Treat your family to a delicious Chicken Tater Tot Casserole! A quick and easy weeknight meal, this Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole features tender chicken, crispy tater tots, and mixed vegetables. Ready in just 40 minutes – it’s the perfect comfort food for even the busiest schedule!
Tater Tot Chicken Casserole
Tater tot chicken casserole makes the perfect dish for busy weeknights. This delicious and easy-to-make casserole has a filling similar to a chicken pot pie.
The main ingredients in this casserole are golden tater tots, melty cheese, cooked chicken, mixed vegetables, and cream of chicken soup. All these components come together in one amazing dish that your family will love!
How to Make Chicken Tater Tot Casserole:
This casserole with chicken and tater tots is picky-eater approved. The creamy chicken filling is topped with a cheesy tater tot layer and then cooked until warm and bubbly. Here’s a quick rundown of how we make it!
Scroll to the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full instructions!
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over low-medium heat.
- Add the olive oil and onions, and cook until the onions soften. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Pour the cream of chicken soup, milk, salt, and pepper into the pan. Stir the ingredients together and heat until the mixture starts to bubble.
- Add the chicken and mixed vegetables, and stir until well combined.
- Top with American cheese slices, just enough to cover the mixture. Arrange the tater tots over the cheese.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The tater tots should be golden brown and the cheese should be melted.
- Serve warm with a Caesar Salad or Sautéed Broccoli.
Tips for Success:
- Arrange the tater tots in a single layer over cheese slices so that they cook evenly and the cheese doesn’t burn during baking.
- Add a foil tent if the cheese around the edges begins to cook quickly and the tater tots aren’t browned in the center.
- You’ll need 2 cans of condensed cream soup. We used 2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans of cream of chicken soup. Switch up the soup flavors and use whatever you have on hand.
- Bake this chicken and tots casserole in a 9×13-inch baking dish or a large skillet. We used a large, 3-quart braising pan.
- Depending on what size pan you use, you may not need all of the tater tots. Save the leftover tots and serve with a burger or chili dog!
How to Store Chicken Tot Casserole
Refrigerator: Store leftover casserole in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze cooked casserole for up to 2 months.
Frozen Mixed Vegetables Versus Canned Mixed Vegetables
The creamy filling for this chicken casserole includes frozen (thawed) mixed vegetables. The variety of mixed vegetables is customizable and dependent on your tastes. We opt for frozen veggies but well-drained canned vegetables may also be used.
- Frozen Vegetables: Frozen vegetables are flash-frozen shortly after being picked and maintain their flavor, texture, and nutrients much better than canned varieties. Additionally, they tend to have fewer added preservatives or salt compared to the canned variety. Frozen veggies don’t get as soft as canned vegetables as they cook.
- Canned Vegetables: Canned mixed vegetables are already cooked and can be quickly added to the casserole mixture. There’s no need to thaw them like you’d need to do with frozen vegetables. Canned vegetables may be more cost-effective depending on how many cans you purchase. You’re also able to easily customize the types of veggies you buy (green beans, corn, peas, mushrooms, carrots, mixed vegetables, etc.) instead of purchasing a bag of pre-mixed vegetables.
Cooked Chicken Makes This Casserole Easy
The idea behind this tater tot casserole is an easy dinner option the whole family will enjoy. Using cooked chicken makes prep time short and sweet. There are a few options when it comes to choosing which type of chicken you’d like to use.
- Rotisserie Chicken: This type of spit-cooked chicken is available from many supermarkets and is ready to eat or use. Rotisserie chicken comes pre-seasoned usually with traditional, lemon pepper, spicy, barbecue, or garlic herb seasoning. You may be able to find a whole chicken or pre-shredded chicken depending on your grocer. The downside to rotisserie chicken is its sodium content and cost.
- Canned Chicken: Canned chicken makes a convenient option that’s found in almost any grocery store and can save you a lot of time. It is already cooked, so all you need to do is open the can, drain away any liquid, and stir it into the filling. The downside to canned chicken is its taste and texture.
- Leftover Chicken: This type of chicken is great if you cook too much chicken for another meal. Leftover chicken is customizable and can be chicken breast or thighs and seasoned however you like. The downsides are it dries out easily, takes time to prepare, and has potential costs.
Can You Use Something Other Than American Cheese?
Absolutely! We love American cheese because it’s easy with minimal cleanup and makes tater tot casserole extra cheesy. Feel free to use your favorite sliced or shredded cheese instead.
Should You Thaw the Frozen Ingredients?
You’ll only need to thaw (or mostly thaw) the frozen vegetables and drain away any liquid. We don’t want that liquid seeping into the filling and making it watery or soupy.
Add the tater tots while they’re still frozen. They’ll turn a beautiful golden brown color as they bake.
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Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
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Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 21 ounces cream of chicken soup, 2 (10 ½ ounce) cans
- 1 cup milk
- ½ tsp. kosher salt, optional
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 6 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded (rotisserie chicken works great)
- 15 ounces frozen mixed vegetables, mostly thawed and liquid drained
- 12 slices American cheese
- 32 ounces frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over low-medium heat. Add the olive oil and onions, and cook until the onions soften then add the garlic. Cook for an additional 30 seconds.1 tablespoon(s) olive oil1 small white onion3 garlic cloves
- Pour in the cream of chicken soup, milk, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and heat until the mixture begins to bubble.21 ounces cream of chicken soup1 cup milk½ tsp. kosher salt¼ tsp. pepper
- Add the chicken and mixed vegetables, and stir until well mixed.6 cups cooked chicken15 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
- Top with cheese slices just until the mixture is covered.12 slices American cheese
- Arrange the tater tots over the cheese.32 ounces frozen tater tots
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Serve warm. Scroll up and see the post for tips, FAQs, and storage options.