Chicken Tater Tot Casserole is so cheesy and loaded with sour cream, ranch seasoning and tender bites of chicken! Serve it up as an easy weeknight dinner or bring it with you to your next potluck and watch it disappear.
This recipe was originally posted on October 2, 2017. I have updated the recipe slightly as well as the photos.
Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
This cheesy chicken tater tot casserole takes me straight back to my childhood. I love our classic Tater Tot Casserole and Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole too! There’s just something so cozy and nostalgic about a thick and cheesy chicken filling piled high with fluffy golden brown tater tots! Everything comes together in just a few easy steps with simple ingredients that you may already have on hand. Great for tossing together when you need something quick to bring to a party or to serve for dinner. It’s kid friendly as can be and always gets gobbled up by even the pickiest eater at the table! Tater tots, ranch seasoning, cheddar cheese and chicken… Need I say more?
What kind of chicken do I use?
Typically I have a batch of my All Purpose Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken on hand just for recipes like this one. However, you can absolutely just grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred that if that’s easier for you.
How to Make Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish and set aside.
- Make the filling. Whisk together the sour cream, both cans of soup, milk, shredded cheese, ranch seasoning and the other seasonings. Fold in the chicken.
- Assemble. Smooth the chicken filling into the baking dish. Try to make sure it’s in an even layer. Add the tater tots on top.
- Bake. Pop the dish in the oven and bake uncovered for about 30-45 minutes, or until the tots look good and everything is hot!
Storing Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Let the tater tot casserole first adjust to room temperature before storing or freezing. In an airtight container in the fridge, chicken tater tot casserole will last for about 2-3 days. You can reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warmed through.
To freeze this casserole, store it in a freezer safe container and don’t forget to date and label! It’ll keep for up to 3 months. I recommend letting it slowly defrost in the fridge prior to reheating in the oven until warmed all the way through.
Ingredient Notes for Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
For exact ingredient measurements, scroll down to the recipe card!
- Chicken – Shredded chicken works best for this recipe. However, you can chop it up into cubes if you’d prefer. This is a great recipe for using up rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken you have sitting in the fridge.
- Soups – You’ll need one can of cream of chicken soup and one can of condensed cheddar cheese soup. They come together to create the best flavors and thick, rich consistency for the chicken filling.
- Milk – I like to use whole milk since it helps with the thick consistency. With that being said, really any dairy you have on hand should do the trick.
- Cheddar Cheese – You can grate it yourself or just buy a bag of ready to go shredded cheese. It’s so good either way.
- Seasonings – All you need is some ranch seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Adjust all of those seasonings to your tastes. I recommend starting off with just a little bit of salt! When it comes time to serve, you may notice that tots are usually pretty salty on their own.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Cooked shredded chicken
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 10 Ounce Can Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 10 Ounce Can Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
- 1/3 Cup Milk
- 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Packet Ranch Seasoning Mix
- 32 Ounce Package Frozen Tater Tots
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the sour cream, both cans of soup, milk, the shredded cheese, ranch mix, and seasonings. Stir in the chicken.
- Pour the chicken mixture into the prepared pan and top with an even layer of tater tots.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I haven’t made anything with tater tots in years. This was very good and easy. I just made a few tweaks to try to cut back on salt and increase protein. I cut the recipe in half and used a smaller dish but used roughly 3 cups rotisserie chicken. I found no salt cream of chicken so that cut down on the salt. Used the whole packet of ranch dressing for flavor.
Another great recipe! I was looking for a tater tot casserole recipe with chicken, and was very excited to find one by the salty marshmallow. I love so many of your recipes! The only mods I made were adding 1/4 cup of bacon crumbles, subbing Greek yogurt, and GF cheese sauce. I think I might add a little more chicken next time, or try to sneak in some carrots, but it’s absolutely delicious just as written! Thanks again for another great recipe!
I made this as it said. My family found it to be too cheesy, but otherwise tasty. I think the substitution of double cream of chicken would probably solve the issue.
Made a few times it’s awesome
I didn’t notice a bake temp. Do I go by tater tots recommended temp?
Family LOVED it! I didn’t have cream of cheddar so I used 2 cans of cream of chicken – I also had a bag of bacon pieces in my fridge and added those into it.
Will make this again!
Just made this with only a couple of changes. Used 2 cans of cream of chicken and no cheese soup and threw in a cup of frozen mixed veggies too! Helps not having to make a separate vegetable on the side.!
Great idea
This was sooooo good! The only change I made was to add crystals hot sauce.