Buffalo Chicken Casserole From ‘Real Food By Dad’
Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Here Matt Robinson of Real Food by Dad takes inspiration from bar food in this simple weeknight casserole.
Behold! Buffalo chicken, in casserole form. Photo: Matt Robinson
Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Serves 4 to 6
Let’s do bar food meets casserole. Sure, it’s unorthodox, but this is what happens when it’s my turn to make dinner — most times, I don’t have anything planned out, so I have to patch things together. Sometimes it works, and sometimes — not so much. But in this case, it was a go. In fact, so much so, the leftovers were used for breakfast. I’m sure you can guess how. Yep, we put an egg on it.
But let’s talk shortcuts and swap-outs. I used fresh potatoes because that’s what was in the pantry, but if you want cut the prep-and-cook time on this dish to 30 minutes, just use some frozen country potatoes. And for spiciness, I used sriracha, but feel free to use your preferred hot sauce.
Now the optional stuff — you can skip bacon, but really that would be sacrilegious to this dish. Okay not really, but really, why would you? And if you do, don’t tell me. My little guy tells me the bacon makes this dish — I’ve trained him well — and I completely agree.
1 one-ounce ranch dried seasoning
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
2 pounds potato, diced to ½-inch cubes
1 pounds cooked chicken, cut to ½-inch cubes
1 cup Mexican cheese
½ cup mozzarella cheese
¼ cup bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 7 to 8 pieces), to garnish
2 tablespoons green onions, to garnish
Sriracha, to serve
Heat oven to 475°F. Cover 9-by-13-inch pan with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, combine and whisk together ranch seasoning, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. Add in the potatoes and toss to combine.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop out potatoes and transfer them to prepared casserole pan. Transfer pan to oven and bake for 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes for even cooking.
In the meantime, toss the chicken in the remaining sauce and refrigerate until potatoes are completed.
Remove fully-cooked potatoes from oven. Toss the chicken with cheese and fold it into potatoes. Return the casserole pan to the oven and lower the temperature to 375°F. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon and green onions, and drizzle with sriracha. Serve immediately.
More impressive one-pot dishes:
How to make macaroni and cheese without a recipe
One fabulous red, white, and blue crisp
What’s your go-to one-pot dish? Tell us below!
