Rudolph Reindeer Cake Mix Cookies

Chicken Tater Tot Casserole: Packed with tender shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, golden tater tots, and tangy ranch seasoning, this cozy baked chicken casserole recipe will become a family favorite!

Love using other starchy items besides noodles in a casserole? Give this Stove-Top Stuffing Chicken Casserole recipe a chance because it’s full of deliciousness too! These two are definitely some of our popular casserole recipes.

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!

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 ½ 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!

1. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Reserve ½ cup of the shredded cheese and a few handfuls of the frozen tater tots for the top of the casserole.
2. Then, in a large bowl, add the chicken, sour cream, soup, ranch powder, cooked bacon and 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheese. Mix until well combined.

3. Next, add the remaining frozen tater tots and fold them into the chicken mixture.

4. 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 ½ cup of shredded cheese.

5. 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!

Whatever you decide to serve alongside this creamy dreamy casserole, I know your whole family is going to love it! I believe they’ll also love this taquito casserole too!

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.

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 “star” rating 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

Print Pin

5 from 5 votes

Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

Our Chicken Tater Tot Casserole is packed with chicken, cheddar cheese, bacon and tangy ranch seasoning. This cozy baked casserole recipe will become a family favorite!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 634kcal

Author Jessica Burgess

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 ½ 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 ½ 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 ½ 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

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 1208mg | Potassium: 549mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 589IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 1mg

Taco Chicken Casserole: Shredded chicken, Rotel, black beans, rice, corn, cheese, tomatoes, and a few other fresh, flavorful ingredients make this easy chicken taco bake a must try!

This Taco Chicken Casserole is quick and easy to make, making it the perfect easy weeknight meal. (Well, and this chicken tater tot casserole too.)

Don’t have any shredded chicken on hand? Follow my foolproof method to make easy shredded chicken in the slow cooker. Or you can grab a rotisserie chicken and shred that if you’re in a hurry! Don’t throw away the bones and skin though! Save it and make this delicious rotisserie chicken broth to use in other recipes!

Want more tomato-cheese goodness? Rotel Pasta gives you a hit of spice with the same taco-type flavors.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Can I tell you a secret? I LOVE a good taco. Ok, that’s not actually much of a secret because I think I’ve said that a few times on here before and we have just a few different taco-inspired recipes (like a taco soup…and a taco pasta recipe…). Anything taco-related is a hit at our dinner table.

I especially love when you take all the flavors and fixings of a taco and put it in an easy-to-make (and easy-to-eat – my tacos always fall apart all over my plate anyhow) format like this easy chicken taco casserole!

And as an added bonus, this recipe is a great way to use up any leftover slow cooker shredded chicken you might have in the fridge, if you’re not going to make this crispy chicken tacos recipe.

Tip: I find the best way to meal prep is to make a big batch of protein early in the week and use it for multiple recipes in these ground beef dinners throughout the week (like how I sometimes make ground beef for tacos early in the week and then use it in creative ways over the next few days – I have a whole post about what to do with leftover taco meat!). 

Ingredients

There are quite a few ingredients in this recipe, but none of them are hard to find or fancy. You can grab all of these from your local grocery store, but most of them are probably kicking around in your fridge or pantry already!

• 2 cups slow cooked shredded chicken, cooked
• 1 – 10 ounce can Rotel
• 1 cup black beans, cooked
• 1 cup white rice, cooked
• ½ cup sweet corn, cooked
• 1 package taco seasoning (We love using this container of taco seasoning or this chicken taco seasoning recipe.)
• 2 cups colby jack cheese, shredded
• 2 avocados, chopped
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 cup tortilla chips, broken into large crumbles
• ¼ cup black olives, sliced
• cilantro, diced (for garnish)
• sour cream, as a topping if desired
• taco sauce, as a topping if desired

The ingredients in this recipe are similar to this hot taco dip recipe!

There’s a printable recipe card farther down in this post with quantities and step-by-step instructions.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine the 2 cups of chicken, Rotel, black beans, rice, corn, and taco seasoning.

3. Add combined ingredients to a 9×13 casserole dish.

4. Evenly spread the Colby jack cheese over the chicken mixture in your casserole dish.

5. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

6. Remove the casserole from the oven and top with largely crumbled tortilla chips, avocado, tomato, and black olives.

7. Garnish with cilantro and serve with taco sauce and/or sour cream if you prefer, and serve warm.

Substitutions & Variations

Much like tacos themselves, this casserole can be customized in SO many ways!

• Cheese – instead of colby jack, try experimenting with a sharp cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack, or your other favorite cheese. You could even stir an extra ½ cup of cheese into the casserole and then top it with the remaining cheese for a super cheesy taco chicken casserole with rice.
• Switch Toppings – the sky is the limit here. Top the casserole with your favorite taco fixings. Green chiles, this easy pico de Gallo, bell peppers, homemade guacamole, green onions, Rotel Salsa, a few scoops of sour cream…get creative!
• Vegetarian – the chicken in this recipe could be replaced with your favorite lentil to make this dish vegetarian.
• Switch Proteins – instead of shredded chicken, you could also make this recipe with ground beef.
• Rice – we used white rice for this recipe, but you can make it with brown rice, Mexican rice, or even another cooked grain like quinoa or buckwheat.
• Sauce – if you like enchiladas, you could swap out the taco seasoning and instead add a can of green enchilada sauce to this recipe, making it more of a chicken enchilada casserole.
• Gluten Free – if you use corn tortillas, this recipe should be gluten free! For those with serious allergies, we still recommend reading the labels of the ingredients you are using to be safe.

Storage

This Taco Chicken Casserole should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This casserole tastes great the next day, but the tortilla chips on top may get a bit soggy. You can always pull them off and add some fresh ones before reheating!

It can also be made and frozen for up to 3 months, but we would recommend freezing it without the toppings (tortilla chips, tomatoes, avocados, black olives, and cilantro). You can add those when you are ready to eat it. 

How do I reheat a frozen casserole?

When you are ready to eat your frozen chicken taco casserole, you have two options:

1. Let it thaw in the refrigerator and bake it as stated in the recipe.
2. Bake it from frozen. If baking from frozen, you will need to decrease the baking temp to 350° and bake it for about an hour. It’s finished when the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Either way, when it is finished cooking you can top it with tortilla chips, tomatoes, avocados, black olives, and cilantro and enjoy!

If you’re trying to make something low carb, you should definitely check this Keto Taco Casserole that looks delicious!

What to Serve With This Taco Chicken Casserole

Whether you’re looking for a side dish that can go with this casserole or a sweet treat for enjoying after, I think you’ll really love these!

Side Dishes: This easy elote dip and my homemade guacamole are easy recipes to prepare and so delicious served with a taco recipe! Or, for a heartier side, consider this fried tacos recipe!

Dessert: Mexican Conchas is a sweet bread that is absolutely lovely to serve after this taco casserole!

More Easy Casserole Recipes

If you’re making a meal plan and you’re looking for more easy casserole recipes like this one, we have a bunch! You love this walking taco casserole recipe if you love this one, and this taquito chicken casserole, along with these:

Cheeseburger Casserole

Southern Broccoli Casserole

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Green Bean Casserole (this one is a fan favorite)

Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating 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!

Related Recipes

Did you enjoy this taco chicken casserole recipe? Then you’re in luck because we have a few more recipes we just know you’re going to love like this Doritos Casserole, these crockpot enchiladas, these Chicken Street Tacos (I kid you not, these chicken tacos are so good), and our Easy Taco Layer Dip recipe (this one disappears at a party)!

But go ahead and round out your chicken casserole plans with this Stove Top Stuffing Chicken Casserole.

Recipe

Print Pin

5 from 4 votes

Taco Chicken Casserole

Taco Chicken Casserole: Shredded chicken, Rotel, black beans, rice, corn, cheese, tomatoes, and a few other fresh, flavorful ingredients make this easy chicken taco bake a must try!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6 (1 cup) servings

Calories 546kcal

Author Jessica Burgess

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded chicken cooked
• 1 – 10 ounce can Rotel
• 1 cup black beans cooked
• 1 cup white rice cooked
• ½ cup sweet corn cooked
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 2 cups colby jack cheese shredded
• 2 avocados chopped
• 1 large tomato diced
• 1 cup tortilla chips broken into large crumbles
• ¼ cup black olives sliced
• cilantro diced, for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large bowl combine shredded chicken, rotel, black beans, rice, corn, and taco seasoning.
• Add combined ingredients to a 9×13 casserole dish.
• Evenly spread the colby jack cheese over the chicken mixture in your casserole dish.
• Bake the casserole for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Remove the casserole from the oven and top with largely crumbled tortilla chips, avocado, tomato, and black olives.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 895mg | Potassium: 628mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1360IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 352mg | Iron: 2mg