This slow cooker chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole is a delicious twist on the classic tater tot casserole most Midwesterners grew up enjoying. After rigorous testing, we’ve ironed out everything you need to make this dish easily and successfully. Our detailed directions and step-by-step photos will help you assemble and make a great slow cooker casserole the first time.
You really can’t go wrong with the flavor combination of chicken, bacon, ranch, and tater tots… a true comfort food for a cold winter day. And there’s just nothing better than hearty crockpot meals. Like our 4-ingredient slow cooker ravioli and our slow cooker white chicken chili with bacon, this easy crockpot chicken tater tot casserole has been a huge hit in our house!
Whether you’re looking for an easy dump and go recipe for busy weeknights, or just need a recipe to make dinner time easier, this crockpot tater tot casserole with chicken is sure to be a new family favorite.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love this Crockpot Tater Tot Casserole
- Crockpot Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients
- How to make Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole
- Chicken Bacon Tater Tot Casserole Variations
- How to serve Crockpot Chicken Bacon Ranch
- Storing Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
- Recipe FAQs
- Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
- Crockpot Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole
Why you’ll love this Crockpot Tater Tot Casserole
Simple Ingredients. All ingredients for this recipe should be easy to find in your local grocery store, Target, or Walmart.
Less than 10 Ingredients! Less ingredients = less fuss = less stress for you to make.
Dump and go recipe. Is there anything better than a slow cooker recipe that is low-maintenance? Simply layer your ingredients and let the slow cooker work it’s magic.
No canned soup. A lot of old school Midwestern casseroles call for a can of cream or mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup… but we’re upgrading our hotdish and skip the canned soup.
Crockpot Tater Tot Casserole Ingredients
- Frozen Tater Tots. You can’t have crock pot tater tot casserole without the tots! We like to use the ‘Extra Crispy’ kind, but you’re welcome to use your favorite variety.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts. Using chicken breast as our protein helps make this casserole a hearty meal. We also like that using a lean protein along with our more decadent tots and dairy adds balance to this dish.
- Bacon. We’ll be adding cooked, crispy bacon pieces into our casserole. You can save time by making your bacon ahead of time (we often will cook our bacon in the oven for breakfast the day before or day of making this casserole and reserve the number of pieces we need for our casserole recipe).
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese. You can use shredded cheese or grate a block of your favorite cheddar for this recipe. We generally grab the pre-shredded kind because it’s so convenient.
- Ranch Seasoning. We use a packet of ranch dressing seasoning mix, but you can definitely make your own if preferred! Most ranch seasonings have a combination of onion powder, dried dill, dried parsley, dried chives, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Sour Cream. Sour cream is a classic potato topping! It adds just the right amount of tang and creaminess to our easy tater tot casserole.
- Whole Milk. The splash of milk on top helps keep our tater tot chicken casserole nice and moist throughout cooking.
- Optional Toppings. We like to top our chicken tater tot casserole with diced fresh green onions or parsley and additional bacon pieces. But feel free to try any other topping you’d put onto a baked potato or potato skins!
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Helpful Equipment
You will need a slow cooker to make slow cooker tater tot casseroles. I use a 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker.
How to make Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole
Step 1: Cook your bacon in the oven or a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Place it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cooled, crumble or cut it into small pieces.
Step 2: Coat the inside of your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Then spread half of the frozen tater tots into a single layer on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Step 3: Sprinkle the tater tots with ½ of the bacon pieces and ⅓ of the shredded cheese.
Step 4: Place uncooked chicken cubes on top of the tater tot layer.
Step 5: Spread the sour cream into an even layer over the chicken.
Step 6: Sprinkle the chicken with the ranch seasoning, the other ½ of the bacon pieces, and another ⅓ of the cheddar cheese.
Step 7: Spread the rest of the frozen tater tots into an even layer over the chicken, ranch, bacon, and cheese layer.
Step 8: Top with the remaining ⅓ cheese and pour the milk over the top of the crock pot contents.
Step 9: Cook on HIGH for 3 hours (or LOW for 5-6 hours) or until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F.).
Step 10: Add optional toppings, serve warm, and enjoy!
Chicken Bacon Tater Tot Casserole Variations
- Use cream cheese instead of sour cream. If desired, swap out the sour cream with an 8oz block of cream cheese for an extra creamy sauce in your casserole.
- Buy pre-cooked bacon. If it’s easier for you to buy the pre-cooked bacon for this recipe instead of cooking bacon ahead of time, you won’t get any judgement from me!
- Top with a drizzle of ranch dressing. Amp up the ranch with an extra drizzle of your favorite ranch dressing for serving!
Possible Dietary Restrictions?
This cheesy chicken slow cooker tater tot casserole is gluten free as written! Please note, not all frozen tater tots are certified gluten free BUT Ore-Ida brand is! Be sure to check the label of your tater tots and ranch seasoning if serving to someone with celiac.
How to serve Crockpot Chicken Bacon Ranch
Make it a complete meal by serving your tater tot casserole with a side dish (or two!). I personally love serving this with:
- Green salad. Keep things simple with a side salad. They’re easy to customize to your tastes, and a great way to add veggies to your meal! Greens tossed in your favorite vinaigrette is always a nice addition to a meal.
- Steamed veggies. Green beans, broccoli, peas, or mixed vegetables are all great choices with this casserole. Using frozen steamer packs is a great weeknight hack to make your life easy.
Storing Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Store leftover chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave until the casserole has reached your desired temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Since we’ve used a minimal amount of liquids in our slow cooker casserole (unlike the original, soup-filled tater tot casserole), you shouldn’t have to worry about your casserole getting soggy. However, if you are struggling with this, you could try cooking the dish a little longer to help more moisture to evaporate. You could also try stirring in some additional shredded cheese to help absorb some of the extra moisture.
Yes! Slow cookers and crockpots are designed to cook raw meats. The combination of direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking time, and the creation of steam during the cooking process destroys bacteria. Before eating, check the meat with a food thermometer to make sure it has reached a safe internal temperate to destroy bacteria. For chicken, that temperature is 165°F.
Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
Crockpot Chicken Bacon Ranch Tater Tot Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32 ounce bag of frozen tater tots)
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
- 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 2 Cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 oz packet of ranch seasoning
- ½ Cup sour cream (preferably full fat)
- ½ Cup whole milk
- Optional toppings: diced fresh green onion, diced parsley, additional crumbles of crispy cooked bacon, a drizzle of ranch dressing, etc.
Instructions
- Cook your bacon in the oven or a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Place it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cooled, crumble or cut it into small pieces.
- Coat the inside of your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Layer half of the frozen tater tots into the basin of your crock pot and spread them into a single layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with ½ of the bacon pieces and ⅓ of the shredded cheese.
- Place uncooked chicken cubes on top of the tater tot layer. Spread the sour cream over the chicken and then sprinkle the chicken with the ranch seasoning, the other ½ of the bacon pieces, and another ⅓ of the cheese.
- Spread the rest of the frozen tater tots into an even layer over the chicken layer and top with the remaining ⅓ cheese.
- Pour the milk over the top of the crock pot contents.
- Cook on HIGH for 3 hours (or LOW for 5-6 hours) or until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F.).
- Add optional toppings, serve warm, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use cream cheese instead of sour cream. If desired, swap out the sour cream with an 8oz block of cream cheese for an extra creamy sauce in your casserole.
- Buy pre-cooked bacon. If it’s easier for you to buy the pre-cooked bacon for this recipe instead of cooking bacon ahead of time, please do!
ashley baumgartner says
if im doing 24 servings of this do i just keep adding layers until my ingredients are all used up or do i need to stick to the bottom layer of tots and then the top and if only the two layers of tots do i layer the rest of the inside stuff unti used up
and also what is the serving size im making this for a church gathering but there is only gonna be 13 ppl there plus deserts is 24 servings gonna be over kill
Meredith says
Hi Ashley! Love that you’re making this for a church gathering, I’m sure everyone will love it! If I were doing this, I would use two crockpots to make the 2x or 3x version of this recipe for your 13 guests – that will make 16 or 24 servings (are you able to borrow another large crockpot from a friend or neighbor?). If you’re going to 3x it, spread over 2 crockpots that would only add 1 layer… which I think will work out just fine (but please note, I have not done this myself). I can’t wait to hear how this turns out for you!
Kimberly Wood says
Can I make this in the oven?
Meredith says
Hi Kimberly, this is a great question! I have not personally tried to make this recipe in the oven, but I would expect it to work well! If I were going to try this, I would preheat my oven to 350°F and layer my ingredients into a greased 9×13 baking pan. Based on the different surface area, I would spread half of my tots into a layer on the bottom, place the rest of my layering ingredients over the tots, and top with the remaining tater tots and sprinkle cheese. I would start baking it for 35 minutes, and then check-in to see how the tots are browning, continuing to bake as needed. Please let me know if you give this a try, I’d love to hear how the oven method works for you!
Marge says
My family really enjoyed this recipe, thanks! Will make again.
Meredith says
So happy your family enjoyed this crockpot tater tot casserole too 🙂
Meredith says
such a fun dinner recipe!
Susan says
Looks delicious and I’m already planning it as one of my football meals this weekend!
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear this Susan – let me know how it goes!!
Ginny Housum says
Meredith, your mom is a friend of mine, and I have been very worried about her. I am hoping for the best with her chemo. In the meantime, your recipe sounds fabulous and I am going to make it this weekend, when it is going to be freezing cold out! Thanks for sending it out. My mouth was watering when I saw the pictures. Do you think your mom could digest while she is getting chemo?
Meredith says
Hi Ginny – that’s so sweet of you! So far so good with my mom 🙂
Glad you’re adding this tater tot casserole to your weekend meal plan!
David says
Ate several test batches of this one. Can confirm it’s deliciousness as written.
But, if you want to really go nuts, I went and topped my last bowl with smoked pork shoulder and BBQ sauce. Unbelievable.
Meredith says
As always, thanks for taste testing! And coming up with EXTRA topping ideas 🙂