Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole is one of those timeless comfort foods that we grew up with made with simple pantry ingredients and the best buttery Ritz cracker topping.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
This baked creamy casserole is the ultimate comfort food meal the whole family can enjoy, with tons of flavor, juicy and tender chicken, and super budget friendly.
- Pantry ingredient: Most of the simple ingredients for this easy dinner idea can be found right in your pantry.
- Feeds a crowd: Make this poppy seed chicken casserole and have enough for a large family.
- Easy dinner prep: Make this up the night before, adding the crushed crackers to the casserole dish just before baking.
This is delicious served over mashed potatoes or baked potatoes (try cooking your baked potatoes in the Instant Pot – it’s so easy)!
“I LOVE this casserole! One night I didn’t have Ritz crackers so I substituted Chicken in a Biskit crackers. Oh my goodness…if it is possible, it makes this even better!” — Janet
Key Ingredients:
Fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been cooked and diced work the best for this recipe.
To get the best creamy sauce you will need a combination of cream of chicken soup, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, and lemon juice.
Ritz crackers, poppy seeds, and melted butter make a delicious buttery cracker topping for on top of the chicken.
Serving the family dinner simply with cooked white rice, egg noodles, or even mashed potatoes.
See below for a detailed list of ingredients!
Equipment Needed:
How to make Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ while you mix together diced chicken, soup and sour cream in a large bowl.
- Next, add easy flavor by adding in Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and lemon juice to the creamy sauce.
- In another bowl, mix together crushed crackers, poppy seeds, and melted butter and stir until butter is completely incorporated.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread chicken mixture on the bottom and top with cracker mixture.
- Cover pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes.
- Serve over cooked rice.
Tips and Recipe Notes
- If the casserole is a little liquidy, bake for another 10-15 minutes, tenting the casserole with foil to avoid burning the topping.
- Saltine crackers, whole wheat Ritz crackers, or even panko crumbs would work well for the golden brown topping.
- Omit the poppy seeds if you need to or do not have them.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
Storage: Store the leftover creamy chicken casserole for 3 to 4 days in airtight container.
Reheat: Preheat the oven to 300 – 325°F and bake the leftover chicken mixture for 15–20 min with foil, then uncover to keep the topping crisp or microwave in 30 second intervals and then broil for 1 to 2 min to re-crisp the cracker crumbs.
Freeze (unbaked): Assemble filling only; wrap the casserole dish well and store the the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight, add topping, bake 25 to 30 min covered and then 10 to 15 min uncovered.
FAQ’s for Easy Chicken Dinner
Cook chicken will be needed for this recipe. Either boil the chicken ahead of time, or grab a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat, adding it to the dish.
Yes! Adding fresh broccoli or canned green beans are simple yet great options to add to the chicken casserole.
Swap the Ritz crackers with either your favorite gluten-free crackers or use crushed pretzels in its place.
To add more protein or keep this recipe on the leaner side, use plain Greek Yogurt in place of the sour cream.
Casserole Recipes to Serve:
Tater Tot Cowboy Casserole and Chicken and Noodle Casserole are some of our all time favorite dinner casseroles our whole family enjoy.
Hashbrown and Egg Breakfast Casserole is a great breakfast to feed a crowd but is also a delicious dinner option!
Green Chile Enchilada Casserole and John Wayne Beef and Biscuit Casserole some fun hearty dishes to serve on those chilly winter nights.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (cooked and diced)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup, (10.75 ounce can)
- 1 ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cup Ritz crackers, (crushed)
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- ½ cup butter, (melted)
- 2 cup white rice, (cooked)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Mix together diced chicken, soup and sour cream in a large bowl.
- Add in Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and lemon juice.
- In another bowl, mix together crushed crackers, poppy seeds, and melted butter and stir until butter is completely incorporated.
- Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread chicken mixture on the bottom and top with cracker mixture.
- Cover pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes.
- Serve over cooked rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Video
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
I love this! I make a similar casserole, which freezes really well and makes a great gift for a family with a new baby (or any other reason to gift a meal!).
This sounds soooo good! I love the addition of the poppy seeds, thanks for sharing 🙂
Looks fantastically delicious!!
Wow!! This looks insanely good and I cannot wait to make this! I think 90% of your recipes I am always willing to try because none are crazy intimidating and they are everything I adore as well! Please check out my Crispy Chicken and Feta Spinach Salad recipe that I had for dinner last night. It’s similar with the poppy seed. YUM all around!!
Yum! Can’t wait for the giveaway announcement tomorrow!! I’ve been crossing my fingers for the Jo Totes one 🙂
This was one of our favorites growing up (we used to ask for it for our birthday meals!) only we called it Chicken Poppyseed 🙂
i’D LOVE TO KNOW HOW YOU FREEZE THE CRACKER TOPPING. THANKS!
I’ve been making this for over 15 years without all the optional stuff. I love this dish and I make yellow rice and put this over it. Everyone loves it and begs for more.
Funny that this is on the menu at our house tomorrow night!
I make a similiar casserole using tuna as well as chicken and top it with crushed potatoe crisps and grated cheese, my family have always loved it.
This is a serious casserole. Love every ingredient and it sounds so easy to make. Thanks for sharing. (Stop by and add it to our blog hop?)
seriously dumb question but hope you will consider it worthy of an answer.
lots of your recipes call for COOKED chicken and i am wondering…
HOW do you cook the chicken for the recipes???
baked–boiled–grilled–you get the idea of the question.
thanks
Hmm. not sure why the comment didn’t show up, but I’m wondering the same thing. What is your go to method when recipes call for cooked chicken? I see that a lot in recipes and don’t really have cooked chicken laying around, but would love any easy way to prepare the day before or cook a bunch and freeze for occasions like this. Thanks!
We just boil it and after it’s cooled, dice it up. We have cooked up a bunch of chicken breasts and cut it up and put it in freezer bags. Then when a recipe calls for it, just pull it out of the freezer. Usually we just cook it as needed for the recipe. But usually always boiled. That’s quick and easy. Hope this helps. -The Six Sisters
Hi Sarah, we hope the reply above answers your question. 🙂
thank you
We love this casserole at our house too….after baby #2 I had a friend bring it over, but she had added noodles! She simply precooked a package of bowtie pasta, stirred the chicken, sauce and noodles all together, then topped with crackers and baked it. I actually liked it that way even better 🙂
Thanks! I never thought about just boiling. Thanks.
Can this be frozen as is, or do you need to make any modifications first? Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
This would work great as a freezer meal. Just make as above and freeze. Let it thaw before heating up when you pull it out of the freezer. Thanks for stopping by our blog! -The Six Sisters
I use at least three of your recipes a week. I love your recipes but this is the first time I’ve commented. I just wanted you to know you guys have given me the confidence as a new married wife to cook! Your food never has crazy food items that I’ve never heard of, or insane steps that make me want to cry! Thanks again you guys rock!
Thanks Cynthia! Yea!! That is exactly how we feel, and we want to help women and families! Cooking doesn’t have to be overwhelming with ingredients that we have never heard of. 🙂 Congrats on being newly married! Have a great day! -The Six Sisters
I grew up with this recipe as well (without the Worcestershire and garlic) but my mom always served over cooked white rice. It is one of my families favorite! And those who asked about cooking the chicken, SSS had given me a great idea in the comment section of another recipe, about putting it in the crockpot with water so it can cook while you are gone then when you get home voila! Chicken is cooked and ready to go in any recipe. You girls are seriously the best! Love your site 🙂
What sides would you suggest serving with this? I had a friend bring this to me after my second child but that was a few years ago and I have no idea what we had with it. Salad? Any starch suggestion?
What sides would you suggest serving with this? Salad? Any starch suggestions? I’ve had it before but I can’t remember what we ate with it!
What side dishes do you serve with this?
We usually have a vegetable and click on our recipe index and look at all of the salad options. Best of luck! -The Six Sisters
I freeze it without the crackers and add those with less butter ( about 1/2) when I reheat it. It is a family favorite. We serve it with steamed broccoli, rice pilaf, and a yeast roll. Yum, yum! Another favorite side it the copy cat recipe for Texas Roadhouse green beans. Love!
Just be careful because poppy seed is on the list of “don’t eat” for breast feeding mothers.
I make this (minus the optional ingredients) and it is always a hit. It’s my go-to meal when I have to take food to anyone. I usually make green beans with it or broccoli and rice. I mix 1 tablespoon of poppy seed with 8oz of Monterey Jack cheese and put that on the chicken before adding the cracker/butter mixture.
I but grocery store rottiserie chicken when rhey are on sale, shred and store in zip lock bags in the freezer. Perfect for recipes like this, no cooking time and cheaper than buying raw!
So I am breast feeding and someone mentioned no poppy seeds while breast feeding… Would this taste good without the poppyseed or is that what “makes” it delicious??
It will taste fine without the poppy seeds.
HUH? I am very surprised about the poppy seeds can not used for breastfeeding mothers? What is the main reasons? I have had breastfed all of my three babies. They appeared being fine.
Loved the recipe! It was soooo easy. I added 1/4 c. slivered almonds to the cracker topping and a can of green beans to the chicken mixture and thought it turned out awesome. My husband says he can’t wait for the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Thanks for posting a great recipe!
Why in the world would poppyseed be a problem for nursing mothers? I’ve never heard of that. My husband avoids poppyseed because he is subject to quite sensitive, random drug tests, but I wouldn’t be afraid of nursing and eating them.
Ive been making this for years! I also add In some fresh broccoli. Great easy, week night, comfort meal.
How long do you cook if I already cooked it without the topping and then froze it?
Just til heated through. Won’t take very long if it is fully thawed.
I have made a v similar version of this recipe before. Checkerboard Chicken.
Instead of mixing the butter, we sliced small squares and dotted it on top of the crackers, the way it melted, if placed strategically, will make the topping look like a checkerboard.
I found this question and answer rather helpful. I never thought of boiling chicken breast. My mom didn’t like poultry so I’ve had to learn on my own how to cook chicken. Great tip! I tried it yesterday and now I have 5 cups of cooked chicken in my freezer ready for recipes. Thanks!
I buy cut up bone in chicken. It is really cheap in my area. Then I cook it in a crockpot. Then I reamove the meat and put it in recipes. It cuts down on cost a lot!
I also make my own white sauce because my kids cannot eat the artificial stuff in canned soup:-) Super yummy in other recipes!
I am excited to try this!
Poppy seeds if you eat enough of them will cause you to be positive on a drug screen for opiates. So I am sure that is why you aren’t supposed to eat poppy seeds while breast feeding.
After thawing and now ready to reheat and cook what oven temperature would you reheat at and for how long?
After letting the frozen casserole thaw and to reheat it again, what is the oven temperature and for how long in for the Poppy seed chicken casserole recipe?
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Just keep checking on it until it is heated through really well. May take 30 minutes.
Mine came out runny. Is this normal? Smells DELISH!!
It’s gooey like in the picture, but I wouldn’t call it runny. Not sure what could have gone wrong. I guess you could serve it up with a slotted spoon and let all of the juice run out before putting it on your plate.
Serve with peas. Instead of ritz crackers use saltines
No one is drug-testing the babies.
I had asked my doctor about poppy seed muffins while pregnant (as I was worried if they could affect a baby getting everything I was eating since I knew you might test positive on a drug screen so figured it could be harmful) and she told me there was no reason whatsoever to avoid them. I have made this a few times while BF and my baby is fine. I am making it tonight and will probably feed her right after too 🙂
I actually have been making this same recipe for years, only instead of poppy seeds I use celery seeds. My whole family and friends who have tried it, love it!
Added some lightly steamed cauliflower to add a veg and make it a full meal. SO YUMMY!
You’re posting all my favorites today! This is THE BEST chicken casserole. Ever.
How many servings does this make?
I made this tonight, and it was really good! I feel like it’s missing rice or noodles though. Mine was a little soupy, so I added white rice and it was delicious!
Lactation consultant here…no need to avoid poppy seeds when breastfeeding. Enjoy!
I LOVE this casserole! One night I didn’t have Ritz crackers so I substituted Chicken in a Biskit crackers. Oh my goodness…if it is possible, it makes this even better!
I just mixed this up to take to an after funeral meal at church. I started spreading in my 9×13 pan and it only took up about two-thirds of the pan. I had to switch it to another. Is anyone else having this problem? If I need a 9×13 pan next time, I’ll double the recipe. I also took half of the poppy seeds and mixed them in the chicken, soup, sour cream mixture and the other half in the topping mixture. I like to see the seeds all the way through. I’m curious as to how the lemon juice and worcestershire sauce effect the taste.
My dad made this for my family years ago and its now my husbands favorite recipe!! It is an awesome easy dinner to make.
Love it! I couldn’t find poppy seeds in the grocery store, so I used chia seeds instead. YUM!
For future reference… where do you typically find poppy seeds?
Poppy seeds are found by the spices and baking goods.
I add about 2 cups cooked rice to the mixture before baking. Very yummy!
Me too! Making it for a family who just lost their baby and I want to be sure it is delicious and crisp on top.
How do I find the Cinnamon Bites recipe?This one says “Poppy Seed Chicken” under the photo of the Bites, and the link goes to the chicken, not the
Bites.
I don’t think I would want to have Poopy seeds on my meals, but poppy seeds yes. Lol. Poopy seeds is in the ingredients section of the recipe near the bottom of ingredients I think. Well somewhere down there on the page.
Can I make this without the Worcestershire sauce?
Yes you can omit the Worcestershire sauce though it will change the flavor profile slightly. Still yummy!
Ha ha ha! Great catch Robin. I’d stick with Poppy seeds on this one 😉 I have updated the error in the post.