Mashed Potato Casserole with Crispy Chicken
This mouth-watering mashed potato casserole is topped with Corn, Cheddar Cheese, Tyson Chicken Strips, and a drizzle of brown gravy! It’s easy to make ahead of time and bake later for a quick family dinner!
Love casserole recipes? Be sure to try my Twice Baked Potato Casserole recipe next!
Sunday meal prep has been my jam lately, and I’m so thrilled to be growing my collection of casseroles that are easy to throw together and can assembled a few days ahead of time.
Not to mention, if you find yourself with some leftover mashed potatoes, then this dinner is a no-brainer.
I always have Tyson Chicken Strips on hand because my daughter is obsessed with them. But I really like to find different ways to incorporate them into new recipes, like this mashed potato casserole right here, which my family loves.
Mashed Potato Casserole Ingredients
For Casserole
- Mashed Potatoes
- Frozen Corn
- Cheddar Cheese- Preferably grated yourself from a block at home
- Frozen Crispy Chicken
- Brown Gravy Mix
For Homemade Mashed Potatoes
- Russet Potatoes
- Butter
- Half and Half
- Salt/Pepper
How to Make the Best Mashed Potatoes
Use a Starchy Potato:
- Russets or Yukon Golds are perfect for mashing.
- Using waxy potatoes such as red or new potatoes can cause your mashed potatoes to have a gluey consistency as opposed to being nice and creamy.
Leave the Skins on for Boiling:
- This gives them more flavor.
- They absorb less water this way.
- They will be able to absorb the dairy better.
Use COLD Water:
- Add the potatoes to cold and salted water before boiling.
- Using hot/warm water will cause the outside of the potato to heat up before the middle does, which will cause uneven cooking.
Don’t Add Cold Ingredients to Warm Potatoes:
- Make sure your butter is completely softened.
- Make sure that your milk/half and half is warmed up slightly before being added.
- The potatoes will absorb them better this way and they will end up much creamier.
Add the Butter Before the Dairy:
- The butter helps to coat the starch and gives you a silkier consistency.
Don’t Over-Mash:
- Potatoes release starch every time they’re handled/mashed.
- The consistency will become gluey instead of creamy if they are handled too much.
Vegetable Variations:
- Frozen peas, carrots, corn, and green beans make excellent vegetable options in this casserole!
Make-Ahead Method:
Prep Work:
- Prepare homemade potatoes and store for a 1-2 days an airtight container.
- Grate the cheese ahead of time and keep it in a small storage bag in the fridge.
When Ready to Bake:
- Heat up the potatoes. (On stove or in microwave)
- Top with frozen corn, cheese, and chicken.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the gravy.
- Drizzle the gravy over the casserole and serve!
Storing Leftovers
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and are best if used within 3 days.
- You can reheat in the microwave or in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container, it’s best if used within 3 months.
Try These Casseroles Next!
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This mouth-watering mashed potato casserole is topped with Corn, Cheddar Cheese, Tyson® Chicken Strips, and a drizzle of brown gravy! It’s easy to make ahead of time and bake later for a quick family dinner!
- 5 medium Russet Potatoes of equal size
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 cup half and half warmed
- Salt/pepper
- 5 cups mashed potatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup cheddar cheese freshly grated
- 6 Tyson Chicken Strips
- .87 oz. packet Brown Gravy Mix
- Rinse the potatoes thoroughly and pat them dry. Leave the skins on.
Add the potatoes to a large pot of COLD and salted water, enough water to submerge them by 1 inch. Use 1 heaping teaspoon for each quart of water.
- Bring the potatoes to a gentle boil and maintain this boil until they are fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes. Hold them with a pot holder and peel off the skins. Return them to the pot.
- Add the completely softened butter and mash them to desired consistency.
- Warm the half and half in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir it into the mashed potatoes.
- Season with additional salt/pepper if desired.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Take out your chicken strips and let them sit at room temp for about 5 minutes if you prefer to slice them first.
- Spread the potatoes on the bottom of a casserole dish. (Mine was 13.25 x 9 but variations are fine.)
Note: If your mashed potatoes are cold, warm them first.
- Top with corn and cheese.
- Carefully slice the chicken strips into pieces of desired size and top the casserole dish with them.
Bake for 20 minutes, until the chicken is crisp.
- Prepare the gravy on the stove top according to package instructions while the casserole finishes baking.
- Drizzle your desired amount of gravy over the casserole dish and serve!
• Milk may be used instead of half and half. You can also use cream for ultimate decadence.
• If you prefer a creamier consistency, additional milk or half and half may be added to the mashed potatoes until your desired consistency is reached.
• For quicker mashed potatoes, you can peel them and slice them into thirds of equal size so that they finish boiling more quickly.
This sounds really good, and because I live alone and cook only for myself, it’ll give me leftovers for a few meals besides the initial one. Because of severe allergies to many foods, I’d leave the gravy off the dish, but since I prefer butter to any other topping, I’m sure I can “tough it out” with that :-D.
Are the chicken tenders from frozen to the top of potatoes or thaw first??
Hi Brenda, they’re still frozen, I like to let them sit out for 5 minutes so I can cut them into smaller pieces though! Enjoy! -Stephanie
This casserole recipe is the bomb. So delicious. Thanks
Hi Rusty! I’m so so happy that you like it! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating!!! Have a great weekend! -Stephanie
I am not one to usually leave a review but this casserole was simple and very flavorful. Everyone went for seconds, a big hit for sure. Mine had a couple slight variations. I added Fried onion pieces on top with the chicken and substituted country gravy for the brown gravy. This is definitely and new family favorite! Thank you.
Hey Lyndsey! I am sooo happy that you took the time to leave a review here! It totally made my day, SO glad that you all enjoyed this casserole! Country gravy sounds amazing and I love crispy fried onions, I’m totally adding that next time! 🙂 Thank you for sharing! Have a wonderful day! -Stephanie
Good and easy! Makes a lot! But, needed more corn, chicken, and gravy for the amount of potatoes. The potatoes really overpowered the other ingredients in the casserole. Thank you for the recipe and will be saving to make again!
Hi Maddison! Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it! I updated the quantity of potatoes from 6 to 5 to try to mitigate this, glad you’ll be making it again! -Stephanie
Looks yummy! Are the Tyson chicken strips supposed to be cooked or just thawed when putting together this casserole?
Hi Kristina! Just thawed is fine! 🙂
Ah… just like KFC’s “Sadness” Bowl (if you don’t get that reference Google comedian Patton Oswalt’s skit about it – it’s hilarious. 😀
Personally, if you’re going to take the shortcut of using frozen chicken strips (which I understand this post was sponsored by Tyson, so they had to be in there), why not make it super-easy on yourself and just use instant mashed potatoes too?
And, forget messing with a brown gravy packet? Just buy a jar (or can) of gravy. This recipe would then take zero cooking skills to make.
Just a thought!
Hey Kim! No I totally get what you’re saying! I just wanted to have “more” i information instead of less so I fcured if someone does want to make their own mashed potatoes then they have all the info! I personally (really) dislike instant mashed potatoes do I’d never use those but that’s a personal preference! Same with gravy, I am partial to the pockets but if someone wants to use a jar instead, that’s easy enough! Totally easy to customize. I’ll have to check out that comedy clip you mentioned! Have a great rest of your weekend! -Stephanie
Can you use boneless chicken breast? I don’t usually have chicken strips on hand.
You could! It won’t be quite the same and you could buy some Tyson Chciken Strips and keep them in the freezer for whenever you want to make this, but if you use boneless I would sear strips of chicken in a skillet and then dice them and top the casserole with it! 🙌🏻 -ENJOY! It’s sooo good!! -Stephanie