Poppy seed chicken casserole is a classic southern dish that is pure comfort food. My recipe includes rice to make it a complete meal.
If you like this recipe, check out my Chicken Divan Casserole next!
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Gosh, I love a good chicken casserole. Until recently I wasn’t familiar with poppyseed chicken! But it’s somewhat similar to my Mom’s chicken divan recipe, so I knew I had to try it. Almost all recipes I researched recommended serving chicken poppyseed casserole over rice. Which begged me to question, why isn’t already an ingredient?
So my version of this southern staple includes rice! I decided to add some lemon juice and fresh basil too, as an enhancement to the mildly sweet and nutty flavor of the poppy seeds. Using a rotisserie chicken as a starting point, this casserole can be in the oven baking in less than 20 minutes. Dinner is served!
More recipes with poppy seeds
Ingredients for chicken poppyseed casserole
- Chicken – You need 4 cups of cooked chicken for this recipe. So I recommend using a rotisserie chicken for ease of preparation, rather than cooking the chicken from scratch.
- Poppyseeds – Essential ingredient in this casserole, there are no substitutes!
- Soup and Sour Cream – The southern classic combination to sauce this one pot chicken dish is a mix of cream of chicken soup and sour cream.
- Rice – Most recipes call for this saucy casserole to be served over white rice or egg noodles. But why not mix the rice right into the dish? There’s plenty of sauce and that way the rice has flavor! For ease of preparation, I used one bag of ready rice which is two cups of cooked rice.
- Seasonings – Just lemon juice, basil (fresh or dried) and salt help to round out this comforting flavor profile.
- Crumb Topping – I like Ritz crackers but Town House or other buttery crackers will work. Cracker crumbs plus melted butter are the rich and delicious topping for this casserole.
Instructions for chicken poppyseed casserole
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, shredded rotisserie chicken, poppyseeds, soup, sour cream, lemon juice, basil and salt. Mix until well blended and smooth. Spread evenly into the prepared casserole dish.
Crush one sleeve (about 30 crackers) right in the package. Pour the crumbs into a bowl with melted butter. Use a fork and stir well to combine. Evenly sprinkle the buttery cracker crumbs over the casserole.
Bake for 45 minutes uncovered until bubbly and the crackers are a light golden brown.
Serving suggestions
I like a simple side of buttered peas with this chicken casserole. Or here’s some of my recipes to turn this into a complete meal –
Storage directions
Store any leftover casserole in an airtight container. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can freeze the casserole for up to three months. Thawing it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Chicken Poppyseed Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups cooked rice I used a bag of jasmine Ready Rice
- 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh basil or use 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- 30 Ritz crackers one sleeve
- 6 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded rotisserie chicken, cooked rice, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, poppyseeds, lemon juice, basil and salt. Stir until completely combined.
- Spread the casserole mixture evenly into the prepared dish.
- Melt the butter in a microwave safe large glass measuring cup.
- Crush the crackers right in the sleeve. Pour the cracker crumbs into the melted butter and use a fork to mix well.
- Sprinkle the butter cracker crumbs evenly over top of the casserole.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes until bubbly and the crackers have turned a light golden brown.
Nutrition
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