A delicious chicken casserole with boneless chicken combined with broccoli, all in a poppy seed cheese sauce and topped with a crispy buttered cracker topping.
I have been making this poppy seed chicken casserole for more years than I care to confess :) It always hits the spot and is a great all-in-one dish dinner. I love that it can be assembled ahead and baked later, too!
Ingredients and substitutions
Chicken – I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breast in this dish, but you could certainly use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead. You’ll need about 2 breasts or about 5 thighs.
Broccoli – I recommend fresh broccoli if possible. I find that frozen broccoli become a bit mushy in a dish like this.
Poppy Seeds – Poppy seeds can go rancid if they have been sitting at room temperature for more than about 6 months. Using fresh poppy seeds can ensure that an off-flavour isn’t introduced into the dish.
Milk – I typically use 2% milk, but you can use what you have on hand. As noted above, I sometimes replace some of the milk with chicken broth if milk is in short supply. You can replace 1/3-1/2 of the milk with chicken broth. This does cream a less creamy sauce that’s a bit lighter in flavour and texture.
How to make poppy seed chicken casserole
- Start by cooking the diced chicken in a skillet until just cooked through. (If you happen to have cooked chicken on hand, you can skip this step and just dice up the cooked chicken.
- Add the chicken to a casserole together with the broccoli that has been briefly blanched, steamed or microwaved. Set aside while you make the sauce.
- Start the sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan.
- When the butter has melted, add the flour and cook with the butter, stirring, for about 1 minute.
- Gradually add the milk to the butter/flour mixture and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Season with some salt and pepper as needed.
- Add the shredded cheese to the sauce and stir in.
- Stir in the poppy seeds and stir until the sauce is smooth.
- Pour the finished warm sauce overtop of the chicken and broccoli in the casserole dish and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese overtop of the casserole. Set aside briefly while you make the topping.
- To make the topping, add the crushed crackers to the melted butter and stir well to combine.
- Scatter the cracker topping overtop of the casserole.
- Pop the casserole in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly. (As the chicken is cooked before going in the oven, you really just need to cook until bubbly).
Recipe video
Recipe tips!
- I sometimes replace some of the milk in the sauce with chicken broth (either half milk and half chicken broth or 1 cup milk with 1/2 cup chicken broth). It makes for a lighter sauce and is a handy substitution if milk is in short supply.
- Seasoning the cheese sauce is really important! There is no seasoning in the chicken or broccoli and as the sauce uses milk, there is no seasoning in that either. So be sure to generously season the cheese sauce to really bring all the great flavours together.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
You can assemble this casserole ahead and refrigerate covered for up to 8 hours. Allow a bit more baking time if cold when going in the oven.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. I haven’t frozen this casserole unbaked. I feel like it would technically work, though the sauce may be somewhat changed from the process.
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Get the Recipe: Poppy Seed Chicken
Ingredients
- 10 oz fresh broccoli , cut into bite-sized pieces and steamed, blanched or microwaved for 1-2 minutes.
- 2 cups chicken breasts, diced *see Note 1 below
For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk, *see Note 2 below
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
For the topping:
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed *see Note 2 below
- 1/4 cup butter, butter
Instructions
- Grease a 2-quart-ish casserole dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350F (non-convection).
- Add the diced chicken to a skillet and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the chicken to the casserole dish.
- Add the broccoli pieces to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for about 45-60 seconds. Add the broccoli to the casserole with the chicken. (Alternatively, you can steam or blanch the broccoli for 1-2 minutes).
- To make the sauce, melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Gradually add the milk, stirring until all the milk is added. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Add the shredded cheddar cheese stir in, then stir in the poppy seeds. Cook until the sauce is smooth.
- Tip! Seasoning the cheese sauce is really important! There is no seasoning in the chicken or broccoli and as the sauce uses milk, there is no seasoning in that either. So be sure to generously season the cheese sauce to really bring all the great flavours together.
- Pour the sauce overtop of the chicken and broccoli in the casserole dish. Stir to combine. Scatter the topping cheddar cheese evenly overtop.
- Make the cracker topping by melting the butter in a bowl in the microwave (or saucepan). Add the crushed crackers and stir to combine well. Sprinkle the cracker topping evenly overtop of the casserole.
- Bake the casserole uncovered in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Notes
More chicken recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
This dish is excellent and versatile. I made it as written and everyone enjoyed it. I have made it twice already. Thanks for a great recipe.
So pleased to hear, Diana! Thanks so much :)
Do you have any seasonings you prefer for this dish?
I love your recipes & often adapt them to what our family might like that’s a little different than yours.
Please keep up the good work!
Hi Sandra, I am generally focused on salt and pepper. Salt especially, as proper salting really brings out the flavours in just about every dish. If you want to expand beyond that in this dish, a tiny bit of Dijon mustard wouldn’t be out of place.