This poppy seed chicken casserole is a hearty, all‑in‑one chicken dinner! It’s loaded with tender bites of boneless chicken breast and broccoli, all in a creamy, cheesy poppy seed sauce. It’s finished with a golden, buttery Ritz cracker topping.
This family-friendly chicken casserole is perfect for busy weeknights as it can be assembled ahead and baked later. It is also freezer-friendly, so it can be assembled and frozen for a future meal.
I have been making this poppy seed chicken casserole for more years than I care to confess :) I love that it’s kid-friendly, make-ahead friendly or freezer-friendly and perfect for hosting a crowd, as it can be doubled or tripled and assembled ahead.
Love chicken casseroles? You might like to try my Tuscan Chicken or this Chicken Divan (without canned soup) next!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Chicken – I generally reach for boneless, skinless chicken breast for this dish, but you could certainly use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead. You’ll need about 2 breasts or about 5 thighs. Rotisserie chicken could also be used for this dish. Simply skip the cooking of the chicken and add the rotisserie chicken pieces directly to the casserole dish with the broccoli.
Broccoli – I recommend fresh broccoli if possible. While you could use frozen broccoli, you may find that it may cook up a bit too soft in a dish like this.
Poppy seeds – Make sure to use fresh 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.
(While this dish is called poppy seed chicken, you can certainly omit the poppy seeds if you prefer and still have a lovely dish.)
Milk – I typically use 2% milk, but you can use what you have on hand. 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 will make a less creamy sauce that’s a bit lighter in flavour and texture.
Ritz crackers – While Ritz crackers are the typical topping for this casserole, you can substitute regular soda crackers (Saltines) or a similar cracker. Dried bread crumbs or Panko could also be used for the topping.
How to make poppy seed chicken casserole
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.
- 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 salt the cheese sauce to really bring all the great flavours together.
- This all-in-one casserole could be enjoyed as is, but if you’d like to add a side dish, a lovely green salad, cucumber salad or tomato salad would be a nice addition.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
You can assemble this casserole ahead and refrigerate it covered for up to 8 hours. Allow 5-10 minutes of extra oven time if the casserole is going straight from the fridge to the oven.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or loosely covered with a sheet of aluminum foil in a 350F oven until warmed through. You can turn the broiler on briefly to re-crisp the topping, if you like.
You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
The unbaked casserole can also be frozen. If making to freeze, omit the cracker topping. Wrap the casserole tightly and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight and top with the cracker topping before heating in the 350F oven. Allow an extra 5-10 minutes of oven time for it to warm through if going straight from the fridge to the oven.
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Get the Recipe: Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
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
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
- 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
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! Taste the sauce after cooking and add additional salt, as needed. Add 1/4 teaspoon additional salt at a time, stirring it in and tasting before adding more, as needed.
- 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
Watch how to make it
More chicken breast 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 was really good. I wasnt sure how much to season but I used a teaspoon of salt and a half tsp pepper. If I had used part chicken broth , I would reduce salt.
I then remembered reading long ago that you can add a bit of Tabasco to enhance flavor without adding hotness or any detection of Tabasco taste, so I did that.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kate! Thanks so much :)
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.