Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole |Cooking With Amanda

Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole Photo

I was on Facebook the other day, which is nothing new. Anytime I have three seconds of free time I seem to open Facebook. It's ridiculous and I wish I could make it stop. But, anyway.

I was on Facebook, scrolling through my newsfeed, when one of my friends said something along the lines of "you know you've given up trying when you make a tater tot casserole for dinner."

So, I did what any rational adult would do. I went to the grocery store and I bought bags and bags of crispy, delicious tater tots and then I came home and turned them into casseroles. I don't care what you think of my 1970s casseroles. I love them.

Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole Picture

Remember my sloppy joe tater tot casserole? Ugh. I can't even. It's so good and every single person in my house devours it. That's a major win.

But, sweet and tangy beef wasn't what I wanted. No. I wanted spicy chicken. With ranch. Because ranch is always the answer.

So, I snagged myself a rotisserie chicken at the store. I'm pretty obsessed with starting dinner with a rotisserie chicken. They're cheap, they're easy, and best of all - they're cheap and easy.

I then coated the pulled chicken in some cream cheese and Frank's Red Hot. I stirred in a little ranch seasoning mix too, because hey, why not? Also, veggies. Lots o' veggies.

Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole Image

Notice how my casserole is missing a key ingredient? No cream of crap canned soup! I swapped in cream cheese instead. It makes things just as creamy and tasty, but without the weirdness of a can of soup. Although, for future reference, my homemade cream of chicken soup is the perfect substitute for those recipes that do call for cans of soup.

Anyway, after I made the filling, I topped it all with some tater tots. You don't have to arrange them quite as pretty as I did, but I like the way it looks. If you're in a time crunch, just toss 'em on and try to spread them into a single layer.
Even the tots get a little dose of the ranch seasoning powder. Good times, my friends.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as we do! If you can't handle the spice, this chicken noodle casserole might be more your speed. Of course, my gnocchi casserole is always a hit, too!

Print Save

Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

Embed

Ingredients

1 8 ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup frank's red hot sauce
1 packet ranch seasoning, divided
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced
12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound package frozen tater tots

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the cream cheese, hot sauce, and 2 tablespoons of the ranch seasoning to the skillet and stir until melted and combined.
Remove from heat and stir in the chicken and vegetables. Stir to coat in the cream cheese mixture. Spread mixture evenly across the pan.
Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
Top with a single layer of tater tots and sprinkle remaining ranch seasoning over the tots.
Bake for 25 minutes or until tots are crispy.