Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Forget boring casseroles and spice up your dinnertime with this Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole instead! Can be made in the slow cooker OR the oven for the tastiest dinner you’ll have all week!
Tater tot casserole is a staple in our house and may I argue that it should be in yours also.
I love casseroles like this because it’s easy to keep all the ingredients on hand for a quick last minute meal plus it’s always a hit with the whole family, especially the kids.
Tater tot casserole is a midwest dish also known as “hot dish” in some places. Either way, it has evolved into a fun, creative meal that is simple and easy to make. It’s my go-to for busy days or for taking to a family in need.
Ingredients
Instead of using canned soups as would be traditional when making dishes like this, I like to go a little healthier and make a homemade sauce instead. It’s much easier than you think and the flavor can’t be beat.
Ground Chicken – you could use a lean ground turkey if you can’t find any ground chicken
Flour, chicken broth and heavy cream – this will be used to make the sauce instead of cream of chicken soup
Ranch seasoning – I like to use my own homemade blend, but you could also use the store bought packets if you needed to
Frozen tater tots – the most important part!! You could make them from scratch but this would no longer be quick and easy to make so I buy these instead
Buffalo sauce and butter – whisked together to form the perfect sauce
Cheese – a must have topping
optional – you can add grated carrots and celery and even blue cheese crumbles
How to make the filling
Making your own cream sauce might seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple.
- cook the chicken as you would any other ground meat
- sprinkle in the flour and stir to evenly combine
- slowly stir in the broth while stirring to let it start thickening
- stir in the cream and seasonings and let it all simmer and thicken while stirring
How to make tater tot casserole in the slow cooker
I like to use a 2.5 quart mini casserole slow cooker to make this casserole.
You can also use a regular oval slow cooker as well, but you may want to use a 5 quart so that you have enough room to spread out the tater tots. If you layer them too much they will get soggy.
To layer it up for best results:
- spray the bottom and edges with non-stick spray
- add the meat mixture
- top with tater tots
- drizzle with the buffalo sauce mixture
- top with cheese
Let cook until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly hot.
Take this Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole on the road! This family friendly meal is perfect for:
- Potluck Dinners
- Church Gatherings
- Dinner with Friends/Family
- Birthday Parties
More tips…
You could also make this in the oven if you wanted the tater tots to be crispier and heating up the oven is not an issue. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until tater tots are crispy and cheese is melted and the filling starts to bubble.
Leftovers keep and reheat well for up to 3 days, this is one of my families favorite meals to have leftovers.
You can use gluten-free flour and dairy-free milk and cheese if desired to accommodate allergens.
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream buttermilk, or milk
- 1.5 tablespoons homemade ranch seasoning
- 16 oz frozen tater tots
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots optional
- 1/4 cup chopped celery optional
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese I used sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup blue cheese optional, depending on taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat
- Add ground chicken and cook (breaking up with spatula) until no longer pink
- Sprinkle in flour and stir to coat cooked chicken
- Slowly stir in chicken broth and bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken and reduce sauce
- Stir in cream (or buttermilk or regular milk)
- Add dried seasonings and salt and pepper and stir all to combine
- Let cook an additional 2-3 minutes until sauce is nice and thickened up
- Melt butter in microwave in large microwave safe mug or cup
- Add buffalo sauce and stir to combine
- Spray crock well with nonstick spray
- Add the meat mixture
- Top with carrots, celery and blue cheese if desired
- Add tater tots and drizzle with remaining buffalo sauce
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours
Notes
Nutrition
More Slow Cooker Casserole Recipes
- Slow Cooker Tuna Casserole
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Corn Casserole
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Just wondering, is there a way you can make this recipe completely in the crockpot without cooking the chicken in a skillet first?
Hmmm. Haven’t tried it in this recipe but may have to give it a shot just to see. My concern is that it might be too watery? If I tried it I would probably cut up boneless skinless breasts instead of ground chicken…
Gotcha! Thanks!
I have some boneless skinless chicken breasts to use up. Do you think they could be substituted for the ground chicken?
Yes! I think if you just finely dice the chicken and sauté it should work just as well.
you said you didn’t use soup? What kind of soup would you use if you did? I’m a pior college kid so im trying to find easy recipes and this looks great!
I made this again and use cream of chicken soup in place of the flour and chicken broth.
It was delicious and so much easier to make!
Someone made this for a potluck at work and OMG, it was SO delicious. I’m not much of a cook, but today I bought all of the ingredients to make it myself. Can’t wait!
So glad to hear everyone enjoyed it! I’m sure yours will turn out great too! 🙂
Jennifer, how many people (adults) would you estimate that this dish serves?
It would easily serve 4 adults. If serving with other sides you could probably stretch it to 5 or 6. 🙂
Is there a way to do this so it can be frozen then cooked at a later date? Would I just do all the skillet work and put together then freeze? Or should I not even try that?
This recipe is perfect for freezing! I would do it just like you mentioned…. get the meat mixture done in the skillet and let it cool and freeze it. Then when you are ready just thaw it and assemble with the tots, buffalo sauce, veggies and cheese. I actually did a basic Tater Tot Casserole as a freezer meal and you can read about it here!
I made this but all my tator tots fell apart – it was a little mushy but still REALLY DELICIOUS!
Bummer that they ended up mushy but so glad it still tasted good! 🙂
This looks delish! I’d rather make it in the oven and was planning on following your instructions as written and then popping it in oven at 375 until done- unless you had any additional tips/ideas. Thanks!
That sounds just right! I’d think it will take 20-30 minutes depending on the size of dish you use. Hope you enjoy!!
Thanks for your help. Made it for dinner. Was so easy and 2 of my 3 boys (ages 6, 8 and 43) loved it and ate with no complaints. I consider that a huge success. Will make again.
Awesome!! When the boys eat it you know you have a winner 😉
I love everything about this dish, but I have Celiac’s so I can’t add flour in as a thickener. Is it necessary?
You do need the flour but there are plenty of gluten free flours that would make a perfect substitute!! Pamela’s makes one that’s pretty easy to find at most grocery stores and there are lots of others as well. Let me know which one you end up using 🙂
Corn starch is a great gluten-free flour replacement for thickening in recipes like this!
Thanks!! Great tip! 🙂
This looks amazing Jennifer! I love tot casserole in the slow cooker, and I love anything buffalo. Pinning!
Thank you so much!!