Tonight felt lazy but wanted something good without takeout junk. Saw some frozen tater tots in the freezer and leftover rotisserie chicken. Figured… why not try that casserole thing everyone’s cooking? Grabbed everything cold straight from the fridge.
Getting My Stuff Together
First, dug out a big baking dish from under the sink – kinda dusty, gave it a quick rinse. Sprayed the whole thing hard with cooking oil spray. Stuff always sticks otherwise. Got my arms full of ingredients:
- Leftover chicken, maybe like two cups worth? Pulled it apart with my hands like shredding paper.
- Bag of frozen tater tots. Solid little bricks.
- Cream cheese block – felt like a brick too. Left it sitting on the counter while prepping other stuff hoping it’d soften.
- Sour cream, ranch seasoning pack from the back of the pantry (expired next month, win!), shredded cheddar cheese.
Preheated the oven hot, like 400 something. Screw measuring the temperature, just cranked the dial.
Mixing Up the Mess
Threw the shredded chicken in a big bowl. Scooped the rock-hard cream cheese in too. Used a fork to try and squish it together. Honestly looked like lumps in cat food. Added a big glop of sour cream – maybe half the container? Then dumped that ranch powder all over. Stirred like crazy until my arm got tired. Still had white lumps. Whatever.
Dumped that weird chicken goop into the greased dish. Smushed it flat like pressing down dough. Opened the tater tot bag. Poured enough to cover the chicken completely. Smashed them down a bit too so they kinda sat right.
Hot Box Time
Shoved the whole dish into the oven. Middle rack. Didn’t set a timer – just walked away and figured maybe like 40 minutes? Watched some random TV.
Smelled cheesy after a while. Checked it. Tots looked pale on top. Took it out, dumped like half a bag of shredded cheese on top like snow. Back in the oven. Didn’t wait. This time just broiled it high until the cheese went crazy bubbly and golden brown in spots, about 5 minutes maybe? Nearly burned it.
Throwing Salad Together
While the casserole cooled (sorta), ripped open a bag of lettuce into a bowl. Found some cucumbers half soft. Peeled them and chopped rough. Tomato? Had one. Diced it sloppy. Pour store-bought ranch dressing right from the bottle onto the salad. Tossed it all with my hands, messy.
Stuffing My Face
Dished up a giant scoop of that bubbling casserole. Grease pooled around the tots. Cheese strings everywhere. Salad dripping dressing on the side. Took one bite. Hot mess. Cheesy, tangy ranch chicken, crispy-tender tots on top. Burned my tongue. Drank milk straight from the jug. Salad tasted cold and wet. Exactly what I needed. Not pretty, but totally hit the spot. Easy lazy win. Saved the rest for tomorrow. Probably tastes better cold.
