Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
This spin on classic pot pie with its creamy sauce, chunks of white meat chicken and soft veggies is held together with a crispy, golden tater tots in place of pie crust, so is a time saver on busy weeknights… and Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie Casserole feels like a nice warm hug for our bellies.
What is Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie Casserole?
In my house, we just love a piping hot chicken pot pie supper on a cold winter evening. The creamy sauce, the chicken, the veggies all wrapped up together with a crispy, flaky pie crust just warms us up from the inside out.
But on busy nights, I don’t have time to be roiling out pie dough, so I whip up this casserole with all of the same classic pot pie flavors, and top it off with delicious, golden tater tots.
What do you need to make Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie Casserole?
It looks like a lot of ingredients all listed out, but its all pantry staples, and it really does come together quickly, trust me!
- chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- butter
- half & half
- flour
- frozen corn
- frozen peas
- sliced carrots
- chicken broth (I like this brand)
- garlic powder
- paprika
- salt and pepper
- shredded cheddar cheese
- frozen tater tots I like “extra crispy” like these if you can find them, but any kind will work)
- large pot
- 9×13 pan
Want a time saving tip?…Cook your chicken ahead of time.
I usually make a big batch of chicken on Sunday when I have more time, and keep it in the fridge so that its super quick and easy to toss in recipes, sandwiches or on salads throughout the week.
My preferred method is poaching bc its quick, completely fool proof, and the chicken is sooooo juicy every time!
Take boneless, skinless chicken breasts and place them in a pot. Add enough water to cove them completely and then bring to a boil. Let simmer about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (not sure if its done…use a knife to cut into it and take a peak. If its still slightly pink, it needs a few more minutes).
Remove chicken from water and shred. You can either use two forks or I prefer to use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Place chicken in the bowl and use the paddle attachment. Start on a lower setting since the chicken is hot and wet and sometimes has a tendency to pop right out of the bowl! Once it starts to shred a bit, you can can increase the speed to medium.
Don’t have a stand mixer? A hand mixer and a large bowl work as well!
Place the shredded chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
How do you make Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie Casserole?
I always recommend measuring out all of your ingredients and spices before you start. This will speed up the process and also cut down on the stress and anxiety of trying to find what you need, AND measure it out while you have burners blazing and stuff bubbling!
Peel and slice your carrots. Measure out the veggies and place on a plate or in bowls and set to the side. Measure out all of the spices onto a plate and set to the side.
In a large pot, combine butter and carrots in a pan over medium heat and sauté until carrots start to soften. Wisk in flour (the sauce will thicken up).
Stir in half & half and all the spices. Add the chicken broth and simmer 4-5 minutes for sauce to thicken again.
Stir in the cooked chicken, peas and corn.
I prefer to shred my own cheese. While pre-shredded cheese is super quick and convenient, it’s typically coated a product that keeps it dry to prevent clumping in the bag, which also tends to prevent it from melting well. So even though it takes a bit longer, I always buy the big block of cheese and shred it up myself when I get home. My all-time favorite kitchen gadget is this slicer/shedder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer! It sheds the entire block of cheese in seconds. I keep it in ziplock baggie in fridge so you have I have it on hand when I need it just like a bag of the pre-shredded.
Add cheese and give everything one last stir to combine. Pour mixture into a buttered 9×13 baking dish.
Open the bag of tater tots and lay them on top of the chicken and veggie mixture. I prefer to do nice, neat rows so that each bite of the casserole gets a mouthful of crispy tot. But if you are in a hurry, you can also just shake them out. 🙂
Bake at 425 degrees for 25 mins or until tots are nice and golden. Let stand 5 mins before cutting into servings.
Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie
Equipment
- large pot
- 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 5 T butter
- 4 T flour
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 cup Half and Half
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1/4 t onion powder
- 1/4 t paprika
- 1/2 T salt
- 1/4 t pepper
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 bag frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Combine butter and carrots in a pan over medium heat and sauté until carrots start to soften.
- Wisk in flour and sauce will thicken up
- Stir in Half & Half and all the spices.
- Add chicken broth and simmer 4-5 minutes for sauce to thicken again.
- Stir in chicken, peas and corn. Add cheese and give everything one last stir to combine.
- Pour mixture into a buttered 9×13 baking dish.
- Top with the tater tots laid out in rows.
- Bake at 425 for 25 mins or until tots are nice and golden. Let stand 5 mins before serving.
