Heather’s Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole is not only super easy, it’s also incredibly delicious! This is the perfect quick comfort food for a busy weeknight.
Y’all, I love my wife. She is such an inspiration to me. She’s a full-time nurse practitioner, a wife, and a mom. But, that’s not all! On top of all that she’s a maid, a chauffeur, a laundress, the list goes on and on. She’s also a really great cook and a wiz in the kitchen when it comes to whipping up delicious, quick, and hearty recipes – even when she has a food blogger husband. 😂
When it’s been a long day for her, this Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole is her ultimate, go-to comfort food. It’s simple and quick and fills you with that warm feeling that only comfort food can give you. I’m thrilled to share her recipe with you, and I’m sure this one will end up on your meal rotation, especially for those busy weeknights! Y’all enjoy!
Methods for Shredding Chicken
There are many different ways to shred chicken, some quicker and more convenient than others. Before I get into those, I highly recommend clicking this link where I dedicated an entire post on this blog to explaining “How to Make Shredded Cooked Chicken for Recipes.” It provides a lot of great details, but here are my quick takeaways for my most favorite methods for shredding chicken:
Forks Method – Just grab two forks for this super easy method. You will want to place the chicken on a wide plate or in a large bowl. Then use the two forks to stab and pull away in opposite directions. This motion will allow the chicken to shred apart easily. Then, you simply repeat the process all over the chicken until it’s shredded to your liking.
Hand Mixer Method – If you have a hand mixer, I highly recommend trying out this method for shredding your chicken. You will want to make sure your chicken is drained of any liquid you may have baked it in. Then place the cooked chicken in a bowl. Get your hand mixer ready on low. While firmly holding the bowl steady, slowly move the hand mixer around and through your chicken until it’s thoroughly shredded.
Standing Mixer Method – This is probably the easiest method of them all. You simply place your cooked chicken in the bowl of your standing mixer. I prefer to use the paddle attachment for this method. Then, turn your stand mixer on low and watch the magic happen. No arm workout for you with this method! Simply watch your chicken until it’s to your shredded preference, and you are good to go!
Substitutions & Variations
How to Serve – I love to serve this over rice. You could also serve it over pasta like egg noodles or on its own with a side of my delicious mashed potatoes. It really pairs well with just about any vegetable, especially my green bean recipe, or with a heated-up bag of frozen peas and other veggies. I have even seen people sprinkle a little cheddar cheese over the buttery Ritz cracker topping. Yum! All of these options complement the flavors well and will make for a delicious and filling meal.
Cream of Soup Options – This recipe calls for cream of mushroom, but I know some people have mushroom allergies and others just have some strong opinions against cream of mushroom. If you fall into one of those groups, you could easily substitute in cream of chicken soup for the cream of mushroom soup. You could also do cream of celery but that may affect the flavor a bit more, so keep that in mind. Simply follow the instructions as I detailed out and add cream of chicken soup in with your sour cream mixture just as I suggest you do with the cream of mushroom soup.
Other Ways to Cook the Chicken – There are so many ways you can cook up the chicken for this chicken poppy seed casserole. As a matter of fact, I dedicated an entire blog post just to this, so check it out here. As for this recipe, I recommend cooking boneless skinless chicken breasts in the oven, boiled on the stovetop, in the instant pot, or in the slow cooker. I explain how to boil your chicken in this particular recipe, so you can check out the recipe card for those instructions. Here are a few things to note about the other cooking methods:
- In the crockpot… You can cook the chicken, covered with water or broth, in the crockpot on low for about 4 hours.
- In the instant pot… For your instant pot, you will want to add about a cup of water to the pot with your chicken and cook it on high pressure for 8 minutes with an immediate release at the end.
- In the oven… You may cook the chicken in the oven at 400°F for about 20 minutes.
Can you freeze this chicken casserole?
You can absolutely freeze this Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole. It really is a great meal to make ahead and heat up later. You will want to store it in an airtight and freezer-safe container after you have fully baked the casserole. If you are storing it in your casserole dish, make sure it is wrapped up airtight with plastic wrap. I even like to add an additional layer of aluminum foil on the outside for extra caution.
When you are ready to reheat the casserole, I recommend allowing your frozen casserole time to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If you have stored the casserole in smaller containers, you can simply reheat those in the microwave by following your microwave’s defrost directions if still frozen or for a few minutes at a time if thawed overnight.
If you need to reheat the entire casserole, then I recommend letting it thaw in the fridge overnight. Transfer the casserole to an oven-safe dish if needed. Then, reheat the dish by placing it in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbling. Just remember, you never want to put a cold glass dish in a hot oven. It can shatter. So, allow the dish to come to room temp before putting it in the preheated oven or put the cold dish in the cold oven and allow the dish to heat as the oven preheats.
Can I make Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole without the poppy seeds?
Absolutely, you can whip up a delicious poppy seed chicken casserole even without the poppy seeds! The poppy seeds in this classic dish mainly add a bit of texture and a hint of nuttiness, but they’re not crucial for the flavor. Without them, you’ll still have a scrumptious casserole that’s perfect for a family dinner around the supper table.
You could even get a bit creative and add a little twist to replace the texture or flavor. Think about sprinkling in some toasted sesame seeds for that delightful crunch. Or, for a fun little zing, a sprinkle of lemon zest could do wonders. It’s all about making the recipe your own and enjoying the process. Plus, it’s a great way to keep things interesting and fresh in the kitchen, right?
Remember, the heart of this dish lies in its creamy, comforting chicken goodness. As long as you’ve got that down, you’re all set for a meal that’ll have everyone asking for seconds!
Recipe Card
Heather’s Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts*
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of mushroom condensed soup
- 1 (16-ounce) container container sour cream
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup butter
- 30 buttery round crackers ((I use Rtiz))
- cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a large pot and cover them with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through – 15 to 20 minutes. Be cautious not to boil the chicken as it has a tendency to get tough when boiled. Remove from water to allow to cool. Once cooled, shred chicken.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the sour cream, mushroom soup, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Add about half of the poppy seeds and the chicken to the bowl and mix well. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, crushed crackers, and the remaining poppy seeds. Mix well and sprinkle over the chicken mixture. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Serve over white rice, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Elaine Williams
Can I use chicken tenders
Absolutely, chicken tenders can work great! Just make sure to adjust the cooking time if needed, since they might cook a bit faster than other cuts.
Mary Catherine
So easy and so delicious! I served this over egg noodles tonight with sides of lima beans, steamed broccoli, and a fresh fruit salad. My 96- and 98-year-old parents, my husband, and I LOVED it! I have learned to always trust your recipes to satisfy our southern palates, Stacey!
Thank you so much for the confidence you put in me and my recipes, Mary Catherine! So glad y’all enjoyed it!
Susan
This sounds like a keeper. I used to have a similar recipe “Poppy Seed Chicken & Rice”. The rice was a part of the recipe and instead of sour cream used mayonnaise. Unfortunately old recipes go missing. Thanks for posting
Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Bernadette Colabella
Super simple! Use home-canned chicken (not dry) and saves a step. Will definitely be experimenting with this! Best wishes to Heather in school. I still remember medic school…
Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Lorna Fraser
Did you know you can shred chicken breast with your kitchen aid mixer? It’s easy peasy.
Yes! It makes it so easy, right!?!
DELAINA YOUNG
In the instructions you say to add 1/2 the Poppy seeds and 1/2 the chicken. You never tell us what to do with the other half of the poppy seeds and chicken? What do we do with that?
Hey Delaina! Actually, in #3 is says half the poppy seeds and the chicken – meaning all the chicken and half of the poppy seeds. The remaining poppy seeds go in the cracker mixture in step #4. Does that help?
Angie
About how many pounds of chicken would you guess I need for this? The chicken breast vary so much in size I want to get the correct amount.
Love your recipes!
Thanks, Angie! Probably about 1.5 to 2 pounds will work. Hope you’ll enjoy it!!
Montgomery
Thank you for this recipe I make it all the time, I had to double the sour cream because mine was always so dry.
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!!
Martha Reaves
I had a friend who made this, She made it a whole meal by putting Rice a Roni (already cooked on the bottom and topped that with green beans, Then put the chicken mixture on top. It was so good. I never got the recipe now I have it.
Yum! Sounds great!
Vikki
The recipe in your book says 16 oz. sour cream which one is correct? Thanks
Technically, both. In testing recipes for the book, I found that I liked a little more “sauce” so I changed it to 16-ounces. Either will work.
Shery
Way to go Heather! Keep up the good work. =) I hope to make this yummy recipe using my new easy-go-to rotisserie (boneless) packaged chicken from Costco. I have officially been spoiled by the ease of purchasing this package in the deli and taking it home to use throughout the busy school/work week.
Isn’t that super convenient???
Geri
Very easy, that’s what I use. I also use about a tsp of sweet curry, delist too.
Sounds great!
Joan in VA
It looks fantastic. BUT, with my mushroom allergy, I am going to do it with Cream of Chicken soup.
A mushroom allergy is a pain in the …. well, I’ll just say there are mushrooms in places I would never have looked before this developed.
Oh, that’s terrible! Well, cream of chicken will work just fine.
Judy
Stacy you sound like a wonderful husband, Your wife is very lucky and she sounds amazing too. I just love your site as well as southern plate. You all are so down to earth and such wonderful recipes. I can’t tell you how many I have made. Keep up the good food.
Thanks so much, Judy! You are so kind to say that.
Beverly T.
Unless you’re in a hurry, by far the best way to cook chicken for shredding is just to throw it in the crock pot on low for eight hours or so. It’s tender, juicy, and shreds at the touch of a fork. No need to add water or anything else. I cook big batches and freeze to use in various dishes.
I totally agree! Although, I do traditionally cover the chicken breasts with water. Makes some great chicken broth for later.
Rae Marie Czuhai
Just looking for recipe for supper and this caught my eye but then I saw my grandmother’s sterling silver on your plate! I have her six place settings but can’t find anymore. Do you know the name of this pattern?
Thanks for the beautiful photos!
Thanks! Unfortunately, I don’t. I buy a lot of stuff like this from flea markets and estate sales. I probably only have a few pieces of this particular pattern. Good luck finding it!
Beth Forrest
Rae Marie, I believe it’s called “Candlelight” made by Towle. I have it, too. It was my grandmothers as well. I have only seen it once and I can tell you it was way too expensive to buy but, not too expensive to enjoy!!! Beth
Linda Hatfield
Rae Marie-If you google “discontinued flatware or silverware “ there are several sites that might help you
Mandy @Mandy's Recipe Box
This is the perfect dish! Everything in it is already in my kitchen! Thanks for the yummy recipe.
You know that’s my jam! I need it to be quick, easy, and I need to already have the stuff I need in the pantry. Hope you’ll enjoy it, Mandy!
Aryn B
My family has made this for years, it’s so tasty! We always call it grandma’s chicken, well, because grandma made it I guess lol! We have a few difference though. We use cream of chicken, boil a whole chicken and pick it (always hated helping with that part as a kid), and we crush the crackers and and fry them in the stick of butter in the skillet before putting them on top. Also, we’ve never served it over anything, might have to try it! Thanks for all the great recipes, Stacey! I love your blog 🙂
Thanks, Aryn!
Elizabeth
Your fantastic cookbook was a gift to me from my mother, and my husband loves everything I’ve made from it so far. After I made this recipe for the first time, it instantly became one of my comfort foods; today has been a tough day in the office, and this is definitely what I’m fixing when I get home!
Elizabeth, thanks so much for your comment. I’m so glad that you’ve enjoyed the book. I hate that you’ve had a tough day in the office, but glad that I can help get something easy and delicious on the table! I hope y’all enjoy!
Brandie
Y’all sound like an amazing team Stacey. It means so much to know you have someone standing beside you when life is coming at you full force. This was such a sweet post. And nothing says lovin’ like a casserole. Love this dish!!
Thanks, Brandie. We’re making it through, but it certainly is a challenge. Thanks for stopping by!
Selena
I just saw your guest blog on Southern Plate, I enjoy SP so very much. So, I had to head on over and check out your blog. This looks like a dish my family would enjoy! I plan on it making the menu next week. I do have one question….how much poppy seed should be added?
Hi Selena! Welcome to Southern Bite and thanks for checking us out! I’m so glad you caught that! Oop! It should be about 1 tablespoon. Be sure to come back and let me know how it turns out!
Dixie Caviar
War Eagle!! I’m an Auburn grad and a fellow Southern food blogger. I’m so glad I found your site. I look forward to more tasty recipes.
Best,
Nealey Dozier
http://www.dixiecaviar.com
War Eagle! Thanks so much! Love your site! Beautiful pictures! Are you coming to FoodBlogSouth?