spicy potato and chicken casserole

I was a little hesitant to share this recipe...

For one, it's not the healthiest meal in the world {although there are definitely ways to lighten it up}.
Secondly, it's a little strange...well, one step in particular.
But if you bear with me, I promise you won't be disappointed.

I have made this twice so far, and both times it has gotten rave reviews.

Who doesn't like roasted potatoes, chicken, and cheese though?

Exactly.

recipe adapted from here

*The original recipe calls this "loaded potato and buffalo chicken casserole," which is pretty much exactly what this is...

However, I like to call it "spicy potato and chicken casserole" because:

1. That's the exact thing I googled to find it, and;

2. When I googled that, I was trying to see if there was a good way to make potatoes spicy.

FYI, there is and they're awesome.

Things you'll need:

2 chicken breasts, thawed and cubed

5-8 medium red potatoes {I think I used 6 here}

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp ground pepper

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

dash of garlic salt

1/4 cup hot sauce {I used Texas Pete}
shredded cheese {I've used fiesta blend, mozzarella, taco cheese...you name it. It's all good.}
3 slices of bacon, chopped {I always use Bacon Bits because it's less of a pain}

*Feel free to play with these measurements!
Joe and I love spicy stuff, so I put way more hot sauce than the original recipe calls for.  It's just so good!

Mix olive oil, pepper, paprika, chili powder, garlic salt, and hot sauce together in a bowl.

Chop up your potatoes into cubes, and toss them around in the hot sauce/oil mixture.

Bake at 450 degrees for 40 minutes to an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so to make sure they brown on all sides.

When they're done, turn the oven down to 425 degrees.

While potatoes are roasting, put your cubed chicken in what's left over of the hot sauce/oil mixture.

Cover and let marinate.

The chicken will absorb almost all of the sauce.

This is the strange part.

Put the raw chicken on top of the cooked potatoes.

This step totally weirded me out the first time I made this.

Raw chicken is just so...icky.

But trust me, this step is key.

Cover the raw chicken in cheese.

Featured here is a blend of taco cheeses and mozzarella.

Any cheese you like will work...these are just what I had on hand.

Sprinkle chopped bacon/Bacon Bits over the top.

You can also add chives, chopped onions...be creative!

If it can go in a baked potato, it can go on this casserole.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and cheese is browned and bubbly.

I put mine in for exactly 15 minutes just for good measure.

Also, the chicken always turns out amazingly tender.

Like, more tender than any other baked chicken I've done.

It's just all around delicious.

So go make it and report back.

:)