas party that will require 4 hours of driving. Will this need to be reheated or will it still be yummy after it has cooled?
It would be ok at room temperature, but I think it would be a lot better warm. I would reheat it in the oven or microwave for a bit.
I was thinking about making this to take to a family Christmas party that will require 4 hours of driving. Will it need to be reheated or is this something that will be yummy even after it has cooled?
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!
What can be used as a substitute for the sour cream?
plain Greek yogurt
What can be used as a substitute for the sour cream?
Greek Yogurt
If you are looking for dairy free, I use full fat canned coconut cream instead. You just skim the thick part off the top, and mix with a little of the liquid to thin out.
This was delicious! I added frozen peas to mine.
Can this recipe be done in a crockpot? what would be the heat and time?
It's not going to brown and get toasty in parts like it would in the oven, which is our favorite part
If I bake half and freeze half will it change the original cooking time?
Can you substitute sausage for the bacon?
I’m going to try it Jimmy Dean’s Natural sausage tonight because I’m out of bacon. I’ll let u know if it turns out okay
I am sure it will be just fine.
So good! I made a mexi version by adding a tin of sliced jalapeno's, niblet corn, and cooking the chicken in fajita spices.
That sounds great! I think I will do the same. Thanks!
can you use raw chicken? I have a different recipe that uses raw chicken and it bakes @ 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. I was wondering if you think that would work.
you can certainly try it. Let us know how it turns out.
Do you bake them freeze or freeze them bake??
I freeze, thaw and bake. I don’t see the purpose to bake and then freeze since everything is just basically being reheated to begin with.
Made this last night and it was a big hit….
Do you think italian season pack would ruin it? No ranch on hand??
My daughter used Montreal chicken seasoning for another recipe when this popped up on Facebook. It was great with that.
This was pretty good…think next time will use less ranch but was yummy
Do you think a can of Progresso cream of mushroom soup will work in this recipe? Thanks!
We use the progresso cream of mushroom because it's gluten free and add chicken bouillon powder in it! Sometimes when I do this I sometimes use cream cheese but since there is door cream in the recipe you don't truly med it.
If you want the soup to be thicker since it isn't condensed use corn starch or tapioca starch.
I make this almost weekly for my family! It’s a huge family favourite, thank you for sharing the recipe!
It is delicious! So easy to make once you get the chicken deboned.
You mix the tator tots into the mixture?
Yes
You donāt have to. I layer them on top and bake as instructed, followed by a quick broil for crispy tots.
You mix the tatot tots in with the mixture?
oops, sorry….I see the answer in the instructions.
Can you freeze it? If so, before or after baking?
I would freeze it before baking and thaw it before baking.
Thank you for the great recipe. I subbed a jar of lite, gluten-free alfredo sauce for the cream of chicken to make mine gluten free. It was seriously delicious!
This is probably a silly question, but does this taste ranch-y? My husband isn't a fan, but if it just tastes seasoned maybe I can sneak it in š
I don't think it tastes Ranchy – it does season it, but there is a lot of other flavors with the chicken, cheese & bacon. I think you could sneak it in.
This was delicious. And the leftovers were even better. Thanks!
What size can cream of chicken
10.75-oz can
I'm assuming that you cook the chicken before putting the recipe together?
Unknown – yes – the first ingredient is "3 cups chopped cooked chicken"
Do you cover it with foil?
I don’t cover it.
Perfect comfort food. xo Catherine