Looking for a chicken dinner recipe that everyone can agree on? This loaded chicken and potatoes fits the bill! With chunks of chicken and potatoes smothered in bacon and melted cheese, it is sure to become a new favorite.
This is one of my go-to recipes when I take dinner to a family, and it is always well received. I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t love it!
EASY CHICKEN POTATO BAKE
I think we can all agree that chicken and potatoes go together like peanut butter & jelly or burgers & fries. At my house, when grilled chicken is on the menu, we almost always serve it with a side of potatoes.
In this tasty chicken and potato casserole, they are combined into one tasty main dish. And when you coat them with flavorful seasonings, then top them off with bacon and cheese, you have a dinner that is guaranteed to bring smiles to the table!
We especially love this chicken dish during the cold weather months. It warms up the kitchen and smells amazing as it bakes. Not to mention how hearty and comforting it is after a long cold day.
You will love how easy this casserole is to prepare. Just chop up your chicken and potatoes, then coat them with a simple seasoning. Dinner is in the oven in about fifteen minutes!
HOW TO MAKE LOADED CHICKEN POTATO CASSEROLE
Ingredients needed:
- boneless, skinless chicken breast (You could use boneless, skinless thighs if you prefer.)
- potatoes (I’ve used both russet and red potatoes with great results. You can either peel them or leave the skin on.)
- olive oil
- smoked paprika (Smoked paprika adds a wonderful flavor, but you can substitute regular paprika in a pinch.)
- garlic powder (You can use minced garlic instead, but I find that garlic powder coats the chicken and potatoes more evenly.)
- salt
- black pepper
- cheddar cheese (or another cheese if you prefer)
- bacon (I’ve use both bacon I’ve cooked at home, and the precooked bacon bits from Costco. Both work well, but the precooked bacon saves a lot of time!)
- green onions
- PREP WORK: Cook and crumble the bacon (or use precooked bacon bits). Spray a 9×13″ baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Dice the potatoes and chicken. I like to dice the potatoes into smaller chunks because they take longer to cook than the chicken. Smaller pieces help them cook faster so the chicken isn’t overdone. - COAT: Place the cubed chicken and potatoes in a large bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over the chicken and potatoes, and stir till well coated.
- BAKE: Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake uncovered at 400 for 50-55 minutes , stirring every 20 minutes or so, until potatoes are tender.
- GARNISH: Remove from the oven. Add the cheese, bacon, and green onion to the top of the cooked dish. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for another five minutes or until cheese is melted.
LEFTOVER CHICKEN AND POTATOES?
Leftovers will store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days if you cover them well or place in an airtight container. They are so good for lunch the next day! We just pop individual servings into the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Now that my husband is working from home, if we happen to have any left, I have to fight him the next day for this loaded chicken and potato casserole. I kid, I kid. We share.
VARIATIONS:
- Spice things up by adding some red pepper flakes or hot sauce to the chicken potato mixture. You could even top the casserole with pepper jack cheese.
- Instead of sprinkling with sliced green peppers, you can use diced onion or even dry minced onion in the casserole. Just stir them in with the chicken and potatoes.
TASTY POTATO DISHES:
MORE CHICKEN DINNER RECIPES:
- Chicken Fajita Skillet
- Baked Orange Chicken
- Chicken Flautas (baked not fried)
- Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad
- Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie
- Maple Dijon Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
LOADED CHICKEN AND POTATOES
Chicken Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts cut into 1" cubes
- 5 potatoes cut into 1/2" cubes
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup cooked crumbled bacon
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Place cubed chicken and potatoes in a large bowl.
- Whisk together oil and seasonings and add to chicken mixture. Stir till well combined.
- Pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Bake uncovered at 400° for 50-55 minutes or till potatoes are tender.
- Sprinkle cheese, bacon, and green onion on top. Bake 5 more minutes.
Nutrition
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Our family (kids too) love this meal. It seemed weird at first to mix raw chicken and potatoes, but it comes out perfect every time. I cut the potatoes and chicken cubes a little smaller and bake for about 30 minutes, which makes this a perfect weeknight meal. I can literally have dinner done in about an hour from start to finish.
So glad it’s a hit with your family like it is with mine! 🙂
This was very good! We decided it was a little dry and could benefit from a veggie. When I reheated the leftovers, I added a cheese sauce made from roux and some broccoli. It was a good addition. We’ll make this again!
I love the idea of adding broccoli!
Made it without bacon and it was still really good and flavorful!
So glad you liked it Darcy! 🙂
That was good 😊 We really liked it. The only thing I did differently was I didn’t have any bacon. Will make it again and add bacon! Thanks!
I’ve made it without bacon, and we still like it, but I bet you’ll love it even more with bacon! (Bacon makes everything better, right?)
How would I need to change the recipe if I used canned potatoes that I already have??
I have never used canned potatoes, so I’m not sure how they would work because they are already cooked. You could try cutting the chicken into very small pieces so that it will cook faster, and try reducing the baking time to 30 minutes. Basically you just need to bake it until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Could you use frozen hash browns, the cubed not shredded?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work. If you thaw them first, you could decrease the baking time.
Made this tonight. Just 2 of us so I did half the recipe. Diced the potatoes small and the chicken bigger. Threw some ranch dressing on top and stirred. Cooked then added the toppings. Everything was cooked perfectly and it was not dry; I think the pour of ranch dressing kept it from drying out. Very good
Glad you enjoyed it Christina! And I bet the additional ranch dressing made it even more endulgent! 🙂
Wonderful recipe 🙌🏾 was a big hit even with the kids, definitely making again, especially for football season ☄️
So glad it was a hit with the whole family Dez! I know how hard it can be to please the kids! 🙂
I was looking for something easy where I could use the things we had. Came across this, and it looked good. And I will say it was indeed easy and was tasty, but it was a little dry. When I make this again, I may experiment with either some cream of mushroom soup, or maybe a can of green chili. I know doing this at the start will keep the potatoes from browning, so I might have a serving bowl of hot green chili on the side, and people spoon it over if they want.
Yes, if you like things saucy, you could definitely add cream of mushroom soup or any other liquid!
One of my favorite recipes now. I literally do it on a weekly basis. My husband really enjoys this dish. We have left overs for him to take to work the next day!
I either add corn in when baking or if we have fresh corn on cob, I make that.
This is a actually what we are having tonight. I just got done prepping it. Thank you for a great recipe
I am so happy to hear that it’s on your regular rotation; it’s one of our favorites as well. I’ll have to try it with corn, my daughter would love that!
I made this tonight and it was so easy and delicious. We all loved it. I followed the recipe and wouldn’t change a thing. Will definitely make this again.
Yay, I’m so happy to hear that! I hope it makes it onto your regular menu rotation! 🙂
This is absolutely amazing. I recommend doubling it.
Great idea – it makes fantastic leftovers! 🙂
Just tried it last night, it was delicious. Definetly a keeper, thank you!
Delicious recipe added to our monthly list. Had it tonight for dinner. Yummy!!!😋
Thanks for sharing
You are so welcome, glad it was a hit at your house Marilyn!
Like your Dish will try it .
I hope you love it like we do! 🙂
What side dishes go well with this casserole?
I usually serve it with a tossed green salad, or fruit salad, but when I’m in a rush I just use frozen peas or green beans. Really any vegetable or fruit goes really well with it!
Like others, I boiled the potatoes for 5-ish minutes before and it turned out great. Thanks for sharing this recipe 🥰
Thanks for sharing your adaptation, so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Made this a few days ago.
Didn’t have exactly everything but it was delicious!
In place of raw chicken breasts, I used cold rotisserie chicken breasts, cut in medium chunks. Used baby red and white potatoes cut into quarters. Opted for no bacon but kept the seasoning (people in the family have to watch their sodium). Used colby jack & monterey cheese instead of cheddar (I usually have lots of this).
My mother-in-law was impressed and served it with her homemade oyster filling/stuffing. Everyone enjoyed it and I gave her the original recipe, letting her know what I had changed.
Making it again tonight, as my husband loved it (and he dislikes white meat chicken). Thank you! ^_^
So glad you enjoyed it, and happy to hear that it also worked with rotisserie chicken. That can be such a time saver!
We loved this dish but we cooked the potatoes and chicken with a stick of butter and 1 teaspoon of garlic to make it golden brown and faster to cook, delicious
That sounds like a yummy variation!
This is smelling really good! I boiled my potatoes for about 10-15 minutes first so they would cook faster. I’m excited to try it.
That is a great idea for speeding things up. Thanks for sharing the tip Melissa!
The chicken cooks so much faster than the potatoes. I love the recipe but I just have to cook the chicken and potatoes separately.
I cut my chicken into large pieces and my potatoes smaller. That helps them cook more evenly.
I know this is a flavor “sin” but I have never cared for garlic. Do you think it will be just as good if I leave that part out?
You could always use shallots, leeks or something like that instead of garlic. No, it won’t be the “same as” but either or both would impart a good flavor to this recipe. =)
My family loved this! I used a cheddar blend because that is all I have and it was incredible!
I’m so glad to hear that it was a hit at your house! 🙂
The BEST casserole ever! Such a good comfort food dish, we are obsessed!
Glad you liked it! My kids are pretty obsessed with it too!
5 stars!!!! This was so so good and now I’m adding it to my weekly meal plan again!
It’s a dish that we have often too. You can’t go wrong with bacon, potatoes, and cheese!