Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tater Tot Bake
This Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tater Tot Bake takes everyone’s favorite ingredients and combines them to make one tasty meal!
With a list of ingredients like this, it doesn’t take a food critic to know that Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tater Tot Bake will be a smash hit at the dinner table. Layer all of these delicious ingredients into your crock pot, set it and forget it for three hours, and come back to the perfect family dinner indulgence. This is probably the ultimate easy casserole recipe.
LONG NAME, SIMPLE DISH
Chicken, cheese, bacon and tots- oh my! When a recipe title lists its ingredients out like this, you know that they are all equally important- and delicious! This tater tot bake recipe has the added bonus of being ridiculously easy to make too!
If you love creamy chicken and bacon, you won’t be able to resist Crock Pot Crack Chicken or Crack Chicken Sliders.
OTHER RECIPES TO SERVE WITH A CHEESY TATER TOT BAKE
- Broccoli Salad – This sweet and crunchy Broccoli Salad is my go-to side for carb-heavy dishes.
- Green Beans with Bacon – It’s easy to make a little extra bacon and add it to this delicious (and still healthy) side dish!
INGREDIENTS
Chicken: This chicken bake recipe calls for 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Bacon: You’ll need 6 slices of cooked thick-cut bacon. You can use ready-to-serve bacon if you want to save time.
Tots: Don’t forget the most important part! A 32-ounce bag of frozen tots.
Dairy: You’ll need a package of shredded cheese and some milk. I usually use cheddar or a Colby Jack cheese.
Seasoning: Season this cheesy chicken bake with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT CHEESY CHICKEN, BACON, & TATER TOT BAKE
STEP ONE: For this cheesy chicken and bacon bake, start by coating the inside of your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Dump half of the bag of frozen tater tots into the crock pot and spread them evenly along the bottom. Top the bottom layer of tots with 1/3 of the cheese and 1/2 of the crumbled bacon bits.
STEP TWO: Place the uncooked chicken cubes on top of the tater tot layer. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Top the chicken layer with 1/3 of the cheese.
STEP THREE: Spread the remaining frozen tater tots over the chicken layer and top them with the remaining bacon and cheese. Finally, pour the milk over the top of the crock pot contents.
STEP FOUR: Once assembled, cover the crock pot and bake this Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tater Tot Bake on HIGH for 3 hours or until the chicken is fully cooked through. Serve warm and enjoy!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- If you don’t feel like frying bacon, try cooking it in the oven!
- Remember, chicken is safely cooked once it reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and is no longer pink in the middle.
HOW REHEAT A CHICKEN TATER TOT BAKE
If you end up with leftovers, transfer them from the crock pot into an airtight container and store them in a fridge for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to reheat, I suggest transferring leftovers to a casserole dish and reheating them in the oven. Reheating in the oven is the only way you will get back some of the crispiness from the tots! Cover the dish with foil and reheat it at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
CAN YOU USE COOKED CHICKEN IN A CROCK POT TATER TOT BAKE
I have used chopped-up rotisserie chicken in this recipe before. If you opt to use pre-cooked chicken, you can cut the cooking time in half, which is a great way to save time in a pinch!
OTHER CROCK POT MEAL IDEAS
- Lemon Italian Chicken with Capers
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- French Dip Sandwich
- Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Pizza Casserole
- Pork Chops
*This post was originally posted on 09/16/2013
Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken, Bacon, & Tater Tot Bake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32 ounces frozen tater tots (1 bag)
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces cheddar or Colby jack cheese shredded
- ⅔ cup 2% milk or whole milk
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once the bacon had cooled, crumble it into small pieces. Set aside.
- Coat the inside of your slow cooker pot with non-stick cooking spray.
- Dump half the frozen tater tots into the crock pot and spread into an even layer. Top the tots with 1/3 of the cheese and 1/2 the crumbled bacon.
- Place the uncooked chicken piece on top of the cheese and bacon. Sprinkle the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Top the chicken with 1/3 of the cheese.
- Spread remaining tater tots over the chicken layer. Then add the remaining bacon and cheese over the tots. Pour the milk all over everything.
- Cover your crock pot and cook on HIGH on 3 hours (or LOW for 6 hours) until the chicken is cooked through. Serve warm.
Came out as a tater tot mushy mess. Guess if I had cooked top tater tots on the top separate, it would’ve come out great looking like the picture.
I got a “bussin” from my kid, which if you don’t know, is teenager for “wow mom that was awesome”. I swear he polished off half of it. He said I have to make it again. It was very easy, cooking the bacon was really the only effort in the whole dish. Thank you for a new go-to meal!
This is a favorite in our house! So delicious!
Has anyone done this in the ovrn as a casserole?
Do you think I could cook the recipe in crock pot without tater tots on top and then add cooked tater tots to the top just before serving? Voila crispy tater tots on top, Love your website. Always great recipes.
Did anyone try this with shredded hashbrowns? I have those in my freezer and wanted to make this without going out to get tater tots
I have made this several times, it comes out perfect and the entire family eats it up. One of my go to meals for the busy work week with the family! So yummy, never mushy. Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much, Georgeanna. I’m so glad to hear it works out so well for your family!
I have made this 3 times now, turns out beautiful each time. I have taken it to a friend after surgery and to a church potluck. Everyone raved about it and this will definitely go on the list for “meals during the week that I don’t have to stay hours in the kitchen” dish.
This is a wonderful dish to pre make in the crock, put it in the fridge then just add the milk before you put it in the base and turn on. Thank you!
Awesome!! Thank you.
My husband isn’t much of a fan of chicken but I think he’d like this so I’m going to try it out on him. I know I’LL love it!!!
With all the other ingredients he won’t even think twice about the chicken! It’s such a hit everywhere I take it he’ll soon be a major fan!
Needed cooked longer then 3 hrs the chicken wasnt cooked in 3 hrs I left it cook 4 hrs because at 3 hrs the chicken was still pink. But is very delicious my kids loved it
Size of the chicken really does make a difference huh. I’m glad it worked out so well in the end!
Not sure if this was already addressed, but would love to know if anyone has suggestions of making this a slow cooker “dump” meal…trying to prepare for baby #1 to arrive in October and prepping some quick easy freezer meals. Do you think this would work to prep and then either dump in the crock or oven bake?