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Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole is a tangy, filling meal that the whole family will love! Tender chicken, crispy crust and a sauce to die for. Perfect for busy weeknights.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
This Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole is in regular rotation around our house, partly because it’s delicious and the kids love it, and also because it’s really easy to throw together on those busy nights when dinner seems impossible. I don’t know about you, but between kids’ sports schedules, husband’s work schedule, homework, business meetings and general life chaos, dinnertime some times sneaks up on me. This casserole is made with ingredients I always have in the pantry and it comes together in a snap. Pair it with a simple green salad and a side of steamed rice and you have a well balanced, tasty dinner that makes you seem like you have it all together even when you don’t feel like it.
Tips For a Tasty Casserole
Casseroles can sometimes get a bad rap, as being dull, bland or boring. But this Poppy Seed Casserole turns all those stereotypes around. Casseroles can be tasty, full of fresh ingredients and flavors and that’s what I love about this dinner.
- Use fresh ingredients as much as you can. Add fresh veggies even if the recipe doesn’t call for them. For example, you could add peas, green beans, or shredded carrots to this mixture and bake them right in the casserole. Bear in mind that adding veggies can add unwanted liquid to the casserole so make sure to squeeze any moisture out of the vegetables before assembling your casserole. And steer clear of frozen veggies, as they have a lot of excess water.
- Speaking of fresh ingredients, try using our Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup recipe instead of a store bough canned version. You can make this in just a few minutes and it tastes so much better, and has much less sodium than the canned stuff.
- Casseroles are a delicious way to use up leftovers. If you have a roast chicken for Sunday dinner, use the leftover chicken for this casserole.
- You can also use canned or pre-cooked chicken in this recipe, which will save even more time.
- We love using buttery Ritz crackers as the topping for this chicken casserole. But if you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute other types of crackers or corn flakes or bread crumbs.
More Quick Casserole Recipes
Having a few delicious casserole recipes in your arsenal will save you lots of time and headaches around dinnertime. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Best Baked Tater Tot Casserole
- Easy Shepherd’s Pie
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Parmesan Squash Casserole
- Cheesy Enchilada Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken breasts* cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes
- 2 sleeves Ritz crackers
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 10.5 ounces condensed cream of chicken soup or condensed cream of chicken soup substitute
- 12 ounces sour cream
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Crush the 2 sleeves of Ritz crackers (about 2 ½ cups).
- Stir melted butter, 1 ½ cups crushed Ritz crackers and poppy seeds together in a bowl.
- Fold in chicken, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream until well blended.
- Pour mixture into a 9×13 inch pan.
- In a separate bowl, mix remaining 1 cup of Ritz crackers and Parmesan cheese.
- Spread Ritz cracker topping evenly over casserole.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Somebody made this and brought this over to me after I had my first baby. Ever since I have been almost obsessed with this! It is so stinking delicious! Great week night meal, great give away meal/potluck meal!
This was such a simple and delicious family dinner, everyone went in for seconds!
This creamy chicken casserole recipe is so easy to make and so HEARTY! The BEST weeknight dinner recipe.
This looks sooo good! I’m looking forward to trying it.