This Easy Mexican Chicken Tater Tot Casserole is loaded with chicken, tomatoes, cheese, and tater tots. It is a cheesy comfort food meal that will have your family licking their plates clean.
I'm pretty sure our kids would live on tacos if we let them. Seriously. They ask for tacos every time we ask them what they want for dinner. Oh, and pizza. That's always on their list too.
They also always ask for chips, Easy Homemade Salsa and Guacamole when we have tacos. I guess I shouldn't complain because it sure makes it easy to plan dinner for them.
As much as I love tacos, I can get bored eating the same thing all the time. I do try to change it up and make chicken or fish tacos from time to time. Although, this gets dirty looks from our youngest. He thinks tacos should only be ground beef.
Last week I decided to change up taco night by giving one of our favorite family dinners a spicy twist.
Every so often we like to make a pan of tater tot casserole for dinner. You have had this dinner before, right?
If you have never had it, it is just cooked hamburger mixed with canned soup and then topped with tater tots and lots of cheese. You can also add a bag of frozen veggies to it if you like.
Anyway, I had a brilliant idea to give it a Mexican twist. A can of spicy tomatoes and chicken was just what this dish needed!
Anytime we have chicken for dinner, I like to make extra and freeze it for future meals. It saves so much time on dinner prep when we are in a hurry.
You can also buy a rotisserie chicken or use canned chicken to save some time.
For this Mexican chicken casserole, I pulled a bag of frozen grilled chicken out of our freezer and thawed it in the microwave. Easy peasy!
How to make Mexican Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
- Stir together chicken, tomatoes with chiles, cream of chicken soup, cheese, garlic, and onions in a bowl. Pro Tip: If you do not want this dinner to be spicy, use a regular can of diced tomatoes. If you want it even spicier, add a can of diced green chiles.
- Spoon the mixture into a greased casserole dish.
- Layer the frozen tater tots on top evenly.
- Spread cheese on top of the tater tots and bake. Pro Tip: Turn your oven to broil once your timer goes off. This will brown the top of the cheese.
- Top with cilantro, green onions, tomatoes, and diced avocados. Place a spoonful of sour cream on each serving, if desired.
Recipe Questions
Yes, you can make this casserole ahead of time and have it waiting in your refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. Just reduce the baking time by a few minutes because the tater tots will not be frozen.
Yes. Make sure to use a freezer safe dish or a disposable metal pan. Follow the instructions and before you place it in the oven, cover the pan with foil or a freezer-safe lid and place in the freezer.
To bake, remove the pan from the freezer and place in the refrigerator to thaw for 24 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking.
A side salad or any vegetable side dish is a great addition to this comfort food dinner. Chips with homemade salsa and guacamole is also delicious.
Other easy Mexican dinner recipes
- These Easy Chicken Enchiladas are loaded with meat, veggies, and beans. A light green cilantro sauce adds a great flavor and texture to the meal.
- Green Chile Pulled Pork Tacos loaded with meat, cheese, and salsa is an easy and delicious dinner for busy nights.
- These Cheesy Taco Taquitos are full of taco meat, cheese, and tomatoes. Great for after school snacks or game day appetizers.
- An easy baked Chile Relleno Casserole that will have your whole family smiling! It is fluffy and full of green chilies and cheesy goodness.
- Creamy Salsa Chicken Stuffed Shells is an easy, but delicious meal to serve on busy nights. Cheesy goodness always gets smiles.
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Recipe
Mexican Chicken Tater Tot Casserole
This Easy Mexican Chicken Tater Tot Casserole is loaded with chicken, tomatoes, cheese, and tater tots. It is a cheesy comfort food meal that will have your family licking their plates clean.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked, diced chicken
- 1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles, drained
- 1 - 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup diced onions
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 cups Mexican blend cheese, divided
- salt and pepper
- 1 - 32 ounce bag frozen tater tot potatoes
- ¼ cup diced cilantro
- 2 green onions
- ½ cup diced tomatoes
- 1 avocado, peeled and diced
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 7x11 pan with nonstick spray.
- Stir together the chicken, tomatoes, soup, onions, garlic, and 1 cup cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into prepared pan
- Place frozen tater tots evenly on top of the chicken mixture. Cover with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven to broil. Broil for a few minutes. Be sure to watch it carefully, so it doesn't burn.
- Top with cilantro, green onions, tomatoes, and avocados. Garnish each serving with sour cream, if desired.
Notes
- If you do not like spicy things, use a can of regular petite diced tomatoes.
- You can make this dish early in the day and keep it refrigerated until 30 minutes before you need to bake it. Reduce baking time by 5 minutes.
- You can also assemble this casserole and then cover it right before baking. Place it in the freezer. Remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator 24 hours ahead of time. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before baking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 623Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 1086mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 6gSugar: 5gProtein: 28g
*The post for Mexican Chicken Tater Tot Casserole was first published in May 2015. The photos have been updated, and it was republished on September 4, 2019.
Susie
Can you please clarify the freezing step for me? Do i cover, then bake, and then freeze?
Jocelyn
If you are going to freeze this meal for later, make the casserole but do not bake it. Let it cool slightly, then cover it and freeze it. When you want to bake it, remove the pan from the freezer at least 24 hours in advance and place in the fridge to thaw, then follow the baking instructions. I hope that helps and you enjoy the casserole!
Susie
Thank you Jocelyn! This helps immensely! I want to make a couple if freezer meals for my daughter. She is due with her first child, our first grandchild any day now! I want to make sure i give her the proper instructions! Thanks for a very speedy response!