Best Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Best Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

A marriage of two of your favorite tastes! Creamy, tasty, spicy and filling and it feels almost naughty. There won't be any left, promise.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

Servings: servings

Calories: 401kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Cost: $10

Equipment

measuring cups and spoons
knife
bowl
cutting board
oven safe baking dish or cast iron pan
oven

Ingredients

non stick spray
1 lb chicken cooked. Use a whole rotisserie chicken or cook your own boneless, skinless breasts or thighs. Remove the skin and shred or chop.
8 oz cream cheese room temp. substitution: Neufchatel or low fat cream cheese
1/2 Cup Hot Sauce Prefer Franks Hot Buffalo Chicken Sauce
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese Sharp is best and shredded yourself is best. Prefer Tillamook, Helluva or Cabots for best flavor.
1 packet Ranch Seasoning Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing or Dip packet
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 bag tater tots
5 slices bacon fried crispy and crumbled or chopped.
2 tbs butter melted
4 stalks green onion chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375
Prepare a 9x9 or 10" cast iron skillet with non stick spray. (You can also use a 9x11 or 9x13 baking dish like I did in the photos and the video).
Mix all of the ingredients except the tater tots, bacon, butter and green onion together in a medium sized bowl and pour into the prepared baking dish.
Top with a layer of crumbled bacon.
Arrange the tater tots to cover the casserole in a single layer. You can lay them in there like soldiers or you can just pour in and spread out, your choice. Don't go over a single layer. Depending on the size of your casserole dish, you may have tater tots left over.
Brush the tater tots with the melted butter. If you have any left over after painting the top, just drizzle it over the top. (as an alternative, you can spray the top of the tater tots with vegetable oil cooking spray)
Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes. Everything is already cooked so this is just to warm the whole thing. When you remove from the oven, sprinkle the green onions over the top and serve. Goes great with Hawaiian rolls.

Video

Notes

For quick flavorful casserole, use rotisserie chicken. You'll see that I used the store bought rotisserie chicken myself in the video. The rotisserie chicken tastes best in this casserole.
You can substitute chopped celery for the green onion on top if that is the taste you prefer, but my family enjoys the green onion (or even chives).
Feel free to use the lower fat cream cheese or the Neufchatel cheese. Both taste fine in this recipe.
You'll find that the Franks Buffalo Chicken Sauce works best in this recipe.
If you are cooking for two and this seems like too much, you can half the recipe and that works OR divide into two smaller casseroles and eat one now and save the other in the freezer for a later date.

PRO TIP: If you have a family where some like it HOT and some do NOT, make some HOT sauce to pour over the top for those who are looking for a flaming tongue! Mix 1/2 cup of your preferred HOT sauce with 2 Tbs of butter. Heat on the stove until the butter melts, mix well and serve as a pour over sauce at the table.

PRO TIP #2: For added flavor, after the casserole is baked, add some shredded cheddar cheese and broil for 1-2 minutes to melt the cheese. Add a few sliced chives or green onions for garnish.

Nutrition