Creamy Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole topped with buttery ritz crackers. A comforting casserole with tons of flavor and made without any “cream of” soup!
You guys it’s getting cold here. I am totally unprepared for fluffy white frozen stuff all over my yard and I know it’s on its way because I woke up to a thin blanket of frost covering the lawn. Not. Okay. The only good thing about the cooler weather is that it is a really good excuse to whip up every kind of comfort food imaginable. You don’t have to twist my arm….
Poppy seeds aren’t just for breakfast muffins, they are the shining star in this casserole dish. Poppy seed chicken casserole is usually made with cream of chicken soup but this version is creamy-yet-soup-free and it has sooo much more flavor than the canned soup versions.
Casseroles, they can be good, bad, sort of mediocre… but this casserole is different. This is the kind of secretly easy, insanely yummy comfort food you will want to serve to guests. Scratch that. You will want to invite guests over just so you can impress them with your creamy poppy seed chicken casserole making skills. Seriously, this dish is that good. Good enough that making a double batch in an extra large casserole dish so that you can guarantee yourself some leftovers for lunch tomorrow is really probably a genius idea.
What people are saying about this Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
“I made this tonight and it was delicious! I’ve never had Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole before. Yum! I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you!!” – Foodgal
“Made this tonight!!! So yummy! Loved it!! Used sour cream and forgot to add Parmesan cheese but still delicious! Will be making many times! A little more work then the traditional recipes that just call for” – Samantha
“Wow! I have never before been a lover of poppy seed chicken because I have disliked the gloopy tasteless mess most often made when using “cream of” soups. I wanted to make this for my husband…a favorite from his bachelor days…but wanted to find a recipe that didn’t use “cream of” soups. I LOVED IT, and importantly, he did too! He has requested this recipe, and not the original standby be added to our family repitiore!” – Holly
“I made this tonight…so good!! 
” – Tara
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts - cooked and shredded, (about 3-4 cups of shredded chicken)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 8 ounces plain greek yogurt - OR sour cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt - or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 sleeve buttery round crackers - (like Ritz), crushed – about ⅔ cup
- 4 tablespoons butter - melted
- optional: chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Grease a casserole dish.
- Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Add flour and stir until mixture clumps together.
- Gradually whisk milk into sauce pan. Add chicken broth, greek yogurt (or sour cream), cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes until cream cheese is melted (stir to combine).
- Add shredded chicken and poppy seeds to sauce mixture and stir. Transfer to casserole dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Top with cracker crumbs. Drizzle melted butter over crumbs. Bake for 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired and serve.
I have made this several times and it has been a great replacement for the cream of soup recipe my husband grew up on. I use a rotisserie chicken and non-fat Greek yogurt (6 oz) + Daisy low fat sour cream to make 1 cup, then 4 oz Neufchâtel cheese for the sauce. My mother-in-law’s recipe never used Parmesan cheese, so I don’t add that nor do I think the crackers need the extra butter. We serve it over a quinoa/rice mix with steamed veggies. A family favorite!
Thank you so much for your recipes. This is one of our favorites! My daughter always wants seconds. Very easy to follow and always have the ingredients on hand.
I’ve been making this recipe for the past 6 years and decided I FINALLY needed to weigh in. The BEST! The only version of PSC I will ever make (or eat!)
Has anyone tried freezing this yet? I am always on the lookout for casseroles that do not call for canned soup and I am looking forward to trying this one. That said, I almost always make double and freeze one. I’d love to hear how well freezing worked from someone else before trying it. I am planning to leave the crackers off the one I am freezing, as they would get mushy upon thawing.
Have you tried freezing it? I am curious how it turned out.
I haven’t tried freezing it but I would recommend what Lindsey suggested, leave the crackers off until the dish has thawed.
We all enjoyed this casserole! Thank you so much for sharing
I’m glad you all enjoyed it! Thank you for your review 🙂