The Genius KFC Trick We Wish We'd Known About Sooner

KFC bowls are the ultimate comfort food—a layered masterpiece of mashed potatoes, crispy fried chicken, corn, shredded cheese and a generous drizzle of gravy. We love having all those savory, salty cheesy flavors mingling together in one dish. Every bite is perfectly balanced, so you get a little bit of everything, making it downright delicious. No wonder they’ve been a fan favorite for years.

I’ve been craving one lately, but here’s the catch—I have to eat gluten-free now. Sadly, that means those crispy nuggets of fried chicken in the classic KFC bowl are off the table for me. But why let that stop me when I can recreate the magic at home? I found an amazing recipe that makes it possible to customize this fast food favorite.

Content creator Steph Gigliotti (@stephgigliotti28) shared the best way to make this delicious comfort food at home and I can't wait to make a version that meets my dietary needs.

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What We Love About This KFC Bowl Casserole

To make quick and easy KFC bowls at home, Steph suggested skipping the bowls and building the dish in a 9-by-13-inch casserole pan. Why haven't I thought of this before?

Start with the mashed potatoes, which Steph makes from scratch. To make them extra creamy, as they are in at KFC, she suggests mixing in plenty of melted butter and warming your milk before stirring it into the potatoes.

Next up: the chicken. She says you can use chicken nuggets, cut up chicken fingers, or shredded or cut up chicken (which is probably what I'll do to make it gluten-free). Arrange the chicken evenly over the potatoes, then top with some drained canned corn and some shredded cheddar cheese. Steph says to measure the amount of cheese with your heart, which is a direction I can absolutely follow. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes and you have one of the best dinners ever!

If you're interested in the exact amounts Steph used, they're in the caption of her TikTok video that you can find here, or on her Instagram post.

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KFC Bowl Casserole Variations To Try

This recipe would be fun to customize, and the possibilities are wide open! Start with the classic base (listed above) and then mix it up. You can toss the chicken in buffalo sauce for a spicy kick and drizzle ranch dressing on top.

I, personally, like to swap the gravy for BBQ sauce and add crispy fried onions for extra crunch. I also like to add bacon bits, sour cream and green onions for a loaded baked potato vibe. To mix up the topping, you could try a mix of panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese on the top for a cheesy, crunchy finish.

Want to try a Tex-Mex Bowl? Mix in some black beans, salsa and jalapeños, and use queso or shredded pepper Jack instead of shredded cheddar. This idea could also be used for a quick, savory breakfast, too! Just replace the mashed potatoes with hashbrowns and top with scrambled eggs, sausage and gravy.

You could swap out the mashed white potatoes for sweet potatoes or even use instant mashed potatoes. For the vegetables, corn is the classic move, but you could also layer on another veggie, like steamed broccoli or green beans.

These bowls are great for experimenting with your favorite flavors and toppings to make each bowl unique. It's comfort food with endless creativity and flavors.

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