Chicken tater tot casserole
Creamy, cheesy chicken and vegetables under a golden, crunchy blanket of tater tots, a freezer-friendly crowd pleaser.
- 70 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $2.06 a serving
- 550 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1¼ lb chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 1½ cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar, divided
- 1½ lb tater tots
From your pantry
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 550 calories, 33 g protein, 37 g carbs and 29 g fat, and costs about $2.06 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No frozen mixed vegetables? Frozen peas or frozen corn or frozen green beans work.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Cut the chicken into ½-inch pieces and wash your hands and board.
Dolly’s tip: Small pieces matter here. They cook through under the tots in the time it takes them to crisp.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
the chicken, soup, sour cream, milk, vegetables, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and 1 cup of the cheddar together in a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread it level.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Arrange the frozen tater tots over the top in snug rows.
45 minutes, until the tots are .
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 45 min
Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar over the top and 5 to 10 minutes more, until and a piece of chicken from the middle reads 165°F.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 7 min 30 sec
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Let it 5 minutes before scooping.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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