Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
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If it's game day, you gotta have Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole on the table. This sassy appetizer combines two popular tailgate foods to create the ultimate game day snack!
You'll love the flavor of buffalo chicken dip and bacon tater tots baked together in one easy skillet. It can be served as an appetizer or a dinner entree too! You will also love these Loaded Tater Tots that are easy to make for parties and events.
Why It's a Winner!
Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole is a mash up of everyone's favorite football party foods. Crispy tater tots meet zesty buffalo chicken dip while still hanging out with blue cheese dip. It's an interesting combo, and worth every bite!
This entire skillet dish is topped with blue cheese crumbles, bacon, dressing and green onions. It can be scooped out with chips, served with celery sticks, or dipped with a big spoon. It might even remind you of the infamous Minnesota Hotdish (with a twist)!
Ingredients You'll Need
Here's what you'll need for this easy recipe:
- frozen tater tots - the star of this dish
- shredded cheddar cheese - tops the tater tots
- cream cheese - gives the dip its creamy base
- buffalo sauce - mild, yet sassy spice
- rotisserie chicken - makes things easy
- blue cheese or ranch dressing - cools things down
- blue cheese crumbles - adds a little bite
- bacon - because everything's better with bacon
- green onions - the crowning touch
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
- Place frozen tater tots in the bottom of a cast iron skillet or casserole dish.
- Cover tots with shredded cheddar.
- Mix cream cheese and buffalo sauce together with a mixer. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Fold in chicken.
- Spoon chicken mixture over cheese on top of tots. Crumble bacon over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until bubbly.
- Mix blue cheese or ranch dressing with half of the blue cheese crumbles.
- Top tater tots with dressing, other half of the blue cheese crumbles, and green onions.
- Serve hot with tortilla chips, celery sticks, or just dip and eat with a fork.
Top Tips
- Spray the cast iron skillet with cooking spray before adding tater tots to avoid sticking.
- Using rotisserie chicken is more convenient and saves a ton of time, but if not handy, any type of cooked chicken will work.
- If freezing, do so before baking and leave off the ranch dressing, blue cheese and green onions until after it's baked.
Variations
Using frozen tater tots and rotisserie chicken helps this dish come together quickly. For a fun twist, try making Buffalo Chicken Fries or Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Meatballs instead!
If you like this recipe, try Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake which is a great potluck dish to take to tailgate party along with Smoked Jalapeno Poppers and Pellet Grill Meatloaf.
Recipe FAQS
Sure! If you're not a fan of blue cheese, use pepper jack instead, or just add more shredded cheddar. Use blue cheese dressing instead of ranch, or plain sour cream for a completely different taste.
Buffalo sauce is usually a mild to medium spice depending on what brand you choose. I recommend Ken's buffalo sauce or Frank's for best results.
If you want the tater tots to be crispy, you'll need to bake them as directed on the package before adding them to the skillet.
Storage and Freezing
Leftovers: store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350 degree oven until heated throughout.
Freezing: freeze this entire dish before baking in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When it's time to serve, thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight, then bake at 350 degrees as directed in the recipe. Be sure to put the ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles on AFTER baking because they don't freeze well.
Serving Suggestions
Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole makes the perfect appetizer for parties of all shapes and sizes. It's easy to serve in one cast iron skillet, and even more fun to eat!
If you love this delicious game day appetizer, check out my other tailgate treats that go great together. The recipes below go well together and create a tasty appetizer buffet:
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Recipe Card
Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Ingredients
- 32 oz. bag frozen tater tots
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken diced
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 5 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- 6 slices cooked bacon chopped
- ½ cup green onions chopped
Instructions
- Place frozen tater tots in the bottom of a cast iron skillet or casserole dish.
- Cover tots with shredded cheddar.
- Mix cream cheese and buffalo sauce together with a mixer. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Fold in chicken.
- Spoon chicken mixture over cheese on top of tots. Crumble bacon over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until bubbly.
- Mix ranch dressing with half of the blue cheese crumbles.
- Top tater tots with dressing, other half of the blue cheese crumbles, and green onions.
- Serve hot with tortilla chips, celery sticks, or just dip it out and eat with a fork.
Notes
- Spray the skillet with cooking spray beforehand to avoid sticking.
- Using rotisserie chicken makes this dish come together quicker.
- Leftovers: store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350 degree oven until heated throughout.
- Freezing: freeze this entire dish before baking in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When it's time to serve, thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight, then bake at 350 degrees as directed in the recipe. Be sure to put the ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles on AFTER baking because they don't freeze well.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
Perfect crowd pleaser. This would be great at my next party.
Great for game days!
This recipe looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!