Poppyseed Chicken Casserole is a classic comfort food dish that has been enjoyed by families for generations. This dish combines tender chicken, creamy sauce, and a crunchy topping made of buttery crackers, all baked to perfection. This recipe can also be easily adapted to be gluten free and dairy free!
Making Poppyseed Chicken Casserole
This creamy poppyseed chicken casserole is comfort food heaven! A cheesy and crunchy topping adds flavor and texture to the classic dish, making it a crowd-pleasing favorite. Easy to make ahead and reheat for an effortless weeknight dinner. -
Pantry Ready Ingredients
This recipe uses ingredients you can find easily in your pantry. All you will need to make this recipe is butter, Ritz crackers, poppyseeds, chicken breasts, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and cheddar cheese. You can also make this recipe gluten free and dairy free too.
Creamy and cheesy sauce
The combination of sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and cheddar cheese makes for the perfect and indulgent creamy sauce. You can also easily make a dairy free creamy and cheesy sauce by using dairy free sour cream, dairy free cream of chicken soup and dairy free cheddar cheese.
Buy Dairy Free Cream of Chicken SoupTop with Buttery Ritz Crackers
The best part of poppyseed chicken casserole is the buttery ritz cracker topping! In a bowl you will mix together butter, crushed Ritz crackers and poppyseeds. This topping will get sprinkled on the top of the casserole so as it bakes it browns and becomes perfectly crunchy! For a dairy free version, you can substitute dairy free butter and there are gluten free Ritz crackers available at grocery and health stores as well as online.
Buy Gluten Free Ritz CrackersCan be Served as a Main Dish or Side Dish
This casserole is a perfect family dinner that can be served with a variety of sides such as roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, or a green salad. It's also a great dish to make ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for later, as the flavors continue to develop and deepen over time.
You can serve this dish on top of rice, noodles or mashed potatoes too!
A Versatile Dish
One of the best things about this dish is its versatility. You can change it up by using different types of crackers, or by adding additional ingredients like sliced mushrooms or frozen vegetables. You can also use different types of cheese, such as cheddar or Swiss, for a different flavor profile.
It also easily adapts for food intolerances. For a dairy free version, substitute dairy free butter, sour cream, cream of chicken soup and cheddar cheese.
For a gluten free version, use gluten free cream of chicken soup and gluten free Ritz crackers.
For a lightened up version of this poppyseed casserole recipe, use reduced fat sour cream, cream of chicken soup and cheddar cheese.
Comforting and flavorful for family meals
Poppyseed Chicken Casserole is a simple, yet delicious dish that has stood the test of time. It's easy to make and can be customized to suit your tastes. Whether you're looking for a classic comfort food or a quick and easy dinner, this casserole is sure to be a hit with your family. So give it a try and enjoy the comforting, home-style flavors of this classic dish.
Poppyseed Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
Serves 6
For the Topping:
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 35 Ritz crackers
- 1 tablespoon poppyseeds
For the Casserole:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 8 ounce container sour cream
- 1 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a Ziploc bag, place the Ritz crackers. Seal and use a rolling pin to crush the crackers finely. Place the cracker crumbs, butter, and poppyseeds in a small bowl. Mix with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the cooked cut chicken, sour cream, cream of chicken soup and cheddar cheese. Mix until well combined. Pour the chicken mixture into an 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the casserole.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese has melted.
You can NEVER have too many casseroles! Enjoy some of our other casserole recipes!
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is there a way to make this a freezer meal??
You could try, but I haven't had luck with it since it is a creamier meal. Often times when you try to freeze meals that have a higher content of dairy or cream, it will seperate or become grainy when you thaw or reheat. While I have done it before and no one from the family has complained, this is one of those meals that is best cooked and eaten same day. I hope this helps, please feel free to ask me questions anytime you have them. Traci