The BEST Chicken Tater Tot Casserole Recipe (2024)

What do I need to make chicken tater tot casserole?

• Pre-cooked chicken – for this recipe, you can either use shredded chicken, store-bought rotisserie chicken or frozen pre-cooked chicken (pictured below). I personally like to use the hand-pulled rotisserie chicken breast meat from Costco (pictured below). Check out all the 15 Things I Buy at Costco for Healthy Meals and Snacks.
• Frozen tater tots – these are found in the frozen foods section with the rest of the frozen potatoes and French fries.
• Frozen peas and carrots – if you would prefer to use another vegetable other than peas and carrots, you could also use broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or a mix of all three.
• Cream of Chicken Soup – a traditional base in most casseroles, Cream of Chicken soup can also be substituted with Cream of Mushroom soup as well.
• Milk – any dairy milk, like skim, 2% or whole milk can be used.
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese – I used a mild cheddar cheese, however, feel free to use sharp cheddar, white cheddar, Monterrey Jack or any other cheddar blend.

For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe. Thanks!

Ingredient Substitutions and Recommendations:

• Vegetables – instead of the frozen peas and carrots, you could use frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or a vegetable mix. Canned vegetables can also be used.
• Soup – instead of cream of chicken soup, you could use another creamed soup option, like cream of mushroom, onion or celery. Rather use a home soup instead of canned? Check out this Homemade Cream of Chicken recipe by A Mind Full Mom.
• Tater Tots – if tater tots are unavailable, you could also use mini tots or frozen hash brown patties.
• Cheese – instead of shredded cheddar, you could also use sharp cheddar, shredded jack or any other shredded cheddar blend, like Mexican blend. You can also shred your own cheeses, if you prefer.

For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the recipe at the bottom of the post. Thanks!

• 2 (10.5 oz. cans) cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup milk skim, 2% or whole milk can be used
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups pre-cooked chicken diced or shredded
• 1 (16 oz. pkg.) frozen peas and carrots thawed
• 1 (8 oz. pkg.) shredded cheddar cheese divided
• 1 (32 oz. pkg.) frozen tater tots

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 x 13" baking dish with non-stick spray. Set prepared baking dish aside.

• In a mixing bowl, combine the soup, milk, salt and pepper until combined. Add in the chicken and thawed peas and carrots. (Frozen peas and carrots can be microwaved for 2-3 minutes until no longer frozen.) Stir ingredients together until well coated in the soup mixture.

• Pour the chicken and soup mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly with a rubber scraper into the bottom of the pan. Top the chicken mixture with 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, reserving the remaining 1/2 cup for topping the casserole. On top of the cheese layer, add on the package of frozen tater tots into an even layer. (Tots don't need to be thawed.)

• Bake the casserole for 28-30 minutes or until the tater tots are golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese on top of the tater tots. Bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

• Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Storage: Store baked and cooled casserole in the pan covered with press-and-seal wrap refrigerated. Casserole can also be stored in individual containers refrigerated. Kept refrigerated, casserole will keep for up to 5 days.

Freezing: Casserole can be prepped and frozen in aluminum freezer pans. Cover top with press-and-seal wrap and aluminum foil. Kept frozen, casserole will keep for up to three months. Thaw casserole completely before baking.