Tater Tot casseroles have been around since the invention of....well...tater tots. I can recall many a meal made centered around them from my youth, and young parenting years. They can be made with a variety of ground meats, but this one uses chicken pieces and is a little bit of a twist on the norm.
Chicken Bacon Ranch and Cheese Tater Tot Casserole (Tater Tot Casserole ala Mom)
These directions are for a 7 qt slow cooker.
Ingredients
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 2-lb package of tater tots
1 and 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheese
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used maple bacon)
1 cup of milk
1 pkg of dry ranch dressing mix (I used Hidden Ranch original)
Directions
Place 1/2 the tater tots on the bottom of the crock pot, that has been sprayed with Pam.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese and 1/3 of the bacon over top.
Place chicken pieces on top. You could season with salt and pepper but I didn't, as my chicken breasts came pre-seasoned.
Place another layer of 1/2 cup of cheese and 1/3 of the bacon crumbles over top.
Place another layer of tater tots on top and cover with remaining cheese and bacon crumbles.
Mix the milk with the dry seasoning mix and pour over top.
I baked mine in the crock pot for 1 hour on high and then turned it to low for an additional 3. Please be sure to keep an eye on your own while its cooking as different sized crock pots and makes and models cook differently. Yours might be just fine at 4 hours on low.
I haven't tried it, but I am assuming you can bake this in the oven as well in a casserole dish.
What a great casserole.. Would love to have some of this right about now.
ReplyDeleteI had a little for lunch today, and it was even better than last night. It's a keeper recipe, if I do say so myself :) I hope you give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try this tonight just me and the hubby home so we will be able to do it
DeleteIs it supposed to be raw chicken, or already cooked?
ReplyDeleteI'm new with the crock pot, and I think I'm paranoid about handling raw chicken on low heat around other foods, so wanted to check for sure.
Hi, is the chicken supposed to be raw or pre-cooked? I didn't want to assume something unmentioned in the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI'm new to the slow cooker, and I think I'm paranoid about handling raw chicken incorrectly around other foods on low heat, so I wanted to check before I made someone sick.
Thanks!
Tess - you can par-cook it (brown it lightly but not fully cooking it) which is what I did. I hope that helps.
ReplyDeleteI have made this before and my family loved it! Personally, I would have preferred the tater tots to be a bit more crispy, like from the oven, but it was good! :)
ReplyDeleteIm making this tonight. But im putting it in the oven, does anyone know about how long I should cook it for, what temp, and if I should cover it with foil?
ReplyDeleteThanks
I cooked it recently in the oven at 350 for 45-60 min, covered with foil. Hope that helps :)
ReplyDeleteDid the tator tots come out crispy?
DeleteIf you leave the foil off for the last 15 minutes or so of cooking that'll help brown the top layer.
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