Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie (for two)

 

One of  my favorite things to make with leftover cooked poultry is  Pot Pie, be it Chicken or Turkey.  You cannot beat a delicious Pot Pie.

When I was growing up my mother always made pot pies with her leftover roasted meats, no matter the roast.  Beef, pork, chicken, turkey . . .  we could always count on her making us at least two pot pies from the leftovers. One to eat now and one to pop into the freezer for a later date!

  

 

Filled with lots of gravy and vegetables, they were a great way for her to stretch a little bit of meat to go a long way and nobody was complaining that they were eating leftovers. 

 

Our family loved pies in any way shape or form. You could have put almost anything between two crusts and we would have all been salivating!

I spied this recipe on Modern Farmhouse Eats for a pot pie the other day of a different kind.  This pie had the tasty chicken, vegetable and gravy filling, but instead of a crust, it boasted a crispy Tater Tot topping!  

 

I was in!  About the only way you could make a pot pie even more delicious would be to top the filling with crispy tater tots!

Not having to roll out a crust also added to the pleasure.  No faffing about with flour or lard, or rolling pins.  Just make the filling, pop it into a dish, cover it with cheese and tater tots.  Yummity yum yum YUM!

Tater Tots are like tiny hashbrown cylinders.  Made with potato and onion.  They come in the frozen potato section of the grocery store.  They bake up crisp and golden brown and are a real family favorite.

One thing though, the original recipe made 8 delicious servings. I downsized it to make only 2 delicious servings.  

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TATER TOT CHICKEN POT PIE

Very simple wholesome ingredients. No cans of soup or unusual ingredients required.  You make a delicious creamy sauce/gravy from scratch.

For the base:

• 1 1/2 TBS butter
• 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into coins
• 1/2 stalk celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken broth
• 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• pinch ground nutmeg
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup (35g) frozen peas
• 1/4 cup (35g) frozen corn

You will also need:

• 1 1/2 cup (210g) diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup (60g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 20 (approximately) frozen tater tots

You could use leftover cooked chicken from a roast chicken, or a rotisserie chicken that you picked up from the store. You could poach some chicken special to use in this dish.  I often poach chicken breasts to use in casseroles. I did a whole post on that here. 

It always comes in handy, especially in the summer time when you are wanting cooked chicken to use in salads and casseroles.  It also makes great sandwiches.

There is no need to thaw the frozen vegetables as they will cook in the casserole dish while it is in the oven. Adding them frozen makes sure they are not overcooked.  I hate really overcooked peas.

If you really wanted to speed things up, you could use a couple of mugs of frozen mixed vegetables.  The kind with peas, carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans, etc.  I always used to use those in my pot pies.

 

HOW TO MAKE TATER TOT CHICKEN POT PIE

This is really a simple make. If you can make a cream sauce, you can make this!

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 6 by 8 inch deep casserole dish, or the equivalent in size.

Melt the butter for the filling in a skillet. Add the onions, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until tender (7 to 10 minutes.) Add the garlic and cook for about a minute longer.

Sprinkle the flour over top and stir to combine. Cook for a minute and then slowly stir in the milk and the chicken stock. Stir and cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens to a gravy consistency.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the thyme and nutmeg.

Stir in the frozen vegetables and the chicken, combining everything thoroughly together. Pour into the prepared baking dish and level off.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top and then lay the tater tots over the cheese in an attractive manner.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the casserole is bubbling and the tater tots are golden brown and crispy. Serve hot.

 

I recommend popping it onto a baking sheet that you have lined with foil or parchment paper to bake. It will bubble up and maybe spill over depending on how deep your dish is. My dish could have been a bit deeper and I was really happy I had chosen to pop it onto a baking sheet first.

You can make this ahead of time and store in the refrigerator before baking.  Just do everything up to the point where you add the tater tots.  Cover and chill.  When you are ready to bake take it out a good half hour prior to baking.  Top with the tater tots as per the recipe and bake. It may take a bit longer to bake due to the temperature of the filling.

You can also freeze this casserole.  Prepare this casserole completely as directed up to the point of cooking, including adding the tater tots.  Wrap tightly, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook, just pop the frozen casserole (no need to thaw) into the preheated oven (400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6)  and bake for about an hour and ten minutes , until the edges are bubbling and the tater tots are crisp and golden brown.  

If I was planning on freezing the casserole, I would break it down into two single servings and freeze in aluminum foil containers.

 

This was really delicious and made for a fabulous weeknight dinner.  The sauce was rich and creamy and those tater tots got nice and golden brown.  There was just the right amount of ratio of sauce to vegetables and meat. 

A nice tossed salad goes very well on the side.  Or coleslaw.  What a wonderful meal!  I do so love a good casserole!

Some other chicken casseroles which I have made in The English Kitchen that you might like are:

GARLIC CHEDDAR CHICKEN AND RICE- This is very close to being an oven baked rice pilaf, and is very simple to make. Just mix the chicken, rice, some chicken stock, grated cheddar and your seasonings together in a casserole dish, cover and bake.  Just the right amount of garlic and tasty cheddar, this is both simple to make and incredibly delicious. All you need to add is a cooked vegetable on the side.

AMISH CHICKEN AND STUFFING CASSEROLE - This is one of my favorite chicken casseroles. Its a fabulous way to use up stale bread, as well as leftover cooked chicken. Mix these with a bit of butter softened celery and onion, a variety of herbs, some seasoning and  tiny bit of stock. This easy combination makes for one very delicious and simple entrée.  Its fabulous with a bit of gravy spooned over top and some tasty cooked vegetables on the side.

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

With its rich creamy gravy, chicken and vegetable loaded base, and crispy potato tater tot topping, this is a real taste pleaser! Deliciously sized for two people.

Ingredients

For the base:

• 1 1/2 TBS butter
• 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into coins
• 1/2 stalk celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken broth
• 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• pinch ground nutmeg
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup (35g) frozen peas
• 1/4 cup (35g) frozen corn

You will also need:

• 1 1/2 cup (210g) diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup (60g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 20 (approximately) frozen tater tots

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 6 by 8 inch deep casserole dish, or the equivalent in size.
2. Melt the butter for the filling in a skillet. Add the onions, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until tender (7 to 10 minutes.) Add the garlic and cook for about a minute longer.
3. Sprinkle the flour over top and stir to combine. Cook for a minute and then slowly stir in the milk and the chicken stock. Stir and cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens to a gravy consistency.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the thyme and nutmeg.
5. Stir in the frozen vegetables and the chicken, combining everything thoroughly together. Pour into the prepared baking dish and level off.
6. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top and then lay the tater tots over the cheese in an attractive manner.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the casserole is bubbling and the tater tots are golden brown and crispy. Serve hot.

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