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Poppy seed chicken casserole is a tried and true classic recipe. With only a few ingredients and super simple prep, this easy dinner can be mixed together in one bowl. Even your pickiest eaters will love it!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy chicken dinner recipes are one of my lifelines, especially when they use already cooked chicken. All I have to do is make a whole chicken in the Instant Pot and repurpose the shredded chicken in a meal or two during the week.
And once the weather starts to cool down, you better believe tried and true casserole recipes will be getting a workout in my kitchen.
This recipe makes me think of old fashioned tuna casserole which, incidentally, is topped with potato chips! Both pair well with a simple side of green beans.
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🛒 INGREDIENTS
Here are the key ingredients in this cozy casserole.
- cooked and shredded chicken - You can make a whole chicken in the Instant Pot or crockpot and shred it, or buy it pre-shredded from the grocery store. I won't judge!
- cream of chicken soup - I know, I know...it's the canned stuff. But sometimes easy wins out when it comes to mealtime.
- sour cream - this combines with the cream of chicken soup and adds a creamy tang, keeping it from being too heavy.
- poppy seeds - these crunchy little seeds add some texture, crunch and a little pop of color.
- parmesan cheese - because, well - cheese! It gives the dish a slightly salty and nutty flavor.
- butter and butter crackers - butter and Ritz-type crackers? You better believe the topping of this casserole is full of buttery flavor.
A full list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
📋 Substitutions
Parmesan cheese - I really like the flavor profile of this cheese but you could also use shredded cheddar in its place.
No cream of chicken soup? Use cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup in its place.
🥣 How to make poppyseed chicken casserole
Before you get started, preheat the oven and coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Step 1: Combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, poppy seeds, black pepper, garlic powder
and parmesan cheese.
Stir to combine.
- Step 2: Add the chicken to the mixture and mix well.
- Step 3: Pour everything into a 9x13 inch baking dish and spread evenly.
Top with crushed Ritz crackers. Pour melted butter evenly on top.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and topping starts to brown.
Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Tip: One of the reasons I love this casserole is that it can be made ahead of time or frozen for later.
📖 Make Ahead & Meal Prep
Prep the poppy seed chicken and pour into your casserole dish, but don’t add the Ritz crackers and butter on top.
Cover and store in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours and then top it with Ritz crackers, melted butter & pop it in the oven to bake. You'll want to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
You can serve as is with a side of veggies, or spoon it over some slow cooker brown rice. And of course, you can shortcut your rice with a microwave bag of rice. It's a pantry staple at our house.
Storage
This recipe is best served warm from the oven, but if you need to save it for later, cover it with foil or a lid and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Freezer Meal
To freeze this casserole for later, don't add the crackers or butter. Wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Freeze up to three months. Add the crackers and butter when you're ready to bake.
Reheat in the oven for the best texture, if you want the crackers to stay crisp. If you're in a hurry, the microwave will work just fine.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked chicken shredded
- 2 10.5 ounce reduced sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 ½ cups Ritz crackers crushed (about 1 sleeve of crackers)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the 2 10.5 ounce reduced sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, 16 ounces sour cream, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and½ cup parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.
- Add the 4 cups cooked chicken to the mixture and mix well.4 cups cooked chicken
- Pour mixture into the 9x13 inch baking dish and spread evenly.
- Top with 1 ½ cups Ritz crackers (crushed). Pour melted ½ cup butter evenly on top.1 ½ cups Ritz crackers, ½ cup butter
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until it's bubbly and starts to lightly brown. Let it cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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