Chef notes
For his cheesy chicken tater tot casserole, Ryan Scott combines fresh ingredients like sauteed onion and lemon juice with store-bought ingredients like rotisserie chicken and crispy golden tater tots.
To make a dairy-free version, you can swap out the milk, cream and cheese for celery root puree. Just take 1 large celery root (or 2 small ones), dice into 1-inch pieces and simmer with 3 cups of chicken stock until they're soft and you can pierce them with a fork. Puree the ingredients together until smooth and add it in place of the dairy.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup corn oil
- 3 cups diced yellow onion
- 1/4 teaspoon ranch dressing powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup chopped scallions
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded (or about 3½ cups cooked chicken)
- 1 package (about 32 ounces) frozen Tater Tots
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In an 8-inch pan, sautee diced yellow onion with corn oil over medium high heat until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the ranch dressing powder, lemon juice, chopped scallions, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add the cream of chicken, milk, sour cream, cream cheese, 1½ cups Monterey Jack cheese, Tabasco sauce and chicken. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Transfer the mixture to a greased 9-inch by 9-inch square baking dish. Top with frozen Tater Tots. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese.
Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and foil (yes, both). Bake for 30 minutes. Then, uncover and bake around 10 minutes longer or until the casserole is heated through and the Tater Tots topping is crispy and golden. Serve.
