Chicken Tater Tot Casserole: Packed with tender shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, golden tater tots and tangy ranch seasoning, this cozy baked casserole recipe will become a family favorite!
We love any dish made with the glorious combination of cheese, bacon and ranch mix, (like this chicken bacon ranch pasta) and this is a favorite casserole recipe for an main course, for sure!
Casseroles are the ultimate comfort food for any meal of the day. For breakfast, you’ll love making this Sausage, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Casserole, and lunch is the perfect time for a hearty Chicken Pot Pie Casserole. We even have a Broccoli Casserole and Corn Casserole to serve alongside dinner. Finally, wrap up the day with a warm, gooey Cinnamon Roll Casserole topped with ice cream!
Why you’ll love this casserole recipe
There’s not an easier dinner recipe for busy days and busy weeknights than this casserole. (Well, maybe this one and this chicken and gravy recipe.) Just mix up the chicken mixture, pop it in a baking dish, and dinner is done in under an hour!
This one bowl, one dish tater tot casserole is perfect for using leftovers, too. Use the leftover chicken from shredded slow cooker chicken and the leftover air fryer bacon from breakfast.
A casserole is a great way to feed a crowd or large family because this chicken and tater tot casserole yields at least 8 generous portions!
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Ingredients
As you can see, this cheesy chicken tater tot casserole is made with familiar ingredients that you can grab on your next trip to the grocery store.
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- One 10oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
- One 1 oz. packet of ranch dressing seasoning mix
- 1 cup cooked bacon, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 32 oz. bag of frozen tater tots, divided
See the printable recipe card below for ingredients, instructions and detailed recipe notes.
Instructions
If you love easy recipes, you have come to the right place today! You will only need one mixing bowl, one baking dish and a spatula or spoon, so let’s get cooking!
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Reserve 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and a few handfuls of the frozen tater tots for the top of the casserole.
- Then, in a large bowl, add the chicken, sour cream, soup, ranch powder, cooked bacon and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese. Mix until well combined.
- Next, add the remaining frozen tater tots and fold them into the chicken mixture.
- Now, add the casserole mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly. Place the reserved frozen tater tots in a single layer on top of the mixture. Then, sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
- Finally, bake the chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole for 45 minutes or until the tater tots on top are golden brown and the whole thing is hot and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!
We love to serve this chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole with mixed vegetables, roasted broccoli, green beans or candied carrots. A big green salad would also be a complimentary side dish.
I think tater tots are an easy staple to serve alongside oven baked burgers and hot dog recipes, most chicken dishes, and with BBQ or grilled meats.
Whatever you decide to serve alongside this creamy dreamy casserole, I know your whole family is going to love it!
Substitutions
If you need alternatives to the ingredients that we used for this casserole, here are a few suggestions that you’ll find helpful:
- You can also make this casserole with cooked ground beef instead of chicken.
- We made this chicken tater tot casserole with cream of chicken soup. But, you can use a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of cheddar cheese soup or your favorite condensed cream soup variety.
- To save a few calories, you can make this casserole with low fat versions of the sour cream and cheese or substitute turkey bacon as well.
Variations
Here are a few of our favorite creative ways to put a delicious twist on this recipe for creamy chicken tater tot casserole!
- Spice it up! Use shredded pepper jack cheese to add a little heat to this traditional tater tot casserole. Or, serve this with your favorite hot sauce so you can add as much or little heat as you would like.
- Make it buffalo! Toss the shredded chicken in your family’s favorite buffalo sauce and substitute blue cheese crumbles for half of the shredded cheese and you’ve got a buffalo chicken tater tot casserole on your hands!
- Serve with a topping bar! Let your family choose from a variety of toppings like chopped green onion, different cheeses, crispy french fried onions, bacon bits, fresh herbs, and extra sour cream.
Storage
You can store any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze cooked tater tot casserole? Yes! Cover the entire baked dish tightly with foil or plastic wrap or freeze individual servings in airtight containers. You can freeze this for 3-4 months.
How to freeze the assembled casserole before baking. First, cover the prepared casserole tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap or store it in a freezer friendly covered dish for up to 3-4 months in the freezer. Then, when you are ready to bake it, remove the foil/lid and bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 60 minutes.
Top tip
If you don’t have time to cook and shred boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, grab a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store deli. (Then, see how to get the most out of your rotisserie chicken.)
More Comforting Casseroles
We are no strangers to casseroles around here. We think you’ll love our flavorful Taco Chicken Casserole, and this cozy French Onion Beef Casserole. Not to mention, how much you’ll love our homey Ham & Swiss Casserole!
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a review below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- 1 10 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 packet ranch dressing mix seasoning (1 oz.)
- 1 cup cooked bacon chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 32 oz frozen tater tots divided
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Reserve 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese and a few handfuls of the frozen tater tots.
- Then, in a large bowl, mix together the chicken, sour cream, soup, ranch powder, cooked bacon and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese until well combined.
- Next, fold the remaining frozen tater tots into the chicken mixture.
- Now, add the casserole mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly. Place the reserved tater tots on top of the mixture. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
- Finally, bake for 45 minutes or until the tater tots on top are golden brown and casserole is hot and bubbly.
Notes
- No need to thaw the tater tots for this recipe – they are used frozen.
- You can use cooked turkey bacon, low fat cheese and low fat sour cream to save a few calories.
- If you prefer, you can use cream of mushroom soup or a can of cheddar cheese soup in the casserole filling.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze, cover the entire baked dish tightly with foil or plastic wrap or freeze individual servings in airtight containers for 3-4 months.
- You can also freeze the assembled casserole before baking. Cover the prepared casserole tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap or store it in a freezer friendly covered dish for up to 3-4 months in the freezer. When you are ready to bake it, remove the foil/lid and bake it in a 350 degree F oven for about 60 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Journa Liz Ramirez says
Can’t get enough of chicken tater tot casserole! They are flavorful, my family loved them. I’m making this on repeat.
Abby says
This casserole was a huge hit with the whole family. Easy to make and oh so delicious!
Allyssa says
This is really tasty and very flavorful chicken tater tot casserole recipe, super easy to follow as well. Highly recommended! Thanks for sharing this!