Chicken Tater Tot Casserole is pure comfort food. A homemade chicken filling is topped with crispy tater tots. When it comes out of the oven, the tater tots are golden brown, while the creamy chicken filling is bubbling to perfection.

This recipe goes out to all the kids and the kids-at-heart. Topped with tots, it’s a nostalgic dish with an elevated twist. I mean, seriously…since when do you see “roux” and “tater tots” in the same recipe?

Classic Comfort Food

If you love chicken pot pie but don’t want to spend hours making it from scratch, this is the perfect recipe for you. 

This chicken tater tot casserole can even be a one-pan dish if your skillet is oven-safe (my favorite is my Le Creuset Braiser). Cook, assemble, and bake it all in the same pan!

While chicken tater tot casserole is not a “healthy” meal, it’s certainly one that you will turn back to! That’s the thing about comfort food, though—it’s good for the soul. On a chilly evening, you will want a bowl!

In short, chicken tater tot casserole is a cozy KJ & Company staple.

Ready… whenever!

Chicken tater tot casserole is a dream recipe for planners (or wannabe planners!). Freeze it, reheat leftovers, or transport it to family and friends. 

An aluminum foil baking pan will be your best friend if you make this meal ahead of time. Fewer dishes. No pestering someone to get your favorite pan back. 

Make this casserole for a get-together, social gathering, or for a neighbor or a friend. Any way you bake it, it’s bound to bring smiles!

Freezer Meal Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

To make:

01) Make the recipe as directed…up until right before you’ve poured the chicken base into the baking pan. 

02) Cool the chicken base and pour it into a freezer-safe pan.

03) Top with tater tots, cover, and freeze. 

To bake: 

01) Pull the chicken tater tot casserole straight from the freezer and remove the cover. 

02) Bake at 350 degrees for an hour and a half. 

03) …that’s it. Enjoy your easy, delicious dinner. 

Leftovers!

01) Make the recipe as directed. 

02) Cool and store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

03) Reheat in the microwave. Or, cover the leftovers and reheat in the oven at 400 degrees for around 20 minutes.

Take and Bake

01) Make the recipe as directed. But after topping with the tater tots, don’t bake it.

02) Cover with aluminum foil and place in a transport-safe compartment.

03) Take with you to wherever you need to go/deliver. Then bake for an hour at 350 degrees.

Note: If it’s not going to be baked right away, store the casserole in the freezer until you’re ready to bake it.

Tater Tot Time

Bite into a salty, crispy, golden tot—it will take you straight back to childhood.

Use regular-sized tater tots for this recipe—straight from the freezer! No need to defrost or pre-cook.

A great way to get everyone involved: Have the family help you arrange the tots. Fun to make. Fun to eat.

Chicken Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients

Other than the tots, everything in this recipe is from-scratch, elevating this casserole from your run-of-the-mill potluck dish to a homemade masterpiece. 

Aromatics

Onions, carrots, celery, and garlic form the base of this casserole and infuse the dish with flavor! I love using baby carrots—they are naturally a little sweeter and easy to cut into perfect-sized rounds.

Herbs

Rosemary, thyme, and oregano add a savory, herbaceous balance to the creaminess of this dish. 

This chicken tater tot casserole recipe calls for dried herbs, but you can use fresh herbs if you have them on hand. If you’re using fresh herbs, double the amounts (dried herbs are more potent than fresh). 

Flour

While many casserole dishes use condensed, canned soup, this chicken tater tot casserole recipe is made without soup. Instead, you’ll use the flour to create a roux that thickens the base. 

Heavy cream

Creamy and rich! Don’t skimp here. (No, really. I see you looking for a “healthy” substitute. Don’t do it.) 

You won’t regret using the real deal to form the creamy base of this casserole.

Chicken stock

Chicken stock adds layers of chicken flavor and helps keep the casserole base from getting too thick. 

Chicken

Use boneless, skinless chicken for this recipe. You can use white or dark meat. My favorite is boneless skinless chicken tenderloins because they are easy to cut into 1-inch pieces.

If you need to cut down on prep time, you could use a rotisserie chicken instead!

Looking for other Chicken Recipes? Check these out!

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Easy Coconut Chicken Curry

BBQ Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

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(13 votes, average: 4.38 out of 5)

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4.4 from 13 reviews

• Author: KJ & Company - Kate Poskochil
• Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

Chicken Tater Tot Casserole is pure comfort food. A homemade chicken filling is topped with crispy tater tots. When it comes out of the oven, the tater tots are golden brown, while the creamy chicken filling is bubbling to perfection.

This recipe goes out to all the kids and the kids-at-heart. Topped with tots, it’s a nostalgic dish with an elevated twist. I mean, seriously…since when do you see “roux” and “tater tots” in the same recipe?

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 cup baby carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 32 oz bag frozen tater tots

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion, celery and carrots with the butter until slightly translucent, about 5-8 minutes, being careful to avoid any browning. Add in the garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, oregano and thyme and stir to combine.
2. Add in the flour and combine until a paste-like consistency forms, about a minute. Gently stir in the heavy cream and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add in the chicken and allow the mixture to simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until it has thickened slightly and the chicken is partially cooked, stirring occasionally.
3. Evenly top the chicken mixture with the tater tots. Bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the sauce underneath is bubbling. Enjoy!

Notes

• If you are looking for freezer meals or to prepare this ahead of time, this chicken tater tot casserole can be made all they way up to the point before you bake it. Allow it to cool slightly before you cover it and refrigerate or freeze it. If you freeze it, you will need to add about 45 extra minutes to the cook time.
• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can also be used if dark meat is preferred.
• If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, carefully pour the chicken filling into a 9×13 baking dish before topping with the tater tots and baking.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Baking

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1
• Calories: 824
• Sugar: 3.5g
• Fat: 38.4g
• Carbohydrates: 51.3g
• Fiber: 5.7g
• Protein: 74.3g

Keywords: Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

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