What can be better than buffalo chicken, tater tots, and nachos? How about buffalo chicken totchos? They combine the best parts of all your favorite game day or sports bar foods into one glorious dish. And you can use tons of shortcuts to get a huge batch of buffalo chicken totchos on the table (or the couch) in no time.
The taters
We’ll start with your base layer. You can use proper tater tots, or you can use something like crispy crowns. I prefer crispy crowns simply because they have flat surfaces. You’ll want to cook your tots according to your package directions. I would definitely recommend deep frying them (here’s my deep fryer). They’re crunchy, crispy, and so full of flavor. You’ll also want to season them with salt and pepper.
The chicken
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make buffalo chicken from scratch. Or you can buy pre-made buffalo chicken boneless wings. Mac loves buffalo chicken, so we keep boneless wings in the freezer. And that’s what we use. I would recommend bite-sized chicken, so it’s similar in size to your tots. You can make popcorn chicken and toss it in buffalo sauce, or buy buffalo chicken bites. Again, make those according to your package directions.
The cheese
The cheese definitely won’t stand alone on these totchos. I prefer a nice sharp cheddar to counteract the spiciness of the buffalo sauce. You can also use a cheddar jack or a cheddar / mozzarella blend.
The sauce
The great buffalo chicken dressing debate: are you on team ranch or team blue cheese? Whichever dressing you choose will be drizzled over (and under) the buffalo chicken totchos. You can use a pre-made dressing of either flavor, or you can make your own from scratch. If you make your own, you want it to be a pretty pourable consistency. I love the zesty punch of homemade ranch because I add a lot of extra dressing mix.
The heat
If you’re a spicy and hot food fan, you have a lot of ways to amp up the heat on these totchos. The first is your buffalo sauce. You can go spicy or mild. I like to split the difference and use a medium-heat buffalo sauce. It pairs well with the creamy coolness of the ranch dressing. You can also add some heat with your garnish. Mac also loves jalapenos, so we added a sliced jalapeno. Feel free to pile on the jalapenos or splash on a few more dashes of hot sauce to get to your favorite level of heat.
PrintBuffalo chicken totchos
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 1 32 ounce bag of tater tots
- 1 20-30 ounce bag of buffalo popcorn chicken
- 1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 1 packet of ranch dressing mix
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 1 green onion, sliced
Instructions
- Cook your tater tots according to the package directions. Season with salt and pepper before the tots cool.
- Cook your buffalo popcorn chicken according to the package directions.
- Add the ranch dressing mix to the sour cream, and stir to combine. Add a tablespoon of milk at a time, and stir until you reach your desired consistency.
- Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick spray. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Spoon about a quarter of the ranch dressing on the baking sheet. Spread the cooked tater tots evenly over the ranch dressing. Spoon another quarter of the ranch dressing over the tots. Sprinkle half a cup of the cheese over the ranch dressing.
- Layer the cooked buffalo popcorn chicken over the tater tots. Top with the remaining ranch dressing and shredded cheese.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with the green onions and jalapeno. Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 10
Enjoy!
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YES! Sign me up! #TeamBlueCheese
I’m on Team Ranch, so we’ll have to agree to disagree, haha.
My mouth is watering over these! I just need a sport event as an excuse to make them!
Reruns of old games sound good to me! Lol.