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casserole in a white dish with a golden crunchy cracker crumb topping on white background
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Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole

A classic dish without the condensed soup! Creamy chicken and poppy seed casserole baked with a rich and buttery crumbled cracker topping.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: casserole, chicken, poppy seed, poppyseed
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 406kcal
Author: Erin
Cost: $4.40

Ingredients

  • 2 baked chicken breasts pulled apart or shredded into pieces

For the Topping

  • 1 ½ cups crushed butter crackers
  • 4 tablespoon butter ½ stick, melted

Cream of Chicken Soup Base

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • ½ onion minced
  • 1 stalk celery minced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 32 oz chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon thyme fresh or dried
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • salt and pepper to taste optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Salt and pepper chicken breasts and bake 20-25 minutes until cooked through; pull into pieces.
  • In a large skillet, add half stick (4 tablespoons) butter and minced vegetables and saute on medium high heat until softened.
    skillet with sauteing onion, celery and garlic pieces
  • Add flour and whisk until it forms a paste like consistency and all lumps are gone.
  • Pour in stock and thyme and whisk until smooth. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.
    cast iron skillet with thick chicken soup sauce
  • Remove skillet from heat and stir in shredded cheese, sour cream and poppy seeds.
    skillet with casserole ingredients being added to cream of chicken soup base
  • Stir occasionally and let cheeses melt while you work on the crumb topping.
    cast iron skillet with creamy chicken poppy seed casserole filling being stirred with wooden spatula
  • Crush crackers into crumbs by placing the crackers in a large zip lock bag and smashing with a rolling pin.
  • In a small bowl, add crushed crackers, and butter; microwave 30-60 seconds until butter is melted and stir to evenly coat the crumbs.
    white bowl filled with crushed cracker crumbs and melted butter with spoon
  • Pour skillet into a 13x9 inch casserole dish.
    white handled rectangular casserole dish filled with creamy poppy seed chicken casserole filling next to metal ladle
  • Sprinkle buttery cracker crumbs evenly over the top.
    white casserole dish covered with cracker crumb topping next to empty bowl of crumbs
  • Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
    white rectangular casserole dish with two handles filled with crumb topped casserole dish on a baking sheet
  • Serve with steamed rice.

Notes

  • Bake chicken breasts before hand and pull them apart into chunks, or use leftover rotisserie chicken or other chicken to equal 2 cups. 
  • You can substitute a similar sharp cheese for the Parmesan cheese.
  • Use fresh or dried herbs. 
  • If you make the sauce base in an oven-safe skillet such as a cast iron skillet, then you can use that to bake the casserole in without having to pour it into a separate casserole dish. 
  • Best served with steamed white rice but can substitute veggies, brown rice or noodles. 

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 711mg | Potassium: 444mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 430IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 322mg | Iron: 2mg