Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole (small Batch)

I love a good chicken casserole. They are usually very easy to make and are a fabulous way of using up leftover cooked chicken. I always have some of that in my freezer. In fact I often cook extra chicken just so that I do!
If you always keep cooked chicken in the freezer you are never very far away from a delicious and simple meal! That's to my way of thinking anyways! I store it in airtight freezer containers, each holding about 2 cups maximum, which is just the right size for the smaller family.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

I saw this Poppy Seed Chicken recipe on Taste of Home the other day and printed it out as it looked like something I would really enjoy. Simple and tasty. A casserole which didn't require a bazillion exotic ingredients! I have very simple tastes and eschew complicated things for the most part.
I had enough of complicated when I cooked for a living. In my personal life, I prefer simple and I don't think I am alone in that.
The recipe was for six servings however, and I did not need six servings. My chicken had already been frozen once and I do not like to freeze things again once they have been thawed.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

I was trying to remember if we had chicken very often when I was growing up and I cannot remember us having it very often at all. Perhaps it was too expensive. My mother was very thrifty and knew how to stretcher her food dollar!
Once in a blue moon we would have a roast chicken, but that was a rare treat! Mom would always get the most out of it that she could. Roast chicken was a family favorite. In fact, my sister and my father still prefer roast chicken over roast turkey.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Occasionally mom would buy bone in, skin on chicken breasts and make what she called Maryland Fried Chicken. We all loved that! That was a REAL treat!
She would dip the chicken into egg and then into crushed cracker crumbs to coat it all over and then fry it in butter, long and slow, until the chicken was almost cooked through and the coating was crisp and golden brown. She would finish it in the oven, just to make sure it was totally cooked.
We always enjoyed it with piles of fluffy mashed potatoes and vegetables on the side. I can remember making a dip in my potatoes and adding a huge dollop of butter to melt into it. Nothing on earth tasted as good as those dinners of Maryland Fried Chicken!!!
This is not that, but it is a very delicious casserole. Simple and quick to make and sized for the smaller family.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE POPPY SEED CHICKEN CASSEROLE (SMALL BATCH)
Very simple ingredients. I always have leftover cooked chicken in the freezer so this will come in very handy to use some of it up. You can also poach chicken to use in recipes like this one.

1/2 cup (60g) dairy sour cream
1/2 (10 3/4 oz/304g) tin of cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 TBS poppyseeds
1/2 tsp dried dillweed
salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups (300g) diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups (300g) cooked rice
3/4 cup (45g) coarse cracker crumbs (such as Ritz or TUC)
1/4 cup (55g) butter melted

I think you can use either full fat or reduced fat sour cream in this recipe. I don't think it would make much difference.
I have provided an alternative for canned condensed cream soup if you have an aversion to that. You may also not be able to get it, but I do know that in the UK it is available under the Batchelor's label.

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

You can use leftover cooked rice if you wish, but I always have the plastic pouches of already cooked rice in my larder. They come in really handy, especially for casseroles like this. You can use either Tilda brand or Ben's. Both work wonderfully. I just use the plain.
Cut your chicken into 1/2 inch cubes. You don't want it to be overly large or more than a bite.
Any buttery type of cracker can be used. Ritz are the more common one, but townhouse also work well. In the UK TUC would also be an excellent cracker to use. I just use melted salted butter as that is the only kind I keep in my house.
Poppyseeds can be found in the spice section of the shops as can dried dillweed. Make sure your herbs are fresh and not stale.

HOW TO MAKE POPPY SEED CHICKEN CASSEROLE
This really is a doddle to put together. It is destined to become a favorite. I guarantee!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch glass pie plate. Set aside.
Whisk the sour cream, chicken soup, poppy seeds and dill together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in the chicken and the rice to combine.
Spoon the chicken mixture into the baking dish and smooth over the top.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Mix the cracker crumbs together with the melted butter and sprinkle over top of the chicken mixture.
Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Serve hot.

Notes

If you have an aversion to using cream soups, you can make a simple sauce using 1 TBS of butter, 1 TBS flour, 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken stock and 1/2 cup (120ml) of milk. Melt the butter. Whisk in the flour. Cook for a minute and then whisk in the milk and stock. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until thickened and bubbling.

I was really pleased with how quick and simple this was to put together. It also cooked rather quickly. I think you could also add a few other bits to it if you wanted to, like some diced celery or onion. I think a mix of frozen vegetables would also be nice.
I enjoyed it just as is however, with a nice salad on the side! Two thumbs up from me!
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

I am no stranger to the chicken casserole or of figuring out ways to use up leftover chicken. I do it often. Here are some other tasty recipes that use leftover chicken that you might also enjoy!
GRANDMA'S CHINESE CHICKEN CASSEROLE - This is one of my all-time favorite chicken casseroles. I can't begin to tell you why it is called a Chinese casserole because there doesn't seem to be anything remotely Chinese about it. Not unless you count the crispy chow mien noodles and salted cashew nuts on top! Everything else reads like an ordinary chicken casserole! Rice, celery, chicken, carrot and a creamy sauce with a crunchy topping.

LOADED CHICKEN & CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE - Bacon, chicken, two kind of cheese, cauliflower, and spring onions, all combined to make a delicious casserole. Low carb. Gluten free. Quite simply fabulous!CHICKEN AND DUMPLING CASSEROLE - This is a "just-like-magic" kind of an entree. Almost like a pudding cake. You know the ones I mean . . . the self saucing ones, except this is not a sweet pudding. Everything works together magically to create a savory casserole with a rich chicken and gravy bottom with tender dumplings on top. Its delicious!

RECIPE HERE
Yield: 3Author: Marie Rayner