Loaded Baked Potato And Chicken Casserole

With Easter coming up, there have been some fantastic prices on Hams. I love having a deep freezer at times like this since it allows me plenty of space to stock up with. I found Smithfield hams for $1/lb and bought three. After cooking them, I slice all the meat off the bone and dice it, storing it in meal sized portions in the freezer. I typically get enough ham for about 20 meals, including using the ham bone. It never ceases to amaze me how many things I can either make, or drastically improve, using ham. Just think of the possibilities! I found this meal on quick & easy recipes, and opted to use the real ham I had frozen instead of some cooked and crumbled bacon. I figured my boys would appreciate the extra protein. While the prep time is relatively quick, the cook time is not and you will need to plan accordingly. That being said, this is delicious, almost like smothered french fries and it tastes just like a baked potato. My boys like ketchup on their ketchup, and opted to drown their potatoes in it, but my husband and I love it with just a dollop of sour cream for that authentic baked potato feel.

Loaded Baked Potato And Chicken Casserole

•  2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 8-10 medium potatoes, skin on and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground pepper
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 6 tbsp hot sauce

Topping

• 2 cups Mexican blend cheese, or 1 cup shredded monterey jack and 1 cup shredded cheddar mixed together
• 1 cup cooked, diced ham
• 1 cup diced green onions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix together olive oil, hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
3. Add the cubed potatoes and stir to evenly coat.
4. Add the potatoes to a greased 9×13 baking dish, leaving behind any extra hot sauce mix in the bowl.
5. Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy on the outside.
6. Add the diced chicken to bowl and stir to evenly coat all the chicken, allowing chicken to marinate as the potatoes bake.
7. Remove cooked potatoes from the oven and add the marinated chicken.
8. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees.
9. In a separate bowl mix together all topping ingredients.
10. Top the raw, marinated chicken and potatoes with the topping ingredients.
11. Bake 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is melted and bubbly.
12. Serve with extra hot sauce, ketchup, ranch dressing, or sour cream as desired.

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