Chicken Tater Tot Casserole (Easy & Cheesy)

This chicken tater tot casserole is perfect for a busy weeknight. It has all the makings for a quick, easy, tasty recipe for your family - just when you need it most!

This casserole is similar to a chicken pot pie, but without the crust and much quicker and easier. The tater tots act as a sort of crust on the top.

Using frozen tater tots and mixed vegetables contribute to the quickness of this recipe - along with the canned cream soup. Takes only 35 minutes from start to finish!

Jump to:

• 💖 Why You'll Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💡 Tips
• 📖 Substitutions/Variations
• 🫙 Storing & Reheating
• 🍴 Serving Suggestions
• 🍲 More One Pot Recipes
• 📋 Recipe

💖 Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Quick - Just 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes in the oven. You can whip up a salad while the casserole is baking.
• Easy - Simple ingredients that are readily available, easy to put together.
• Everyone loves it - Even your picky eaters should love this tater tot casserole. Choose a veggie mix that they will eat, maybe with corn, and they'll gobble it up!

🥘 Ingredients

What You'll Need:

• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken or turkey (can used canned)
• 12 ounces mixed vegetables, frozen
• 21 ounces condensed cream soup (2 cans - 10.5 ounces each) - I used one can cream chicken and 1 can cream mushroom
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• black pepper
• paprika
• 16 ounces frozen tater tots

(See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and printable instructions)

🔪 Instructions

How to Make Chicken Tater Tot Casserole:

1. Prep time for this recipe is just about 10 minutes. This is the time it takes to gather all your ingredients and shred your cheese (if you aren't using already shredded).
2. You won't need to heat anything on the stove top - just preheat your oven while you mix together all the ingredients except for the tater tots and half the cheese.
3. Then, you will add the mixture to a 9 x 9 baking dish and spread to even it out.
4. Next comes the tater tots lined up on top just like soldiers. Place them in an even row touching (see image).
5. You don't want any gaps or you may not have enough room for them all.
6. Bake the tater tot casserole for 25 minutes uncovered, then top with the remaining cheese and cook uncovered just 5 minutes more to melt the cheese.

Then you're done!

While the casserole is cooking, you may want to whip up a quick salad to go along with it - or use already prepared bagged salad.

(Full printable recipe below)

💡 Tips

• No need to thaw any of the frozen ingredients - both the frozen mixed vegetables and the frozen tater tots are fine to leave frozen when putting the casserole together.
• I suggest that you use a mixed vegetable combo that your family will love. I used a pea, corn, green bean, and carrot mixture, but you may want to just use individual veggies to create your own mixture. As long as it's 12 ounces and what your family loves - it will turn out great!
• Don't use uncooked vegetables as they may not get done, especially carrots or green beans. Frozen vegetables are parboiled, so they are precooked a bit (and this is perfectly fine). If you want to precook a mixture of fresh, raw vegetables, simply boil in water for 5-10 minutes before adding to the rest of the ingredients (draining the water off first).
• You can use leftover chicken or turkey or canned. If using canned, make sure to drain off the liquid and break apart any large chunks of the meat before adding to the mixture. You can also cook some raw chicken if you don't have the other options - just make sure to cut in bite-sized pieces

📖 Substitutions/Variations

Vegetables - If you want to use canned vegetables instead of fresh or frozen, this would be okay (although I prefer frozen, as they taste fresher to me). Make sure to drain the vegetables before adding, as you don't want extra liquid.

It doesn't matter what vegetables you use in your veggie mix - I recommend using a mix that has the vegetables you and your family like.

For example, we don't like lima beans, so I stay away from mixes using them. However, if you and your family like them, use a mix that has them in it.

The veggie mix I used included green peas, carrots, corn, and green beans. I like this mix, and it turned out great.

If you choose what your family likes, your results should please your family.

Cheese - For the cheese, I prefer to use a sharp or extra sharp cheddar, as it adds more flavor than mild. But use what you have and what you prefer.

You could even try pepper Jack cheese to add a bit of spice. I bet this would be a delicious option!

Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheeses are other options you could choose, but these would not add as much flavor to the casserole as the other options above.

I also recommend that you freshly shred your cheese for best melting results.

However, if you need to save time or pre-shredded cheese is all you have - by all means, use what you have and save time where needed.

Cream Soup - Feel free to use the cream soup you have on hand. You can use store brand or name brand. Just like with the vegetable mixture you choose, the condensed cream soup variety depends on what your family likes.

You can use cream of mushroom, celery, or chicken or a mixture of these three. I used one can of cream of mushroom and one can cream of chicken for mine.

Chicken (or turkey) - If you don't have leftover chicken or turkey, you can either use canned chicken or you can cook some diced chicken breast meat before putting the casserole together.

The meat doesn't have to be shredded, but it's good to have it cut up into small, bite-sized pieces before adding to the casserole.

If using canned chicken, two 10-ounce cans (283 grams per can) are about the equivalent of the 2 cups of chicken called for in the recipe.

Just make sure to drain the chicken well before adding, and break up the chunks to where they are a bit shredded.

🫙 Storing & Reheating

You can store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, freezer for up to 3 months. Simply reheat covered leftovers on 350 for 15-20 minutes (depending on the quantity you're reheating).

🍴 Serving Suggestions

The best side dish for this tater tot casserole is a side salad or my Mediterranean Cucumber Salad.

This casserole is a one-pot meal that includes starches, protein, and vegetables - a complete meal in itself. So nothing else is really necessary. However, a side salad is always a welcome addition.

You can also serve with your choice of bread, like my Butter Biscuits or a loaf of crusty bread.

Leave me a message in the comments below and tell me how you like this chicken tater tot casserole and what type of cheese you used!

🍲 More One Pot Recipes

Chicken Divan Crock Pot Recipe

Beef Pie Recipe with Ground Beef

Tuna and Rice Casserole Recipe

📋 Recipe