Your whole family will love this casserole, tender chunks of chicken in a creamy sauce finished with a buttery cracker topping. The Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole is full of flavor and so easy to make! It only takes about 30 minutes to put together, and it will quickly become one of your favorite weeknight casserole dishes!

Love this? Next time try the Creamy Chicken and Potato Bake!
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Why you'll love this recipe
✔️ Comforting casseroles are such a great meal. This one is loaded with a creamy sauce, and then topped with buttery Ritz crackers.
✔️ Like the Crockpot Chicken and Gravy recipe, there are no fancy ingredients are needed and it's a great way to use up leftover chicken.
✔️ Best of all, it's easy to make ahead of time, so you can enjoy a stress-free dinner.
Ingredients

For the exact measurements, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- large rotisserie chicken - boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed or shredded chicken
- sour cream - substitute cream cheese if you'd prefer.
- cream of chicken soup
- parmesan cheese
- poppy seeds
- buttery crackers - Ritz crackers, club crackers or cheese crackers would all be wonderful - use a food processor or a rolling pin to crush.
- butter
Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. For the complete directions just scroll down to the bottom!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 9x9 baking dish, spray with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, prepare the poppy seed sauce. Mix together sour cream, cream of chicken soup, shredded parmesan cheese, and poppyseeds. Mix until incorporated. Add the chicken and mix again.
- Spoon mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish.
- Crush the ritz crackers. Add melted butter and cracker crumbs to a small bowl, and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle the buttery ritz cracker topping over the chicken mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.
- Garnish with thinly sliced green onions or minced parsley.
Equipment
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- 9x9 casserole dish
- large bowl
- small bowl
FAQ's
Yes, this casserole recipe needs cooked chicken. It's a great way to use up rotisserie chicken.
Poppy seeds are a good source of calcium, magnesium, and zinc sso yes, they are good for you!
Poppy seeds will not show up on a standard drug test. However, some more sensitive tests may be able to detect poppy seeds. If you are concerned, it is best to avoid eating poppy seeds before a drug test.
Yes, you can freeze chicken casserole with sour cream. Just make sure it is fully cooled before freezing. Place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Things to know
- Spray your baking dish well so that cleaning up is a breeze.
- If you prefer a thinner sauce you can add a little of chicken broth or chicken stock to thin out the sauce.
- You can use any type of neutral flavor of leftover chicken, or you can poach or grill chicken for this delicious dish.
- Greek yogurt makes for a great replacement for sour cream in this recipe.
- I like this recipe because it makes a smaller portion. If you're feeding a crowd and double this recipe, you will need to use a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Add more flavor to your sauce for this easy dinner recipe by adding in garlic powder, onion powder, or black pepper to the sauce.
- Learn how to reheat a casserole here.
Variations
- Switch out the parmesan cheese for cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese for flavor.
- Add in some diced onion, bell peppers, or broccoli.
- Stretch this meal by adding a cup of cooked rice. Wild rice would be delicious as well!
- Love a spicy casserole? Add in a diced jalapeno for some heat.
- Top with crushed potato chips or fried onions for extra crunch.
- Stretch this casserole by putting it over white rice or egg noodles.
- Mix in a bag of frozen mixed vegetables for an all in one meal!
- For a rich flavor add a splash of white cooking wine to this casserole.
- Replace the cooked chicken with seared pork chops to change up the protein in this creamy casserole.
- Instead of cream of chicken soup you can use cream of mushroom soup for this tasty casserole.
Storage
Refrigerate - Cover casserole with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Refrigerator up to 3 days.
Freezer - Casserole can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat - Casserole can be reheated in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Related recipes
- If you are looking for an easy weeknight meal look no further than this Cheesy Queso Chicken Enchilada recipe.
- Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole gives you all the taste of buffalo wings, in a hearty family friendly casserole.
- Creamy Chicken and Potato Bake - we love this simple casserole. Great flavors and it makes the richest gravy!
- The Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake is an easy recipe that gathers everyone around the table!
- Nothing says pure comfort food more than the Ultimate Chicken Casserole.
- One of my favorite easy casserole recipes is this Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole - so delicious!
Looking for more Easy Chicken Casserole Recipes? Be sure to check out this post!
Serve with
- This creamy chicken casserole pairs so well with a side of green beans. Use this Steamed Green Beans recipe or fresh Roasted Green Beans and Carrots side dish.
- A side of broccoli would be delicious too!
- A crispy green salad would be great served alongside this meal!
- If you are looking for an easy dessert make Fried Apples and serve with a scoop of ice cream. Or if you'd prefer dessert with a little zing give these Easy Lemon Bars a try.
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If you love this recipe please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating!
Poppy Seed Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken diced
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 10.75 ounces cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed
- ½ cup butter melted
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 9x9 baking dish, spray with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together sour cream, cream of chicken soup, shredded parmesan cheese, and poppyseeds. Mix until incorporated. Add the chicken and mix again.
- Spread along the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Crush the ritz crackers. Add melted butter and crushed crackers to a small bowl, and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle on top of the chicken mixture. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly and golden brown.
- Garnish with thinly sliced green onions or minced parsley.
Notes
- Switch out the parmesan cheese for cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese for flavor.
- Add in some diced onion, bell peppers, or broccoli or a bag of frozen vegetables.
- Stretch this casserole by putting it over white rice or egg noodles.
- Replace the cooked chicken with seared pork chops to change up the protein in this creamy casserole.
- Instead of cream of chicken soup you can use cream of mushroom soup for this tasty casserole.
Amanda
I love this casserole. I just wanted to share that I like to add dried beef to the bottom of my dish and pour mixture over it and do cheddar cheese instead of parm. But this is a delicious poppy seed chicken recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Bowl Me Over
Oooh what a great variation Amanda, thanks for sharing, that sounds delicious! I appreciate you taking a moment to comment, that means the world to me!