Cheesy Chicken Potato Casserole
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This Chicken and Potato Casserole is hearty, filling, and easy homemade casserole dinner dish. We’ve got bacon, we’ve got cheese, we’ve got enough potatoes to keep you satisfied overnight till breakfast.
Call it a main dish or a side dish, and this potato and chicken bake recipe is carb-loaded and delicious.
Why you should make this Chicken and Potato Casserole
I don’t know whether to call this chicken potato casserole or loaded potato bake or cheesy chicken casserole with potatoes – pretty much everyone looks up different things online to find what they want.
I hope, however, that you are looking for a delicious baked casserole featuring filling, whole russet potatoes, smothered with cheese and bacon, and finished up with some chicken- a truly easy and delicious baked chicken recipe.
Tip for a perfect Potato Casserole
The key to this casserole recipe is prep. Before going into the oven, your potatoes have to be softened and cut, your bacon needs to be cooked (i find that air fryer bacon is the easiest way to get that done), and your chicken also has to be cooked and diced.
This is also one of those recipes that is perfect to put together if you have leftover chicken from a recipe the night before.
Ingredients
- Potatoes – The best potatoes to use are Russet Potatoes; although soft and prepped, red potatoes also go great in a chicken mixture.
- Olive oil – Any type of oil works fine if you need a quick substitute.
- Chicken – Chicken pieces need to be already cooked and cut. Grill or bake chicken tenders for easy and quick cutting of fresh chicken or boil or slow cook to easily add pull-apart tender shredded chicken.
- Seasonings: black pepper, kosher salt, and garlic powder. Many people also enjoy a sprinkling of ranch seasoning for this dish.
- Cheddar cheese – Cheddar cheese is the most complimentary cheese for this casserole. However, you can change out the cheese for another of your favorites.
- Bacon – Bacon is one of the world’s most delicious foods and goes excellent with chicken and potatoes. Make sure that the bacon is already crispy and cooked. It’s so easy to make slices of bacon in an air fryer or do a whole batch of bacon in the oven.
- Sour cream – Totally optional but helps this casserole recipe taste just like loaded baked potatoes! Another often used topping is ranch dressing.
How to Make Potato and Chicken Bake
- Grease a 9×13 baking pan generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- Slice already prepped and softened russet potatoes into 1″ chunks and then into 1/2″ pieces and place into prepared baking pan. (see note about having clean cuts above in the diced potato area)
- Pour oil, already cooked (diced or shredded) chicken and spices in a pan and mix well. If you find it easier, you can do this in a bowl and dump it into the casserole dish.
- Top with lots of cheese and already cooked bacon pieces.
- Bake casserole for 20-25 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.
- Top with sliced green onion and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
How to get Perfectly Diced Potatoes
Microwave Whole Potatoes: Prep ahead – potatoes fall apart when they are hot (after all, that is how we get the mashed potato so quickly). To get started, I bake my potatoes in the microwave, poke with a fork, place them on a plate and microwave for 5 minutes, flip and go for 5 minutes more.
Add more time if they aren’t tender. I do a full breakdown of how I microwave potatoes in this loaded mashed potato casserole recipe.
Cooling your cooked potato is the only way to get good clean cuts if evenly diced matters to you. Either making them the night before you intend on baking the casserole and placing them in the fridge, or simply letting them cool in the refrigerator till you can touch them safely, is the best way to ensure a super even diced cut.
This isn’t necessary for flavor; potatoes taste amazing in any shape, so it’s totally up to you how you handle your potatoes and the presentation.
Boil Potatoes Diced: Alternatively, you can skin and dice your potatoes and then boil till tender. Drain water and continue on with the recipe.
What side dishes recipes go with chicken potato casserole?
There is no doubt that the heavy carb-loaded chicken and potatoes are filling enough on their own. But it’s always nice to add a fresh side dish recipe with colors like oven roasted broccoli, crinkle carrots, or Parmesan Roasted cauliflower.
Potato and Chicken Bake Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 Baking potatoes baked and cooled – Russets
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cups chicken cooked and cubed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 cup bacon cooked and crumbled
- sour cream
- green onions optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Your chicken should already be cooked and potatoes cooked and diced – this is the prep assuming all your ingredients are ready. Please see full recipe article if you need tips on softening potatoes.
- Slice cooked and cooled potatoes into 1/2" pieces and place into prepared baking pan.
- Pour olive oil, already cooked and diced or shredded chicken and all spices from the recipe into dish and mix well.
- Top casserole with shredded cheese and cooked, crispy bacon.
- Bake chicken potato casserole for 20-25 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.
- Prior to serving, top with sliced green onions (optional) and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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The flavors were great. I used rotisserie chicken (maybe slightly cut back on salt if using rotisserie), and white potatoes I’d done in the microwave the night before.
For me this recipe turned out kind of dry, and I think I should’ve waited to add the cheese a bit later into baking it, because it hardened. However, the texture and flavor was perfectly lovely when eaten with sour cream. I’m just not a sour cream person, so I was planning on eating it without that, but I settled for eating it with it, as the mouth feel was way better that way.
But what a fun and easy recipe idea! It really did taste like twice baked potatoes, but less finicky and my company liked it!
I am happy to hear your review and glad that you found enjoyment in the recipe. I do think, in general, potatoes can be a bit dry without a smattering of melted butter or sour cream (personally) as its a starch. So glad your company enjoyed and thanks for coming back to review!
Trisha
Do you include having to cook the chicken, bacon and potatoes in the prep time? Because that all can’t possibly take only 15 minutes and then cutting, then layering, then baking. I’m afraid this would take me 2 hours or more. Its sounds amazing though and I will be trying it at some point!
No, the chicken would need to precooked or bought and used (like rotisserie chicken). This recipe is also great for left overs.
This was a very delicious meal! I think there were too many potatoes vs chicken so next time I will reduce the number of potatoes to maybe 5 or 6. I also think the potatoes needed to cook longer in the microwave before cutting up as they were a little firm. It is a very lengthy process for such a simple dish. I will be sure to make everything the day before to cut down on prep time before dinner. Overall I will be saving this recipe for the future with my personal preference tweaks. Thank you!
Quick and so very easy the day before and set oven to have it ready for dinner the next day.
Very tasty. Only 2 here now, so plenty of leftovers 😋