Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

 

That time when you had potatoes coming out of your ears. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about!

It was about a month or two ago, I was looking through our cupboards and realized I had a large bag of potatoes and had yet to use them. Not that we aren’t fan of potatoes, but I cook simple. I mean SIMPLE. We are typically one course meal-type people. We’ve had plenty of other things going on, so when I think of something to have for supper, that’s about all we are having. Well, when I saw the large bag of potatoes, I knew I needed to start to use them up.

It just so happened that I had been reading a cookbook from the library by the Pioneer Woman. Ree Drummond is a favorite of mine! I actually have never seen her show (didn’t even know she had one until someone told me about it), but I have seen her recipes on various websites and then found her cookbooks at the library! While perusing through them, I found a recipe for her Loaded Baked Potato Casserole. When I looked at the ingredients list, like all of her recipes, they are were simple and easy to use ingredients. That is why I love “cooking with” Ree! She is a no-nonsense cook who makes the most of what is in her home!

So without further ado, I wanted to share her goodness via Kristin’s Kitchen.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In a bowl, mix olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and hot sauce. Add potatoes to bowl and allow to marinate for 10 minutes. Coat baking dish with cooking spray. Spread potatoes evenly in baking dish and back for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Fry bacon and set aside. Using bacon grease, brown the chicken cubes. Once potatoes are done, mix in bacon and chicken. Bake for 12 minutes. Crumble the bacon, grate the cheese, and chop the green onions. Layer the cheese, bacon, and half of green onions and bake for 3-5 minutes more, until the cheese is melted.

 

 

Add fresh green onions before serving. Here is the final goodness!

I added some sour cream to top it off. DELISH!

 

Here’s the full recipe:

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. chicken breasts, cubed
• 8 potatoes, cubes
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1 T. fresh ground pepper
• 1 T. paprika
• 2 T. garlic powder
• 3 T. hot sauce
• 2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 c. bacon, crumbled
• 1 c. green onion, diced
• Sour cream to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce.
3. Add potatoes to bowl and allow to marinate for 10 minutes.
4. Coat baking dish with cooking spray.
5. Spread potatoes evenly in baking dish and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. Fry bacon and set aside to drain.
7. Using the bacon grease, brown the chicken cubes.
8. Once potatoes are done, stir chicken into dish. Bake for 12 minutes.
9. Crumble bacon, grate the cheese, and chop the green onions.
10. Layer the cheese, bacon, and half of the green onions and bake for 3-5 minutes more, until the cheese is melted.
11. Add fresh green onions before serving and offer sour cream to taste.