Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Classic Southern comfort food! This creamy poppy seed chicken casserole with almonds and buttery Ritz crackers is an easy dinner recipe with just 10 minutes of prep.

This recipe comes from my Aunt Barbara, who originally delivered the meal to our family in a covered dish after Casey was born (more than 10 years ago!). Since Barbara’s ritz poppy seed chicken casserole includes wild rice (which the kids don’t always love), I’ve tweaked it a bit to suit our family’s preferences.

By eliminating the rice, you get a versatile dish that pairs well with any of your kids’ favorite sides. From biscuits to cornbread, pasta to rice, the options are endless! Add a salad or other green veggies and your easy weeknight dinner is complete.

Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole

This casserole is a simple combination of chicken, sour cream, Campbell’s cream of chicken soup, slivered almonds, poppy seeds, and a Ritz cracker crumb topping. It hits all of the texture highlights with creamy, crunchy, and buttery flavors in every bite! Best of all, you can prepare the meal in advance and keep it refrigerated or frozen until ready to enjoy. It’s a great option to deliver to new moms, to sick families in need, or to just stash in your freezer for a hectic day.

Do poppy seeds add flavor?

Poppy seeds add a little bit of flavor, but it’s subtle and hard to detect in this casserole. Instead, they’re used mostly for visual interest and a bit of crunch in the filling. Poppy seeds also happen to boast many healthy benefits, as they are high in iron, calcium, phosphorous, and zinc.

How to Cook Chicken for a Casserole

While it’s possible to cook a casserole with raw chicken, you’ll need cooked chicken for this recipe, and a variety of options will work. Pick the most convenient method for you:

• Boiled and Pulled Chicken: Boil about 2 ½ lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs until cooked through (about 15 minutes). When cool enough to handle, chop into bite-size pieces or pull the chicken with two forks. You’ll need a total of about 5 cups shredded. I find that 2 ½ lbs. of chicken breasts yields about 5 cups of pulled chicken, but there’s some flexibility here — it doesn’t need to be exact.
• Rotisserie Chicken: This is a great shortcut! Purchase a rotisserie chicken (or two) from the grocery store, shred the meat, and use in the recipe as instructed. One very large rotisserie chicken should yield about 5 cups of meat. If your store sells smaller chickens, you will likely need two chickens to equal about 5-6 cups shredded.
• Leftover Chicken: If you have leftover grilled or baked chicken from a previous meal, put those extras to good use in this casserole.
• Canned Chicken: Yep, even canned chicken from the pantry will work in this recipe.

What to Serve with Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

This classic, old-fashioned chicken casserole goes well with almost any of your favorite starches and vegetables. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Rice, Charleston Red Rice, or Rice Pilaf
• Pasta or Homemade Egg Noodles
• Hush Puppies or Hoe Cakes
• Baked Potato Wedges or Baked Potatoes
• House Salad with Candied Pecans, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, a Classic Caesar Salad, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, or a Wedge Salad
• Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Bacon and Chives, Angel Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
• Cast Iron Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
• Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
• 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
• Cranberry Orange Bread or One-Bowl Cranberry Orange Muffins
• Cheddar Chive Beer Bread (No Yeast, No Knead) or Honey Beer Bread
• Homemade Crescent Rolls or Soft Dinner Rolls
• A loaf of crusty Dutch Oven Bread, No-Knead Cranberry Walnut Bread, or French Baguette
• Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
• Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
• Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon or Southern-Style Green Beans
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
• Southern Succotash
• Fried Corn
• Southern Collard Greens
• Fried Okra or Okra and Tomatoes
• Broccoli and Cheese
• Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion, Braised Red Cabbage, or Roasted Cabbage
• Duke’s Mac and Cheese, Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, Crock Pot Mac and Cheese, Stovetop Shells and Cheese, or No-Boil Easy Mac and Cheese
• Cheese Grits or Pimento Cheese Grits Casserole

Recipe Variations

• Use any flavor combination of condensed soups that you prefer: cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or cream of celery are all nice options.
• For lighter options with less sodium, feel free to substitute with the Healthy Request or 98% fat-free varieties of condensed soups.
• Swap out the sour cream and use whole plain greek yogurt instead.
• Try adding vegetables to the dish. Steamed broccoli, frozen mixed vegetables, canned or frozen corn, frozen peas, or sautéed mushrooms would all be great additions!
• Add a layer of cooked rice to the bottom of the dish before adding the chicken filling. My aunt always uses wild rice, but brown rice or white rice would work well, too.
• Add cheese. Stir some grated cheddar cheese into the filling, and sprinkle a layer of grated cheese on top before adding the Ritz crackers.
• Stir some herbs or other seasonings into the sauce. Try dried or fresh parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, chives, or garlic.
• Don’t have Ritz crackers? Substitute with crushed potato chips, crushed Corn Flakes cereal mixed with melted butter, or other buttery crackers (like Keebler Club crackers).

Tips for the Best Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole Recipe

• Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
• Divide the casserole ingredients between two 8-inch square baking dishes. Bake one now, and freeze the other for a later meal.
• Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken (or two) for an easy, quick-prep solution. The rotisserie chicken also adds a lot of flavor to the dish.
• Use full-fat sour cream for the best flavor and texture.
• Bake the casserole just until it’s heated through. All of the ingredients are already cooked, so you just want to warm it in the oven until bubbly. Don’t bake it for too long, or it may dry out or get burned on top.

More Chicken Casserole Recipes to Try

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

45 minutes mins

Dump-and-Bake Chicken Mushroom Casserole

50 minutes mins

Chicken and Rice Casserole

35 minutes mins

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

Total: 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 571 kcal

This creamy poppy seed chicken casserole with almonds and buttery Ritz crackers is an easy dinner with just 10 minutes of prep!

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Ingredients

  

• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 2 (10.5 oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup, not diluted
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 5 cups cooked, shredded chicken (about the amount of meat from 1 large rotisserie chicken or 2 smaller chickens)
• ½ cup slivered almonds (about 2 ounces)
• 2 sleeves Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed (about 60 crackers total)
• 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter, melted
• Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, chicken soup and poppy seeds. Stir in chicken and slivered almonds.
  
• Transfer the chicken mixture to a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
• In a small bowl, combine the Ritz crackers and the melted butter.
  
• Add the buttered cracker crumbs to the top of the casserole.
  
• Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is hot and bubbly.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
  

Notes

• Use any flavor combination of condensed soups that you prefer: cream of chicken, cream of mushroom or cream of celery are all nice options.
• For lighter options with less sodium, feel free to substitute with the Healthy Request or 98% fat-free varieties of condensed soups.
• Try adding vegetables to the dish. Steamed broccoli, frozen mixed vegetables, canned or frozen corn, frozen peas, or sautéed mushrooms would all be great additions!
• Add a layer of cooked rice to the bottom of the dish before adding the chicken filling. My aunt always uses wild rice, but brown rice or white rice would work well, too.
• Add cheese. Stir some grated cheddar cheese into the filling, and sprinkle a layer of grated cheese on top before adding the Ritz crackers.
• Stir some herbs or other seasonings into the sauce. Try dried or fresh parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, chives or garlic.
• Don’t have Ritz crackers? Substitute with crushed potato chips, crushed Corn Flakes cereal mixed with melted butter, or other buttery crackers (like Keebler Club crackers).
• Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.
• Divide the casserole ingredients between two 8-inch square baking dishes. Bake one now, and freeze the other for a later meal.
• Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken (or two) for an easy, quick-prep solution. The rotisserie chicken also adds a lot of flavor to the dish.
• Use full-fat sour cream for the best flavor and texture.
• Bake the casserole just until it’s heated through. All of the ingredients are already cooked, so you just want to warm it in the oven until bubbly. Don’t bake it for too long or it may dry out or get burned on top.

Keyword: chicken poppy seed casserole, chicken poppy seed casserole recipe, poppy seed chicken casserole, poppy seed chicken casserole recipe, ritz poppy seed chicken casserole

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Southern

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This recipe was originally published in September, 2021. The photos were updated in May, 2023.