Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tater Tot Bake is a delicious and super easy meal to put together. Your whole family will love it!
CROCK POT CHEESY CHICKEN, BACON & TATER TOT BAKE!
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Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tator Tot Bake was a huge hit with my family. I love rainy days, especially in fall in Arizona, because we have ridiculously hot summers, and cool rainy days are awesome after such hot temperatures. We love to get outside and enjoy the weather, and that’s when my best crock pot recipes come in handy!
A couple weeks ago, my son was really sick and we were taking it easy at home. He was so sick that he missed baseball practice. In my son’s world, nothing will stop him from playing baseball, so he was really sick. It was heartbreaking! My husband went to play golf, but they stopped playing after six holes because of the rain, and my daughter was at a friend’s house all day. It was a crock pot kind of day, so I made a Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tator Tot Bake.
This dinner so easy to make and everyone loved the combination of flavors! You can’t really go wrong with bacon, chicken, and cheese, though. All you do is layer the ingredients in the slow cooker, set it, and forget it. Then a few hours later you have a comforting meal that you’ll want to make again and again! Easy casserole recipes for the win!
Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tater Tot Bake
Ingredients
- One 32 ounce bag frozen tater tots
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 cups 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese or Colby jack cheese blend
- 2/3 cup 2% milk whole milk would be fine too
Instructions
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Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Once bacon cools, crumble it into small pieces, and set it aside.
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Coat the inside of your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.
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Dump half the frozen tater tots into the crock pot, and spread into an even layer. Top tots with 1/3 of the cheese and 1/2 the crumbled bacon.
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Place uncooked chicken on top of the tater tot layer. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Top chicken with 1/3 of the cheese.
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Spread remaining tater tots over the chicken layer. Top with remaining bacon and cheese. Pour milk over the top of the dish.
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Cover your crock pot and cook on HIGH on 3 hours, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
You can cut down on your prep time buy using ready to serve (cooked) bacon as well.
If you liked this don’t forget these!
Sweet Bacon Tator Tots
Crock Pot Pizza Dip
Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes
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Looks delicious!! I’ll be adding this to the menu! Thanks ladies! Pinning, too!
Thank you Cindy and thanks for pinning too! It is really yummy!
Do you cook the chicken first before you put in the pot?
Nope.
Nope, but depending on your show cookery 3 hours may not be long enough.
My boy loves Tots! I think he’d enjoy this. Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
Thank you Cindy! My whole family loved this meal, so I think your boy would too! Enjoy!
Do you put the tater tots in frozen or let them thaw first?
Hi Jessica,
I put them in frozen! 🙂
Hi I am from Ireland, I have never heard of tater tots, what is it?
it’s basically a form of french fries except i would say its more similar to hashbrown? thats the best way i can think to descibe it 🙂
I believe that is the website address. Ore ida makes French fries, potato crowns, tater tots, sweet potato fries, hash browns and various other potato products that we can find in the frozen food dept at our grocery stores here in the U.S. You can make a variety of recipes with them in your oven or your Crock Pot / Slow Cooker that are delicious! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😊😊😊😊😊
Do u put the chicken breast in thawed raw or precooked?? Does it gal about our should u cut it up first? ?
The chicken goes in raw. If you’d like to reduce the cooking time, you can cut it into bite sized pieces first.
Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Bacon Tater Tot Bake – were the chicken breasts cooked prior to putting them in the crock pot. Whether raw or already cooked, did you cut them into pieces before layering? Thanks
They were raw going into the crock pot but not cut up. I have heard from other readers that had better luck cutting them up. I think the cooking time is affected if the breasts are thick.
Do you think it would work on low for 8 hours?
The recipe says 3-4 hours on high, and 3 was perfect for me, so if on low, a little less than 8 might work. I would check it after 6 or 7 hours. I always find that my crock pot cooks faster than what recipes say.
I’ll have seconds please! =) LOVE all the yummy flavors in this easy dish. So glad you shared at Weekend Potluck. We’d love it if you’d link back to the party within your post…(that qualifies you for being featured). Please do come back soon.
Thank you so much The Better Baker!!! It is so yummy! I will add a link in my post!!!
Do you put the bacon in already cooked then?
Yes, the bacon should already be cooked. If you want to save a step you can buy bacon already cooked at the grocery store now. Usually, near the salad stuff or I’ve found it at Costco.
Did you use frozen chicken breasts or thawed?
Caitlin, I used thawed chicken breasts!
I made it with frozen chicken breasts…by the time the chicken was cooked the rest was extremely overcooked. Still edible, but dry. Next time I’m starting with thawed chicken breasts.
I was really good, my picky eater loved it!! I cooked it all the same way but I did the chicken alittle different. After I cut up my chicken in cubes I mixed the chicken in cream of mushroom before adding it in the crock pot. Was awesome thanks for sharing!
This looks great!! I love it even better that you can make it in the crockpot!
Thanks! Aren’t crock pots the best! 🙂
Do you cut up the chicken breasts or leave them whole?
Beth, I left the chicken breasts whole.
We just tried this I diced up about 6 brests and it turned out great. She also added frozen peas, corn and carrots. And we’re bacon lovers so I cooked and diced 1 lb of bacon we also used a 8 qt. crockpot.
I’m so glad Bryan!!!
Sounds yummy even with changes. I found that if you thin out the size of the breast it is not so thick in the middle.
Great thanks Shirley!
Do you cook the bacon first?
Yes, Midori. We use cooked bacon in this recipe.
Can the bacon be put in uncooked, or should it be precooked?
We used the precooked crumbles you can get at the store. If you use your own I would cook it first so that it’s crispy. 🙂
i wonder if you can use chicken broth in place of milk i think it would turn it into i nice creamy gravy sauce yum i will be making this tonight for dinner . thx for the post
We used cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup…just thinned out out a bit…made nice creamy gravy to it..
Does this get Crispy??
On the pictures, the tater tots look crispy….Do they really get crispy in the crock pot?
Yes they do, not quite the same crispiness you would achieve in the oven but as long as you don’t excessively stir and break them up you will get a great consistency from them.
I used Hormel Real bacon bits. Made this last night for dinner. It was excellent!
Also, if you work all day like me, I put my crock-pot to low (instead of high)
cooked for 6-8 hrs (instead of 3-4 on high)Mine actually cooked for 8hrs, and turned out
excellent!!
I’m so glad you liked it Gabby! Thanks. 🙂
I still would like to know, when using real bacon, do you have to pre- cook the bacon?
Yes, the bacon is precooked Andrea.
Yes precook the bacon.
Awesome! thank you! i was actually reading the comments, wondering if anyone made it on low for 8 hours because that works better for people who work 🙂 thanks!
Making this as we speak!! =) TY for posting this!!
Thank you ladies! I need these type of meals for the “mom’s running around with her head cut off today” days ~~ and tomorrow just happens to be one of those days 🙂
Made this tonight and both my husband and I liked it! I’m thinking next time I will add vegetables and cook longer at a lower heat. I WILL be sharing this recipe with family and friends 🙂
I made this tonight after work and the loved it. It cooked in 3 hours and it was inexpensive. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked it Joylynn!
Do you think if I pre cooked the chicken then added it would turn out the same? I dont like cooking raw foods with others, just my thing….or do I need the juices from the chicken to help with it cooking the tots?
Mary I think if you pre cook the chicken it will be dry by the time you take it out of the slow cooker.
This may be silly question but is bacon and chicken cooked first?
Not silly at all. The bacon is precooked but not the chicken. If you have thick chicken breasts you may want to cut them in half to make them more thin.
Ok Thanks for the advice won’t pre cook then 🙂
how many does it serve ??
Could you use hamburger or ground turkey instead of the chicken breasts for variety? It looks great – Thank you!!
I just turned on my crockpot 🙂 im nervous. I used the cubed frozen potatoes instead. Tator tots have corn flour listed as an ingredient and hubby cant have flour. I hope it still turns out ok! I will let you know lol
I made this today and I guess I’m the only one that didn’t have it come out right. I followed the directions and after 4 hours, the chicken was not done. The internal temp was only at 130. I have made many chicken crock pot recipes and this is the first time it hasn’t been ready earlier than it said it would. I think next time, I will use less chicken and a little more milk maybe.
Anyone else have problems? I’m puzzled.
Leslee, I had the same problem!!! It took more like 5-6 hrs on high and my crock pot is usually fast.
It was YUMMY though
My friend had the same problem. She had cut the chicken up into pieces. It took 5-6hrs for it to be done. She missed bringing it to the potluck.
I made this yesterday for dinner, cooked in three hours and everyone loved it so much I am making another pot today!! what a great recipe!!!
Leslee did you use frozen or thawed chicken?
Thawed. I was finally able to pull the chicken apart with a fork, about an hour ago. We’ll just have it for dinner, instead of lunch. :o)
Maybe your chicken breasts were thick?
This dish
is also very good made with ham instead of chicken.
This dish looks yummy but my husband does not like chicken. What a bummer, because I love chicken. What else could you make this with? Pork Chops?
I will be making this tomorrow! Could you use different kinds of cheese? Like cheddar or mozzarella.
How many servings does this make. I have 5 adults and 2 toddlers to feed. I’m wondering if I need to double it or not. Can’t wait to try it, sounds great!
I would recommend doubling the recipe. The leftovers were pretty awesome too. I made one similar to this before, but used cream of mushroom instead of milk.
I came across this recipe on my facebook newsfeed, and I gonna make it tomorrow for dinner. I cant wait to try it. Sounds so yummy.
This was super easy and the kids loved it!! Thanks for making my Saturday a lot easier!
Always looking for good tested crockpot meals as I love dinner made when I get off work.
Isn’t that the best!
Ok so I can’t get monterey jack pepper cheese in Australia, so I just used grated premix pizza cheese and added 3/4 teaspoon ground chilli flakes. Also only had chicken tenderloins (used 1kg). It was delicious! Even my fussy 20yr old son ate it.
What about in the oven??
Sarah I just tried it in the oven. Turned out pretty good I would say. It was a bit of an experiment but I baked at 425 for a little over an hour in a 9×13 pan. I did cover it part way thru once the top layer of tots got crispy on the top. Good luck.
I was wondering if it was cooked in the oven, I thought I would cover it first, then uncovered for the last 30 minutes, also 425 seems high, any suggestions?
I made this a couple days ago and the only complaint I have is that the tator tots on the bottom got mushy. Will probably not put as much milk in next time. My husband liked it also.
Thanks Debra!
I think am going to add Black beans to this. I add Black beans to almost everything. I will let you know how it turns out
It’s a hit! They like the black beans too. I only had 3-kind Cheddar and some pepper jack. I used deboned thighs as the guys in my house find breasts to be too dry. Smells amazing! I will definitely make this again!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Trying this in the crock pot today. Doing the low setting though instead of the high. I also used cream of chicken soup mixed with a little bit of milk. Thought it might add a little more flavor! Will let y’all know how it turns out!
Was it good with the cream of chicken soup? Or did it cause the tator tots to not become crispy enough?
Am making this today. Can’t wait to try it. It sounds so yummy and easy. Only pre cooking I need to do is cook bacon. Should have gotten the precooked bacon for this.
What about throwing in some frozen broccoli?
I bet that would taste great!
How did the frozen broccoli turn out? I wanna add a vegetable to it, but worries frozen vegetable will make it too watery/soupy.
Trying this today. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Thanks Stacey this is delicious!
Making the second pot today and trying with a marinated chicken breast using Sweet Baby Rays and Franks buffalo wing sauce. :0)
how does freezing the left overs work? I live alone and will need to make up left overs.
Leslie, thanks for the oven directions. I have everything ready to put this together, but an active little one prevented me from getting in the crockpot. I was wondering about the oven so I’m going to go put it together and throw it in the oven right now!
So good and easy to make. Thanks for sharing:-)
I made this today! It was amazing! I am gonna try it with ham next time. Thank you!
Oooo, ham sounds great! Thanks Amy.
trying this tomorrow night…can’t wait
Awesome! Let us know how it turns out Kelly. 🙂
I am definitely trying this over the weekend!!! I usually use the warm setting if I go to work, so things don’t over cook as I am going for 12 hours.
This looks great! However we’re a household of 2 so that’s a lot of food for just us… do you think it would work out halved? Maybe reduce the cooking time?
You could halve it but the cooking time should stay the same. You want to make sure that the chicken is cooked all the way.
Do you think it’d turn out halved?
I made this last night for the Super Bowl. It sure looked like it was going to be good but ended up being a bit bland. I also found that cooking it in the slow cooker never allowed the tots to get really crisp. I pulled out the slow cooker pot and put it in the oven to finish. I will make it again, but I will add chopped green onions and perhaps some cream cheese for flavor. I will also cook it in a big pan in the oven, rather than a slow cooker, so it crisps up nicely.
Im not a real big fan of bacon but everything else looks great. You think not adding bacon will ruin it?
Ive got it in the crockpot now… have no choice but low for 8 hours so fingers crossed! Also instead of salt and pepper on the chicken I sprinkled some dry ranch packet over it! Cant wait to try!
I just assembled this in my crock pot. Does the lid need to be on the entire time? Does it need to be stirred?
You do want to keep the lid on the entire time and stirring isn’t necessary. Crock pots need to have the heat build up inside. If you take off the lid you will add to your cooking time.
Am making it now but my chicken was a little frozen yet so am hoping…does this need to be mixed up after cooking?
My family loved this recipe! Made it tonight. However I had to cool it on high for 6 hours to have cooked chicken!
Thanks Kellli!
This was really a good dish. Left overs heat up well. Have passed it on and it has been a hit for them as well.
Thanks so much! I love hearing that. 🙂
Amazing dinner. Made it last night and leftovers tonight. Its really good to add sour cream and bacon bits on top
I bet that was good! Thanks Katelynn. 🙂
This looks amazing! Pinning to my Recipes to Try board before my oldest son eats the phone, this looks so good!
Thanks Tanya!
This dish looks toooooo yummy but my DH does not like chicken and that is a bummer because I love chicken. What other meat could you make this with?
How about pork chops?
Absolutely Amazing! We exchanges the cheeses , with Colby jack and pepper jack! Wow! I’m following you ! Thank you so much! Three hours were Perfect!
This sounded so yummy but I didn’t have any tator tots and didn’t have time to run to the store (I have a 3 week old son!) so I cut some hashbrown patties up instead! Also used Mrs. Dash seasoning on the chicken. Just waiting to see if it turns out! 🙂
Congrats on the little monkey! I hope you liked it.
Could I use frozen chicken breasts? I’m guessing no, but might as well ask!
I don’t think it would cook in time for you Hannah. I’d defrost the chicken first.
What kind of side dishes did you have with this? Bought the stuff to make it tomorrow?
How many will this serve? Im having a dinner party with 2 females and our children, ages 1.5, 3.5, 8, and 12, all boys. Wondering if I should double?
It makes quite a bit but you could double and have the leftovers later. 🙂
Made this today and it was a hit. I do have one issue we had a ton of tater tots left over would it be wise to cut down next time?
Do you cook the chicken, tater tots or Bacon at all before you put them in the crock pot, or do you put it in as is?
This is on our menu for tonight & I can’t wait!! This is the 2nd time we’ve had it and our whole family loves it!! I have 2 boys ages 4 & 2 and they even loved it! thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!!!!!
Even better….. use a crock pot liner!
I’m hungry just reading this recipe! I am going to make this for my family soon, it looks really yummy! Thanks for sharing.
I made this for my family tonight and they loved it!
Can’t wait to try this. I am wondering if it would work okay using meat pulled from an already cooked rotisserie chicken? Should I change the time it cooks – or cook it on low? Thanks for sharing!
That’s a good question. You may want to cook it a little less time so the chicken doesn’t dry out.
Do you put the chicken and everything in raw?
Yes, all goes in raw except the bacon crumbles.
My whole family loved this recipe!!! This is in my weekly rotation. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I always double the recipe so that I can have leftovers for work, which by the way, tastes great!! 🙂
My family loves this meal and it’s perfect for those days when I know I’ll be running late at work.
Quick question, not sure if it was asked previously, and if so, I do apologize.
What about adding a ranch packet to the mix, would that add some ranch flavor, do you think?
Thanks!
Is this freezable? I mean when I make it unless I make half it will be too much so can I freeze it in servings so when we want some we can just heat it up? If not then I will just make half portion. But cannot wait to try it.
Made this with tonight and topped it with some country gravy!! Very good, will make again!!:-)
We like it spicy, so am going to add some hatch green chiles to the mix! yum!
i am making it right now and using bone in chicken like legs and thighs instead of boneless! I will update how it turns out 🙂
I haven’t tried this yet but plan on it, I just wanted to share a helpful hint. Many people say their chicken breasts get dried out in crockpot recipes and mine always did too until I read about this helpful suggestion that works: a couple hours or even overnight , before making your recipe, soak your chicken breasts in a bowl of salty water. Before you use them rinse well. This keeps the moisture in the meat!
What about chicken tenders? They would probably cook better?
What a great idea!! It was soo good! I use slightly more than a pound so next time I think I will cut the raw chicken into chunks.
This meal was amazingly delicious!! I recommend this to anyone who likes cheese, chicken bacon and tator tots!!
I’m making this right now! I added some ranch seasoning I hope it turns out okay. Fingers crossed!!
I made this in the oven tonight baked on 375°F for about 45 minutes. Instead of milk I just drizzled a little half and half over the dish before cooking and I used a 3oz package of bacon pieces instead of fresh bacon. It came out so good! Thank you for the recipe! I think I may try to drizzle ranch dressing before baking next time for some extra zing.
Uh…yumm!!!!
I made it with frozen turkey meatballs. My family loved it!
Do you need 2 cups of cheese or 8 ounces? I thought 2 cups would be 16 ounces?
2 cups of shredded cheese is equal to 8 ounces. The ounces are by weight and the cups are by volume. 🙂
I liked this meal overall, but didn’t feel like the chicken went well with it. Maybe would have preferred something a little more flavorful like sausage instead? The bacon in it was delicious though. Thanks for sharing!
I just made and ate this…oh my!!! I will definitely be making this again!!! So good and pretty easy to do.
I added frozen veggies to mine. Still cooking but looks and smells good😊
I’m making this for dinner! Was wondering where in the layering would I place frozen mixed vegetables?
Hi Nancy! If you’d like to add veggie in the mix, I’d put them in on top of the chicken, before the cheese.
I’m going to make this for dinner tonight but will be placing cooked, crumbled Turkey bacon, half diced Turkey ham & half diced chicken breasts instead of chicken alone, & ranch seasoning instead of salt & pepper along with the milk in the crockpot by themselves. I will bake the tater tots later & mix them in because I want to avoid the soggy complaints. Will let you know how it turns out :). Sounds delicious :). Thanks!
With the use of the Turkey ham in conjuction with the chicken no salt, pepper, OR ranch seasoning was necessary! Turned out great & will make again!! Thanks!
We dont eat tater tots . What else can be used ? Would like to make this recipe . Maybe thick cut fries , like steak fries or so? Or it must be tots because of the shreaded pieces?
I’m not going to lie here, I read the title of this recipe and said out loud to my husband, “Holy —-. look at this. ” Toys looks nothing short of dangerous. My only qualm about making it is that i might actually eat the entire crock pot by myself! I think it’s safe to say this will be happening in my kitchen very soon. even though tater tots are not something I’m in the habit of keeping in the house, i think I’ll make an exception for this big pot of deliciousness.
I made this recipe over the weekend! This was so yummy even my grandparents LOVED IT!! I had enough for 2 meals! Very good!!!! I used pre-cooked bacon to save time.
Absolutely delicious! Pretty much followed all of the instructions but instead of spraying with non stick spray I used the leftover bacon fat. I loved how easy it was to make this! I topped the finished product with sour cream because who doesn’t love potatoes with cheese and sour cream. My husband added some hot sauce to his and it became his favorite dish! will definitely be making this more often.
I added onions and season salt let’s hope it turns out
I am making this right now and can’t wait to try it. We added a ranch dressing package over the chicken and cooked an entire pound of bacon. I also added a bit more cheese to each layer. Excited to serve this to the kids tonight and see what they think!
Thanks for the yummy recipe!! I made it tonight minus the chicken, and we ate it with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. It was a HIT !!!
Made this a couple of times and people love it. Only change I made was I brush the bacon grease in the crock pot instead of using spray. Great recipe, thank you!
I substituted cream of chicken soup instead of milk. It turned out pretty well.
This dish looks delicious! I am wanting to make this, but noticed there is a difference with the ingredients in the video and in the recipe link. Here is what I noticed that was different.
1. Video shows that you use both cheeses. Recipe says to use Cheddar or Colby Jack.
2. The video shows you adding garlic and onion powder but they are not listed in the written recipe. The measurements for these ingredients would be nice as well.
Could you please clarify these differences for me?
Thank you.
Hi Tamara. This recipe has been amped up over the years. Thank you for reminding us to update the recipe card! You’ll need 1 teaspoon each of the onion and garlic powders. For the cheese, you can use all of one type of cheese or a combination of both the cheeses listed, as long as it’s 2 cups total. Hope this helps!
Making this tonight! But we’re using Ranch seasoning instead on the chicken!
I don’t see in the directions when to use the onion and garlic powder. When do those go in?
Sorry about that Mindy! Thank you for catching that and letting us know. We’ve updated the recipe card. The garlic & onion powder get sprinkled over the chicken along with the salt and pepper.
I am cooking this as I type and so far it smells amazing! My boyfriend had picked up a package of thinly sliced chicken breasts and I was already in the process of cooking when I realized they were so thin, but instead of cutting these extremely thin breast slices up I lined three across as the chicken layer. I am sure the thinness of the chicken will speed up the cook time significantly, so am keeping a watchful eye on the whole thing. So far just the scent wafting off this as it cooks is irresistible! I can’t wait to serve it up and see if my resident critic (my boyfriend) gives it two thumbs up or down…but judging from how it is smelling I doubt he will gripe over diddly squat with this meal!
Thanks for posting!
Can you use the chicken breast in can? It’s already cut up?
I wouldn’t. It’ll get seriously overcooked.
Sounds delicious, but I’m wondering if the tater tots on top will actually brown in the crockpot. Has anyone tried this in the oven? If do please specify directions.
Hi Dar. The tater tots won’t crisp up in the crock pot. There’s too much moisture being help inside. Inf you did this as a casserole in the oven, you could everything but the tots and half the cheese in a 9×13-inch dish, cover with tots and then cheese. Bake according to the package for the tots. As long as the chicken is cut into small pieces it should cook through with everything else. Whole chicken breasts will need longer than the tots. We haven’t make it this way, but just from making casseroles and stuff, it should work well. Check the chicken with a meat thermometer before removing from the oven. 🙂
Just made this today for dinner! AMAZING!!! The only thing I did different was use seasoned salt instead of regular salt. I’ll be making this in a regular basis.!