Chicken Bacon Ranch Tator Tot Casserole
Our Chicken Bacon Ranch Tator Tot Casserole is an easy recipe that is sure to be a huge hit with the whole family.
Delicious creamy ranch sauce, tender chicken, crispy tater tots, gooey melted cheese, fresh tomatoes, crispy bacon… what could be better?!
Comfort food never tasted so good with our Chicken Tator Tot Casserole.
This savory dish will deliver a satisfying bite that meets any salty, creamy, or cheesy cravings.
Ingredients
This is meant to be a brief overview of this great recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a hearty meal without blowing your grocery budget.
- Cream Soup: For this chicken tater tot casserole recipe, I prefer making my own homemade cream soup substitute; however, you can use store-bought cream of chicken soup or any other cream soup you have on hand. Cream of mushroom, cream of celery, or cream of potato will all work.
- Sour Cream: If you don’t have sour cream on hand, substitute cream cheese with an extra dash of milk.
- Onion: I prefer sweet onions, but yellow or white onions work great, too.
- Chicken: such as rotisserie, shredded chicken, etc.
- Frozen Tater Tots: If you don’t have tater tots on hand, you can use frozen hashbrown potatoes instead. You could make this with mashed potatoes on top also, but of course, then it wouldn’t be a tater tot casserole!
- Colby Jack cheese (Instead of Colby Jack, you can use any creamy cheese that melts well, like mozzarella, gouda, Monterey Jack, or even Pepper Jack. Get creative and use a blend of cheeses if you like. I love Colby Jack and cheddar cheese together.)
- Cooked Bacon: Substitute turkey bacon to make this dish a little bit healthier.
Seasonings: In addition to salt and pepper, store-bought or homemade ranch seasoning mix adds amazing flavor to the dish.
Variations: You can add a cup or two of fresh or frozen veggies to the chicken mixture if you like. Carrots, peas, corn, broccoli, and green beans are all delicious in this casserole.
How to Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole
One bite of this creamy, comforting casserole and you’ll be adding it to your regular dinner rotation! Here’s how easy it is to make it: (Scroll down for the full recipe card).
Ang’s Recipe Tips
✔️ Either Rotisserie chicken or other kinds of leftover chicken are a great way to save time making this recipe. I also love using this slow cooker pulled chicken. (Make a big batch then you can use it for soups, casseroles, and salads all week long!)
✔️ This delicious casserole will feed 8-10 people. If you have a smaller family, you can divide it between two 8×8 or 9×9 pans and freeze one for later use.
Freezer Tip: To avoid tying up one of your pans in the freezer, line one with parchment paper before layering in the ingredients. Once assembled, freeze the casserole with the parchment paper for 1 hour. Remove it from the freezer, wrap in tinfoil, then slide into a 2 gallon freezer bag. (Be sure to label!)
Related: Tater Tot Casseroles
Storage
To Store: Chicken Bacon Ranch Tator Tot Casserole leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)
To Reheat: Microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals until heated throughout.
To Freeze: Wrap in aluminum foil, then slide into a 2-gallon freezer bag.
To Thaw: Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Make Ahead
This cheesy casserole can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge until baking.
Serving Suggestions
Since this is a hearty casserole, you don’t really need to serve it with anything else, but a fresh green salad or some crusty bread are always delicious additions.
Related: What to Serve with Chicken Casserole
Not ready to make this Chicken Bacon Ranch Tator Tot Casserole?
When you do make it, please come back and comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Tator Tot Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 10.5 ounce can can of cream soup, or 2 cups homemade Cream Soup Substitute
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 1 1-ounce package store-bought or Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 32 ounce bag frozen tater tots
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese divided
- ½ cup chopped cooked bacon divided
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup sliced green onions optional
- black pepper and kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large ziplock bag, combine half of the tater tots and 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning. Seal and shake the bag to coat the tots. Set aside.1 1-ounce package store-bought or Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix, 1 32 ounce bag frozen tater tots
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken filling mixture.1 10.5 ounce can can of cream soup, or 2 cups homemade Cream Soup Substitute, 1 cup sour cream, ½ cup milk, 1 tablespoon minced onion, 3 cups shredded cooked chicken, 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese, black pepper and kosher salt, ½ cup chopped cooked bacon
- Layer half of the tater tots into the prepared baking dish.
- Next, spoon the chicken mixture on top.
- Layer the seasoned tots over the chicken mixture.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and top with remaining cheese and bacon.½ cup chopped cooked bacon, 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- Return to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes longer until the cheesy is melted and the tots are crispy.
- Serve with tomatoes and green onions on top.¼ cup sliced green onions, ½ cup chopped tomatoes
Nutrition
Check out Meal Plan 3 that includes this delicious recipe along with:
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Pork Carnitas
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Chicken and Rice
- 30 Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Pasta with Sausage and Broccolini
Plus ideas for side dishes, breakfast, desserts, and more!
Similar Recipes
Next time, try one of these delicious recipes:
- million dollar chicken casserole
- creamy bubble up chicken casserole
- chicken noodle casserole
- chicken hashbrown casserole
- Buffalo chicken tater tot casserole
And if you love easy recipes using tater tots, try our shepherd’s pie with tater tots recipe! No tater tots? Try our chicken bacon pasta instead.
