Buffalo Chicken Casserole

My husband loves Buffalo Wings.  However since I'm too mean and lazy I NEVER ever make them for him.  Consequently he is sad and cries a lot.  Ok. Ok.  So he doesn't cry.  He does make lots of sad sad faces though.  Luckily I am super mean and this doesn't phase me one bit.

Yeah.  I'm lying again.

I hate cooking chicken wings.  They are such a huge pain in the bum.

However, I found a recipe for a Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole from Cook Lisa Cook that Mrblocko says is even better than Buffalo Wings.  Why is it better?  Because bacon.

Bacon makes everything ten times plus a kajillion awesome.

As much as I loved the resulting recipe, there were a few flaws.  My potatoes took much longer than 50 min to get crispy.  The next time I make this I will bake them on a rimmed cookie sheet for 60-90 min.  The potatoes were way overcrowded in my 9x13 baking dish.

Also, 15 min at 400F was not enough time for the chicken pieces to cook all the way.  Next time I will cook them at 450F for 30 min.

Although dinner took much longer than anticipated, it was WELL worth the wait.  This recipe was a huge hit with the whole family.  Even the leftovers were awesome.  I reheated the pan in the oven at 350F for 30 min so the potatoes didn't get soggy. 


Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole from Cook Lisa Cook
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
8-10 med potatoes, cut into 1/2"cubes (skin on)
1/3 c olive oil
1 1/2 t salt
1 T ground pepper
1 T paprika (I used have sweet and half smoked)
2 T garlic powder
6 T hot sauce

Topping:
2 c shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack or Mexican blend cheese
1 c cooked crumbled bacon
1 c diced green onion

Preheat oven to 500F. In large bowl mix olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder & hot sauce. Add cubed potatoes and stir to coat. Carefully scoop potatoes into a rimmed baking sheet so potatoes are in a single layer. Leave behind as much of olive oil/hot sauce mix as possible. Bake potatoes for 60-90 min, stirring every 20 min, til cooked through and crispy & browned on outside. While  potatoes are cooking, add cubed chicken to bowl with leftover olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat. Once potatoes are fully cooked, remove from oven and lower temp to 450F. Place potatoes in sprayed 9x13 dish. Top cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken. In bowl mix cheese, bacon & green onion and top raw chicken with cheese mix. Return casserole to oven and bake 30 min til chicken is cooked through and topping is bubbly. Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing.