Chicken Pot Pie with Tater Tots

I made chicken pot pie with tater tots last Tuesday and honestly it’s one of those things where you wonder why you ever bothered with actual pie crust. The filling gets creamy without being gloopy and the tots crisp up into this crunchy layer that stays intact when you scoop it out.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• You don’t need to roll out dough or worry about soggy bottoms
• The roux gets this nutty smell after a few minutes that makes the whole sauce taste richer than just dumping everything together
• Feeds eight people from one 9×13 dish
• Frozen vegetables and pre-cooked chicken mean you’re not standing over the stove forever
• That cream cheese addition makes it tangy in a way regular pot pie isn’t
• The tater tots stay crispy on top even after sitting for a bit, which I didn’t expect

The Story Behind This Recipe

I needed something for a weeknight that wouldn’t make me want to order pizza halfway through. I had leftover rotisserie chicken and a bag of tater tots that had been in the freezer since who knows when. Pot pie seemed obvious but I wasn’t about to deal with pastry dough on a Tuesday after work. The cream cheese was almost an accident—I had 4 ounces left from something else and figured it might make the sauce creamier without adding more butter. It worked. Now it’s the version I make when I need easy dinner recipes that don’t feel like I took shortcuts even though I absolutely did.

What You Need

You’re going to melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan first. Don’t use margarine or one of those butter spreads because they don’t brown the flour the same way. You’ll add 1 cup of diced onions to that, and yellow onions work better than white ones here since they get sweeter when they cook down.

The roux needs 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper mixed right in. Then you’ll gradually whisk in 2 1/4 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of whole milk. I used store-brand broth and it was fine. The whole milk matters though—skim or 2% makes the sauce thinner and less rich.

That 4 ounces of cream cheese is what makes this different from regular pot pie filling. It adds this slight tang that cuts through all the butter and milk. You need 3 cups of frozen mixed vegetables straight from the bag, and 4 cups of diced cooked chicken. Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is the move here.

The top layer is one 32-ounce bag of frozen tater tots arranged in rows. If you want, add 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese at the end, but I’ve made it both ways and it doesn’t need it.

How to Make Chicken Pot Pie with Tater Tots

Set your oven to 425°F before you start anything else. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add those diced onions. They’ll take 3 to 4 minutes to go translucent, and you’ll see them get shiny before they soften completely.

Sprinkle the flour, salt and pepper over the onions and stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes. The flour will start smelling nutty and toasted, and the whole mixture turns this light tan color. Don’t walk away during this part or it’ll burn.

Now you’re going to whisk in the chicken broth and milk gradually. Pour a little, whisk it smooth, pour more. If you dump it all at once you’ll get clumps that won’t smooth out no matter how hard you whisk. Keep the heat at medium and stir constantly for about 5 minutes until it bubbles and thickens up. You’ll feel the spoon dragging more as it gets thicker.

Pull it off the heat and stir in the cream cheese until it melts. Then fold in the frozen vegetables and diced chicken. The vegetables will start to thaw a little from the heat of the sauce, which is fine.

Spread everything into a 9×13 baking dish and smooth it flat. Line up the frozen tater tots on top in neat rows—I do about 8 rows across. They’ll shrink a tiny bit as they bake so don’t worry about gaps.

Bake for 40 minutes until the tots are deep golden and you can hear the filling bubbling underneath. If you’re adding cheese, sprinkle it over the top now and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes until it melts and starts to brown in spots. The cheese will seep down between some of the tater tots and get crispy where it hits the hot pan.

Serve it hot right away. The contrast between the crunchy tots and creamy filling is what this whole thing is about.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

I didn’t stir the roux enough and it scorched on the bottom of the pan. You could smell it immediately—that acrid burnt flour smell that doesn’t go away. I tried to salvage it by whisking in the liquids anyway, but the whole sauce tasted bitter and I had to start over. Now I keep the spoon moving the entire time the flour is cooking and I don’t even glance at my phone. It’s only 3 to 4 minutes but they’re important ones.

Chicken Pot Pie with Tater Tots

By Emma

Prep:

20 min

Cook:

50 min

Total:

1h 10min

Servings:

8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 4 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 (32-ounce) bag frozen tater tots
• 1 to 2 cups shredded cheese (optional, for topping)

Method

1. 1 Preheat your oven to 425°F to get it nice and hot before baking.
2. 2 Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Toss in the diced onions and sauté them until they turn translucent and soft, which usually takes about 3 to 4 minutes. You’ll smell the sweetness developing and see the onions start to glisten.
3. 3 Sprinkle the flour, salt, and pepper over the onions. Keep stirring constantly; this mixture will start to turn a light brown color after 3 to 4 minutes, and that toasted flour aroma signals it’s time for the next step.
4. 4 Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and whole milk bit by bit. Take your time pouring and stirring simultaneously to avoid lumps—this stage demands patience and attention. The mixture will begin to smooth out and thicken as you go.
5. 5 Keep the mixture over medium heat and stir constantly. You’ll notice it starting to bubble gently and thicken after roughly 5 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning on the pan’s bottom. Once thickened, remove from heat.
6. 6 Fold in the cream cheese until it melts through, adding a creamy tang. Next, stir in the frozen vegetables and the diced chicken evenly. The mixture should look rich and chunky with a comforting creaminess.
7. 7 Spread this filling in an even layer inside a 9×13 baking dish. Scatter the frozen tater tots evenly on top to form a crunchy golden crust once baked.
8. 8 Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes. You want the tater tots to turn a deep golden brown and the filling underneath to bubble—listen for that soft crackling sign of heat only a casserole offers.
9. 9 If using cheese, sprinkle it over the browned tots, then return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Watch closely as the cheese melts and bubbles, developing a lightly browned top layer.
10. 10 Serve hot immediately. You’ll notice steam rising with a savory scent, and the contrast of creamy filling with crisp tots is the culmination of this effort.

Nutritional information

Calories

445

Protein

12g

Carbs

42g

Fat

27g

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Tips for the Best Chicken Pot Pie with Tater Tots

Don’t overlap the tater tots when you arrange them on top. I tried layering them once thinking it’d make the topping thicker and it just steamed the bottom layer into mush while the top browned. One even layer works better.

If your filling looks too thick before you put it in the dish, thin it out with a splash more broth. The vegetables and chicken absorb liquid as everything bakes together and you don’t want it turning into paste. I’ve had to add 1/4 cup of broth a couple times when the sauce looked more like dough than gravy.

Use a metal 9×13 pan instead of glass if you have one. Metal conducts heat faster and the bottom of the filling gets hotter, which makes the whole thing bubble more aggressively and keeps the base from getting watery. Glass works but takes longer.

Let it sit for 5 minutes after you pull it from the oven. The filling is molten when it first comes out and it’ll run everywhere if you scoop into it immediately. Those few minutes let everything set up just enough that you get clean servings instead of soup.

The tater tots shrink width-wise but not length-wise as they bake. I don’t know why but they get narrower and the gaps between rows widen slightly, which is where the cheese seeps through if you add it.

Serving Ideas

A green salad with ranch dressing cuts through all the richness without adding more work. Just bagged greens and bottled dressing is enough.

Cornbread on the side soaks up the extra sauce that pools at the bottom of your bowl. I’ve used the Jiffy mix from a box and it’s done in 20 minutes while the chicken pot pie bakes.

Pickles straight from the jar add acid that this needs. Dill or bread-and-butter both work and you don’t have to do anything except open the lid. I put the jar on the table and people help themselves.

Roasted Brussels sprouts with a little balsamic drizzle give you a vegetable that isn’t buried in cream sauce for once.

Variations

Turkey instead of chicken works the exact same way and I’ve made it with Thanksgiving leftovers. The cream cheese still balances the poultry flavor and you don’t need to change any other quantities or cooking times.

Swap the mixed vegetables for just peas and carrots if you don’t like the corn and green beans that usually come in those bags. I did this when my sister came over because she picks out anything green and it was easier to just leave it out from the start.

Biscuits instead of tater tots turn this back into something closer to traditional pot pie. Drop spoonfuls of refrigerated biscuit dough on top of the filling and bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes until they’re golden. It’s less crispy but some people prefer it.

Add 1 teaspoon of dried thyme or rosemary to the roux when you add the flour. It makes the whole thing taste more herby and less like straight-up cream sauce, which might be what you want if you’re serving it to someone who thinks they don’t like easy dinner recipes that come from a bag of frozen stuff.

FAQ

Can I use skim milk instead of whole milk? You can but the sauce won’t be as thick or rich. Skim milk has less fat so the texture ends up thinner and you might need to cook it a minute or two longer to get it to coat the back of your spoon.

Do I need to thaw the tater tots before putting them on top? No, use them frozen. Thawed tots get soggy and won’t crisp up the same way in the oven.

Can I make this ahead and bake it later? Assemble everything in the dish, cover it with foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time since it’s going in cold.

What if I don’t have cream cheese? You can leave it out and add an extra 1/4 cup of milk, but you’ll lose that tangy flavor that makes this version different. Sour cream works as a substitute but stir it in off the heat or it might curdle.

Can I use a different size baking dish? A 9×13 is really the right size for this amount of filling and tater tots. Smaller dishes make it too deep and the tots don’t cook evenly, bigger dishes spread everything too thin.

How do I know when the roux is done cooking? It’ll smell nutty instead of raw and floury, and the color changes from white to light tan. If it starts smelling burnt at all you’ve gone too far.

Can I freeze this after baking? The tater tots get mushy when you reheat from frozen. I wouldn’t recommend it even though the filling itself freezes fine.

What kind of chicken works best? Rotisserie chicken from the store is the easiest option. You can also use leftover roasted chicken or poach raw chicken breasts, but that adds time you probably don’t have on a weeknight.

Do I have to use yellow onions? White onions work but they’re sharper and less sweet. Yellow onions cook down into something milder that doesn’t overpower the cream sauce.

How do I reheat leftovers? Oven at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes covered with foil keeps the filling from drying out. Microwave works but the tots won’t stay crispy no matter what you do.

Can I add more vegetables? Sure, but keep the total amount at 3 cups or the filling gets too crowded and watery. The vegetables release liquid as they bake and too much will make everything soupy.

What if my sauce has lumps after adding the liquid? Keep whisking hard and it’ll usually smooth out as it heats up. If it doesn’t, pour it through a fine mesh strainer before adding the cream cheese and other ingredients.

Should the filling be bubbling before I add the tater tots? No, you add the tots to cold filling and everything heats up together in the oven. The filling doesn’t need to be hot when it goes in the dish.

How long does this last in the fridge? 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. The filling holds up better than the tots, which get soft as they sit in the sauce.

Can I use a different type of frozen potato? Hash browns or French fries don’t work the same because they don’t hold their shape and get too greasy. Tater tots are really the move here since they stay structured and crispy.

Do I need to grease the baking dish? Not really since there’s enough butter in the filling that it won’t stick. I’ve never greased mine and it comes out clean when you scoop servings.

What temperature should the filling reach inside? The chicken is already cooked so you just need it hot all the way through, which happens after 40 minutes at 425°F. If you have a thermometer it should read at least 165°F in the center.

Can I use homemade chicken broth? Yes and it’ll taste richer than store-bought, but don’t skip the salt in the recipe assuming your broth is already salty enough. Taste the sauce before adding the chicken and vegetables and adjust if you need to.

Why did my tater tots stay pale instead of browning? Your oven might run cooler than the dial says. Try bumping it to 450°F next time or run the broiler for the last 2 to 3 minutes to get color on top.

Can I use fresh vegetables instead of frozen? You’d need to cook them first until they’re tender or they’ll be crunchy in the finished dish. Frozen vegetables are already blanched so they heat through during baking without extra work on your end.