Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

39 Comments

5 from 10 votes
8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole is a family favorite made with bacon, chicken, cheeses and ranch seasonings layered with tater tots. 

With Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches being one of the most popular recipes on the site, it only seemed fitting that to make it into a casserole dish. You still get that same amazing flavor but layered in between tater tots. Yum! Check out other Dinner Recipes for more easy weeknight dinner ideas.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole cross-section in baking dish

CHICKEN BACON RANCH TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Readers can’t get enough family-friendly casserole dishes, like Cowboy Casserole and Cheeseburger Casserole, so it was only natural to include one of the best flavor combinations EVER. Chicken. Bacon. Ranch. Tater Tots. What more needs to be said? This is pretty much the ingredient list guaranteed to make everyone in your house happy at the dinner table.

The process for putting this casserole dish together can be pretty quick, using a few hacks described below. Make this chicken casserole on a night where you have leftover chicken from the night before or pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store on your way home (or make your own here in a slow cooker.)

Since ranch dressing is a staple is most homes, try making your own Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix. Being able to know exactly what’s in your food and making your own allows you to cut out some of the added sodium the packet includes. It’ll also save you money and the fact that it’s always on hand is such a bonus. This mix is kept in the refrigerator and well worth the little bit of effort.

MORE DELICIOUS CASSEROLE RECIPES

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN BACON RANCH TATER TOT CASSEROLE

  • Tater Tots: You can double up and use two layers of tater tots if you want extra potato flavor but the lower layer might get a little mushy. Try tossing the tots with some vegetable oil and ranch seasoning mix to get extra flavor into the top later too!
  • Chicken Filling: You can try a variety of mix-ins in the chicken layer by adding beans or other vegetables. Make sure that you balance the mix so it stays saucy or it will dry out in the oven.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole top-down in baking dish

VARIATIONS ON CHICKEN BACON RANCH TATER TOT CASSEROLE

  • Mexican: Substitute the ranch dressing mix for taco seasoning and make Chicken Taco Tater Tot Casserole. Add in green chilis or jalapeños to the casserole and top with Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack and Colby Jack cheeses. 
  • Chicken: You can use any type of cooked shredded chicken you prefer. Chicken breasts and chicken thighs both give great flavor to this dish.
  • Spuds: You can substitute thinly sliced potatoes or shredded hash browns for the tater tots. 

MORE FUN FAMILY FAVORITE RECIPES

HOW TO SERVE AND STORE

  • Serve: Make sure not to leave the casserole out at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
  • Store: Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
  • Freeze: You can freeze this casserole as a whole or separate it into single serving size portions. Wrap tightly so moisture isn’t able to get in and store in a freezer safe storage bag or container. It’ll last up to 3 months if stored properly. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole scoop on spoon

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Dinner, then Dessert

Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole

Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole is a family favorite made with bacon, chicken, cheeses and ranch seasonings layered with tater tots. 
Yield 8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole cross-section in baking dish
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup onion , chopped
  • 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (10.5 oz)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend
  • 1 ounce ranch dressing & seasoning mix
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 32 ounces frozen tater tots
  • 1 pound bacon , cooked and crumbled
  • chives , for garnish

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion in oil 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
  • In a medium bowl, stir onion, condensed soup, sour cream, milk, 1 cup of the cheese, 2 tablespoons of the dressing mix and the black pepper until mixed well; stir in chicken.
  • Place half of the frozen potatoes in single layer on bottom of baking dish. Spoon and spread chicken mixture on top of potatoes; sprinkle ¼ cup of the bacon on top.
  • In large resealable food-storage plastic bag, add remaining potatoes with remaining dressing mix; seal and shake bag to coat. Arrange on top of casserole.
  • Bake 40 minutes; top casserole with remaining 1 cup cheese
  • Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and potatoes are lightly browned.
  • Garnish with remaining bacon and chives.

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 727mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 586IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 2mg
Keyword: Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole

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Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

    1. It sure is!
      You can freeze this casserole as a whole or separate it into single serving size portions. Wrap tightly so moisture isn’t able to get in and store in a freezer safe storage bag or container. It’ll last up to 3 months if stored properly. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
      Let us know how you like the Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot recipe when you get a chance!

      Reply

    2. Hi Chris,
      You can freeze this casserole as a whole or separate it into single serving size portions. Wrap tightly so moisture isn’t able to get in and store in a freezer safe storage bag or container. It’ll last up to 3 months if stored properly. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
      Let us know how you liked the Casserole!

      Reply

    1. Hi Christine,
      You sure can. You can freeze this casserole as a whole or separate it into single serving size portions. Wrap tightly so moisture isn’t able to get in and store in a freezer safe storage bag or container. It’ll last up to 3 months if stored properly. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Let us know if you try the Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole and tell us what you think!

      Reply

  4. Made this in the crockpot. Just put it on low for 3 hours until it was hot. Very very good. Even my picky eater ate it!! Will make it again!

    Reply

    1. I’ve never tried it with sweet potato tots. Did you use and what did you think?

      Reply

  7. Have you ever add any veggies to this? Or do you have any recommendations? And is there plenty of sauce to cover more ingredients like vegetables?

    Reply

    1. We haven’t experimented with it, but I could see this dish being great with corn, chopped carrots, peas or green beans in it. You may want to increase the sauce ingredients slightly so make sure there’s enough to cover the additional vegetables.

      Reply

  9. This was one of the best things I have eaten in a long time! My picky eater kids even cleaned their plates! So easy and so delicious!

    Reply

  10. I’ve made this before and I loved it! I wanted to make it again but found I don’t have tater tots in my freezer right now. I do have lots of hash browns. Could those work?

    Reply

  11. This meal was delish! Using rotisserie chicken made this dish a little quicker to put together. My son loved it and called me a chef lol

    Reply

  14. The tater tots on the bottom became mushy. I had hoped they would be crispy, I guess there was too much sauce. I was thinking of making it again first baking the tots by them self then adding the remaining ingredients. The flavor was good though.

    Reply

  15. So you mix 1 oz of creamy ranch dressing with 1 packet of dry ranch dressing
    Then you add 2 tbls of this mixture to the sour cream, milk, 1 cup of the cheese
    Then the remaining creamy & dry ranch mixture is what you coat the tots with for the top

    Just want to clarify, thanks

    Reply

  17. Can you make this without a ranch seasoning packet and only using ranch dressing? If so, how do you recommend to modify the recipe?

    Reply

  18. This is soooo good! My family loved it so much. We will be adding this to our normal dinner rotation as it’s already been asked for again.

    Reply