I’m a big fan of potato casseroles! There are so many things to love about this queen of comfort foods. It’s very easy to prepare, you can use many various ingredients, you can add meat or cook a vegetarian version… It’s a totally customizable dish that even kids tend to enjoy a lot, which makes it the perfect family dinner.

There are so many casserole recipes out there and today I would like to show you one of my favorite ones. Let’s cook a Loaded Chicken Potato Casserole together! This recipe requires a few more steps than a simple potato casserole, but I promise it’s worth it!

I call this dish “Loaded” chicken potato casserole because it’s literally loaded with flavors. There are onions, garlic, two types of cheese, marinated chicken thighs, crispy bacon and spring onions on top… and a lot of potatoes of course. To give it an extra kick, I’m also using some fresh herbs… basil and rosemary, but you can customize this too.

Tip: Looking for more casserole recipes? Try my loaded potato casserole recipe or this tater tot casserole with green beans from Renae.

What potato type to use for a casserole?

Well, I use whatever type I have at home at the moment and the result is always great. Basically all the most common types will work for this chicken potato casserole, but if I really had to choose one type it would be yellow potatoes such as the Yukon Gold.

Chicken Potato Casserole Ingredients

Note: My baking dish is 15×10 inches (38×25 cm) in size so the amounts reflect that. Please adjust the measurements in case of using a dish of a different size. I’m using chicken thighs because those are more juicy than breasts. But it’s perfectly fine to use chicken breasts too for this casserole recipe.

3 pounds / 1.5 kg of potatoes (preferably yellow)
1.5 pounds / 700g of chicken thighs
150g / 5 ounces of smoked bacon
1 bigger onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar
2-3 eggs
1/2 cup of sour cream
fresh herbs of choice – rosemary, basil…
1-2 spring onions
olive oil
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of red paprika
2 tablespoons of butter
salt and pepper to taste

How To Make Chicken Potato Casserole

Watch the video or read on for step by step instructions:

Let’s start with the potatoes as we need to pre-cook them for a few minutes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium sized cubes. Now grab a smaller pot and cook them in properly salted water for about 10 minutes or until somewhat tender.

Next comes the meat. Clean the chicken thighs, trim away the excess fat and slice them into smallish pieces, just like you can see on the photo.

I like to marinate the meat for a few minutes to enhance the flavors. Add a teaspoon of red paprika, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and some salt and black pepper to taste. Mix it up and let sit on the counter until we need it.

The potatoes should be ready by now so take them off the heat.

I’ve mentioned that this chicken potato casserole would be loaded with flavors so let’s start building those up. Heat up some olive oil in a pan and go in with one large finely sliced onion and about 3 cloves of sliced garlic. Sauté on high for about 5 minutes and mix frequently.

Once the onions become translucent, it’s time to add the meat and quickly sauté it. We don’t want to cook it fully. Give it about 5 minutes or until no more raw parts are visible.

Let’s move on with the potatoes while they are still hot. Add some butter and finely chopped fresh herbs. I’m using rosemary and basil today, but feel free to change this to your likings. Gently mix so that the potatoes don’t break too much.

And it’s time to assemble our chicken potato casserole. Brush the bottom of the baking dish with some olive oil first. Then proceed with making the first potato layer by using one half of the potatoes you have. Season with salt and some black pepper.

The chicken thighs go in next. Add all of them and pour in the juices too. Try to distribute the meat and juices as evenly as possible for the best results.

Top the meat with shredded cheese of choice. I have used about half a cup of mozzarella but you can use your favorite type.

TIP: You can definitely go heavier with the cheese if that’s what you prefer.

Use the rest of the potatoes to form the top layer and again, spread them out evenly.

To make sure the potatoes bind with the meat nicely, let’s mix about half a cup of sour cream with 2 eggs. Don’t forget to add some salt and black pepper of course.

Now pour the mixture over the potatoes and again, you want it to be everywhere, even in the corners of the baking dish.

Let’s not forget about the bacon. Small pieces like these work the best and you can add as much bacon as you want. Finish it up with a touch of salt and black pepper again and we are ready to bake.

When baking this chicken potato casserole, I proceed in steps. For the initial 20 minutes, I keep the baking dish covered with aluminum foil and the temperature is set to 400F or 200C. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for about 20 more minutes.

The casserole is looking great already but one last step is needed. Add some chopped spring onions and top it all with a nice amount of cheese again. This time, I’ve used cheddar but again, use whatever cheese type you prefer.

Back to the oven, turn the broiling mode on and give it 5 to 7 minutes. And this is what the finished chicken potato casserole looks like. I think it turned out really great. I hope you like this recipe, let me know in the comments 🙂

Questions and Tips:

• How long can you store the finished casserole for? When stored in the fridge, this potato casserole stays good for up to 3 days. This dish is actually great for make-ahead cooking.
• How to reheat potato casserole? Microwaves work the best in this case. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the oven, but that would take much longer.
• Can you use sweet potatoes for this recipe? Yes you can! Sweet potatoes would work just great with this chicken potato casserole.
• Not a fan of sour cream? No problem, you can use heavy cream instead. Just don’t skip the eggs, we need some binding element to be present.
• Can you freeze the left overs? Technically, you can, but the potatoes tend to lose their texture when frozen so the dish will lose some quality.

More chicken recipes to try:

• My favorite braised chicken thighs recipe with vegetables.
• Easy to make chicken Stroganoff with pasta.
• 2 easy to make chicken liver recipes.
• Oven baked marinated chicken wings with potatoes.
• Super simple chicken gyros made on the grill.