Chicken Loaded Potato Casserole is everything you’d pile on a baked potato, plus chicken, in one 9×13-inch dish: russet potatoes roasted in olive oil, chicken breast tossed in paprika and garlic powder, then a blanket of melted cheddar with crumbled bacon and sliced green onions on top. Serve it with sour cream at the table. It serves 6.
How to make it: Roast the diced potatoes with a little olive oil at 400°F for 40 minutes. Toss the chicken in the rest of the oil with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper, add it to the dish and bake 15 minutes, until it reaches 165°F. Top with cheddar, bacon and green onions, bake 5 minutes more, and let it stand 5 minutes.
What Makes It “Loaded”?
The toppings. Bacon, cheddar and green onions are the classic loaded baked potato toppings, and here they go over roasted potatoes and seasoned chicken instead of a single spud. Sour cream goes on at the table, and salsa works too.
Why You’ll Love It
- One dish: potatoes, chicken and toppings all bake in the same 9×13.
- No cream soup: the flavor comes from olive oil, paprika and garlic powder.
- Crispy-edged potatoes: they get a head start in the oven before the chicken goes in.
- Toppings everyone loves: melted cheese, crisp bacon, scallions and sour cream.
Ingredient Notes
Russet potatoes: Five medium, peeled, rinsed and cut into 1-inch pieces.
Chicken breasts: One and a half pounds of boneless, skinless breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces. The chicken goes in raw.
Olive oil and seasoning: Three tablespoons of olive oil, divided: 1 tablespoon for the potatoes and the remaining 2 tablespoons whisked with 1/2 tablespoon of paprika, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper for the chicken.
Toppings: Two cups of shredded cheddar, 1/2 cup of cooked, chopped bacon and 2 thinly sliced green onions. Sour cream for serving.
Ingredients
- 5 medium russet potatoes, peeled, rinsed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon
- 2 green onions, sliced thin
- Sour cream, for serving (optional)
How to Make Chicken Loaded Potato Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Start the potatoes. Spread the potatoes evenly in the dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and toss to coat. Bake for 40 minutes.
3. Season the chicken. While the potatoes bake, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat.
4. Add the chicken. Carefully take the dish out of the oven. Pour the seasoned chicken over the potatoes and toss carefully to combine.
5. Bake the chicken. Return the dish to the oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and reads 165°F on a food thermometer.
6. Add the toppings. Take the dish out and sprinkle the cheddar, bacon and green onions evenly over the top. Bake another 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
7. Rest and serve. Let the casserole stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream, if you like.
When Each Part Goes In
Raw potatoes take longer to cook than bite-size chicken, so this casserole bakes in stages. Here’s the timeline:
| Stage | What goes in | Time at 400°F |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil | 40 minutes |
| 2 | Seasoned raw chicken, tossed with the potatoes | 15 minutes, to 165°F |
| 3 | The cheese, bacon and onion topping | 5 minutes, until melted |
| 4 | Out of the oven | Stand 5 minutes |
Cut everything the same size. One-inch pieces of potato and chicken cook evenly.
Check the chicken with a thermometer. Color isn’t a reliable test. USDA FSIS says poultry and casseroles are done at 165°F, so check a few of the thickest pieces.
Prefer one bake? You can also toss the potatoes and chicken together from the start and bake them 55 to 60 minutes at 400°F, stirring every 20 minutes, then add the cheese for the last 5 minutes. The staged method above keeps the chicken from sitting in the oven longer than it needs.
Variations
- Chicken thighs: use boneless thighs instead of breasts.
- Different potatoes: baby gold potatoes, or red potatoes with the skins on.
- Turkey: use turkey instead of chicken, or turkey bacon instead of bacon.
- Add heat: whisk 1 tablespoon of hot sauce into the oil and spices, or drizzle buffalo wing sauce over the top.
- Add broccoli: for a green vegetable in the same dish.
- Ranch version: for chicken, potatoes and bacon with ranch, make our chicken bacon ranch casserole with potatoes.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. USDA FSIS says to eat them within 3 to 4 days. Keep the sour cream off until serving.
Freezer: Freeze leftovers in a covered, freezer-safe container for 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, which takes a day or two, or reheat from frozen in the oven or microwave; it just takes longer.
Reheat: Reheat covered until it reaches 165°F on a food thermometer. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
This is a full meal, so something light like a green salad is all you need, with sour cream and salsa for topping. For more cheesy chicken and potato dinners, try chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole, chicken and potatoes with Dijon cream sauce or Ritz cracker chicken casserole. Love loaded potatoes? Make slow cooker loaded potato bake or 5-ingredient slow cooker loaded potato soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the chicken go in?
After the potatoes have baked alone for 40 minutes. The chicken then bakes 15 minutes with them, until it reaches 165°F.
Do I cook the chicken first?
No. The raw chicken pieces cook right in the casserole.
Can I use chicken thighs or other potatoes?
Yes. Boneless thighs work, and so do baby gold or red potatoes.
What toppings go on a loaded chicken potato casserole?
Shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon and sliced green onions bake on top. Add sour cream or salsa when you serve it.
Can I freeze it?
Yes. Freeze leftovers in a covered, freezer-safe container for 3 to 4 months and reheat to 165°F.
Final Notes
Cook the bacon and season the chicken while the potatoes roast, and the rest goes quickly. Cutting the potatoes and chicken the same size is the key to even cooking. If you make it, tell me in the comments which toppings you piled on.
Chicken Loaded Potato Casserole
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Ingredients
- 5 medium russet potatoes peeled, rinsed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup bacon cooked and chopped
- 2 green onions sliced thin
- sour cream for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Spread the potatoes evenly in the dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and toss to coat. Bake for 40 minutes.
- While the potatoes bake, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat.
- Carefully take the dish out of the oven. Pour the seasoned chicken over the potatoes and toss carefully to combine.
- Return the dish to the oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and reads 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Take the dish out and sprinkle the cheddar, bacon and green onions evenly over the top. Bake another 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Let the casserole stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream, if you like.
