5 from 3 votes
Cheesy Loaded Baked Potatoes with Chicken and Bacon
Turn a baked potato into a meal with these Cheesy Loaded Baked Potatoes topped with Chicken, Bacon, and the most amazing cheddar cheese sauce!
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings:
3
servings
Calories:
601 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
- 3 russet potato medium
- olive oil for drizzling
- kosher salt for sprinkling, or sea salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1-2 cups rotisserie chicken shredded, chopped
- cheese or try it with the cheese sauce below!, shredded or grated, to taste
- ½ cup tomato chopped
- 3 TBSP Bacon approx 2-3 slices, cooked and chopped
- 3 TBSP sour cream for topping
- 2-3 TBSP green onion or scallions or chives, sliced
CHEESE SAUCE
- 2 TBSP butter unsalted
- 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper plus extra for a kick!
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder plus extra to taste
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 5.5 ounces cheddar cheese not bagged, freshly grated, medium
Instructions
First Bake the Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 425℉.
- Wash and scrub potatoes and poke each in a few different spots with a fork. Brush all over with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt or sea salt.
- Bake on a sheet pan for 45-60 minutes (cook time varies based on spud size) until the interior is fork-tender and gives a little when pressed or gently squeezed.
Cup of Yum
Prep the Toppings
- While the potatoes bake, chop chicken, tomatoes, and green onion. Cook bacon until crispy and chop into tiny pieces.
- Now let's get cheesy! You can use shredded/grated cheese to save on time but if you have a few minutes, the homemade cheese sauce is AMAZING with these loaded potatoes!
DIY Cheese Sauce
- Make your cheese sauce when there are about 5 minutes left on your oven timer for the potatoes. To make the sauce, first prep and measure out all your ingredients. It's much easier when they're all ready to go as this sauce comes together fast!
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted add flour and whisk non-stop with a metal whisk as the mixture bubbles and darkens slightly in color.
- Next slowly add the milk while whisking.
- Add spices (I heavy hand my cayenne - yum!) and continue to cook over medium until the sauce begins to thicken and simmer.
- Reduce heat to lowest setting and slowly add cheese one handful at at time, whisking fully between each handful. Do this for each portion of cheese until your sauce is perfectly smooth and melty.
Stuff Those Spuds!
- Once the potatoes are ready, allow them a few minutes to cool on the pan then slice lengthwise and fluff the insides with a fork. Season to taste with black pepper.
- Next add your toppings and dig in while they're hot! Enjoy!
Notes
- If you're adding plain shredded cheese, pre-shredded bagged cheese is totally fine. If you're making the melty cheese sauce, you will need to use cheese freshly grated off a block of cheddar in order to get a totally smooth and creamy cheese sauce.
- Nutrition Facts below are estimated for each loaded baked potato with cheese sauce using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Make any adjustments needed and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Calories
601kcal
(30%)
Carbohydrates
50g
(17%)
Protein
34g
(68%)
Fat
30g
(46%)
Saturated Fat
17g
(85%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
(6%)
Monounsaturated Fat
7g
(35%)
Trans Fat
0.3g
(15%)
Cholesterol
125mg
(42%)
Sodium
700mg
(29%)
Potassium
1305mg
(28%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
7g
(14%)
Vitamin A
1150IU
(23%)
Vitamin C
17mg
(19%)
Calcium
532mg
(53%)
Iron
3mg
(17%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 3 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 601
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 601kcal | 30% |
| Carbohydrates | 50g | 17% |
| Protein | 34g | 68% |
| Fat | 30g | 46% |
| Saturated Fat | 17g | 85% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Trans Fat | 0.3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 125mg | 42% |
| Sodium | 700mg | 29% |
| Potassium | 1305mg | 28% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 1150IU | 23% |
| Vitamin C | 17mg | 19% |
| Calcium | 532mg | 53% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.