Delicious Poppy Seed Chicken

Poppy seed chicken is an easy dinner recipe your family will love. I have memories of my Mom making this recipe for countless Sunday dinners and to share with company. Of course, we always enjoyed eating it when it was just our family too. It was a recipe I happily continued making once I was on my own and I love sharing it with others. If you’ve never had poppy seed chicken before, you need to make this recipe soon. Poppy seed chicken is simple to make and tastes absolutely delicious.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You can read more in my disclosure policy.

Poppy seed chicken is a great dish to serve to company or to eat on a weeknight with your own family. One of the reasons I like this recipe so much is that it tastes much fancier than it really is. You can put this recipe together very quickly, especially if you always have diced chicken in your freezer like I do!

Poppy seed chicken has long been a favorite in our family. Lily, our 1 year old, clears her plate of chicken and rice every time this is served. This is one of my go to meals to take a new mom and it’s always enjoyed. I just shared the recipe with another friend this past week after sharing a pan of poppy seed chicken with her family.

Ingredients: 

4-6 cups chicken, cooked and diced (around 4 chicken breasts)
8 ounces sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

Boil and cook your chicken. (This is a great time to use pre-cooked chicken from your slow cooker that is already diced in your freezer)

Mix chicken together with sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Pour into a 9 by 13 pan.

Crush Ritz crackers and pour into a bowl. Pour melted margarine over crackers. Stir poppy seeds into the crackers crumbs and mix well. Spread cracker crumbs on top of the chicken.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Serve over rice.

Additional Notes:

Instead of making a large 9 by 13 pan, you can divide the mixture into two smaller pans. In my experience, one recipe will fill two 8-inch circle pans. One of the pans can be cooked now, and the other can be frozen.

If freezing, freeze poppy seed chicken BEFORE baking. Cover the pan tightly with foil and write directions on the top of the container. Remove the poppy seed chicken from the freezer and let thaw in the refrigerator during the day before baking.

I do recommend serving this recipe over rice, to soak up the flavor of the chicken. I typically cook white rice, flavored with a bit of chicken bouillon or broth.

If you have cooked chicken that is diced in your freezer, this dinner can be made in a matter of minutes! Also, please note that you can make this recipe with shredded chicken, but the sauce will absorb into the chicken a bit more.

I hope you and your family enjoy poppy seed chicken as much as my family and I do!

Want more easy & delicious recipes?

Sign up for our newsletter & get your free recipe book!
Print

Poppy Seed Chicken

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 cups chicken breasts (cooked and diced (around 4 ))
  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
  • 2 cups Ritz crackers (crushed)
  • 1/2 cup margarine (melted)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

Instructions

  1. Boil and cook your chicken. Dice your cooked chicken.
  2. Mix chicken together with sour cream and cream of chicken soup. Pour into a 9 by 13 pan.
  3. Crush Ritz crackers and pour into a bowl. Pour melted margarine over crackers. Stir poppy seeds into the crackers crumbs and mix well. Spread cracker crumbs on top of the chicken.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Serve over rice.

Notes

Instead of making a large 9 by 13 pan, you can divide the mixture into two smaller pans. In my experience, one recipe will fill two 8-inch circle cake pans. One of the pans can be cooked now, and the other can be frozen.
Poppy seed chicken also makes a great freezer meal. If freezing, freeze poppy seed chicken before baking. Cover the pan tightly with foil and write directions on the top of the container. Remove the poppy seed chicken from the freezer and let thaw in the refrigerator during the day before baking.

Did you make this recipe?

We’d love it if you would pin this recipe and share it with others!

Similar Posts

18 Comments

  1. Such an easy and delicious recipe that has become a family favorite. My adult kids are now making this as well. Love it!






  2. FAMILY FAVORITE!!! So easy to make! I like to add already cooked rice to it and then the casserole is complete!






  3. Pingback: Easy Freezer Meals - These Hungry Kids
  4. When you thaw your frozen poppy seed chicken, does the crust still get crunchy when cooked? I was afraid to add my cracker topping, bc I thought it would get soggy while thawing. Any suggestions or experiences?

    1. Hi, Mya! You can do it either way. I typically do add my cracker crust before freezing. It gets a little soggy when thawing, but the oven crisps it up just fine with baking. Now, my mom on the other hand, just adds it after thawing and before baking. It’s really up to you. I hope you enjoy your poppy seed chicken! It really is one of our favorites!

  5. Oh, I’ve had this before and it is delicious! I love how you froze some too. There’s nothing like having meals in the freezer to help keep you sane on busy days.

    1. I am a big fan of freezer cooking, Lydia! My family gave us an upright freezer as our wedding gift. It was practical and I have put it to good use. It helps us save so much money, too, since I can buy ahead on great deals. I’m glad you liked poppy seed chicken! It’s one of our favorites.

  6. Thanks for the reminder! This would be a great meal to take over to someone’s house and I just picked up split breasts on sale at Meijer this week since I’m sure my MOPS table will be cooking for someone soon.

    1. You’re welcome! This recipe really is a classic, and a great one to share with new Moms. Have fun cooking!

    1. Sounds good! And just think…you can make lemon poppy seed bread, after you make poppy seed chicken, of course! Enjoy! 🙂

  7. That looks so yummy! I look forward to checking back this month to see all your freezer recipes. Can’t wait to try some!

    1. Thanks, Amanda! It is delicious. I hope you enjoy this one – and all the other recipes I share this month!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star