Loaded Potato and Buffalo Chicken Casserole

By: Melissa Baker

Recipe and Image Courtesy of www.MyRecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt 
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons paprika 
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder 
• 2/3 cup hot sauce 
• 6-8  medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes 
• 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes 
• 2 cups fiesta blend cheese 
• 1 cup crumbled bacon 
• 1 cup diced green onion

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray a 9X13" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and hot sauce.

3. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat. Carefully scoop the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil and hot sauce mixture as possible. Bake the potatoes for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy and browned on the outside. 

4. While the potatoes are cooking, heat a skillet over medium with 1 tbsp. olive oil and cook chicken until lightly browned, approximately 4-6 minutes. Add the cubed, cooked chicken to the bowl with the leftover olive oil/hot sauce mixture and stir to coat. 

5. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Carefully add the chicken to the cooked potatoes and mix together. In a bowl, mix together the cheese, bacon and green onion and top the chicken and potatoes with the cheese mixture. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly.