Cheesy Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

I still remember the first time I ever ate this casserole. My grandmother had passed away, so people at our church brought food, as is custom. And one woman brought a casserole, and I looked at it very skeptically. But when I took my first bite and had the creaminess from the sour cream, cheese and cream cheese, combined with the buttery Ritz crackers that topped it, I was in love. I begged my dad to make it, so he got the recipe, and it's been one of my favorite things for him to make ever since. When I was in college, I really missed eating this dish.

Now that I'm married and 8 hours from Chef Dad, if I want this casserole, I have to make it all on my own. Luckily, it's not hard to make! I changed it ever so slightly from his I still don't think it's as good as my dad's, though. It's missing the secret ingredient: love. I'm corny, whatever.

Here's what you need:

• 3 C of shredded chicken
• 1 Tbs of poppy seeds
• 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
• 1 C of sour cream
• 4 oz (1/2 block) of cream cheese softened
• 1 1/2 C of your favorite shredded cheese (we love sharp cheddar)
• 2 C of crushed Ritz Crackers
• 1/2 C of melted butter

Here's what you do:

• Boil your chicken, let it cool, then shred it.
• Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together the poppy seeds, Cream of Chicken soup, sour cream, cream cheese, and shredded cheese with a hand mixer until well blended.
• Add your chicken and mix it in with the creamy mixture.
• In another bowl, mix together your crushed Ritz Crackers and melted butter until the crackers are well coated.
• Dump your chicken mixture into the baking dish and spread it around evenly.
• Put the Ritz Crackers evenly over the top of the chicken mixture.
• Place a sheet of tin foil loosely over the baking dish, place the dish in the oven, and cook for 15 minutes. 
• Take the foil off then let it bake for another 15 minutes.

It's such a simple casserole, but it's filling and it doesn't take too long to make. And, because it's a casserole, you don't have to make any side dishes if you don't want to!

Let me know how this casserole turned out for you, and be sure to share it with your family and friends! And to end, here's a little CD love for you:

Creamy Cheesy Chicken & Potato Casserole

There are several things we love in our house. Cheese is probably one of the biggest ones. It's pretty much a requirement to love cheese if you want to be in our family. There is cheese in almost every meal, whether it's in the main dish or the side dish. So, this casserole is considered a favorite, and it is very cheesy. It's definitely not healthy, but that's what running is for. It is our cheesy chicken and potato casserole.

Here is what you need:

• 1.5-2 lb of boneless chicken breasts
• 1 (30 oz) bag of frozen hash brown potatoes
• 2 cups of sour cream
• 1 (8 oz) block of softened cream cheese 
• 1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of chicken soup
• 2 1/2 cups of shredded cheese
• We prefer sharp cheddar, but you can really use whatever type you want 
• Salt and pepper to your preference
• 1 1/2 crushed sleeves of Ritz Crackers
• You can use 3-4 cups of Corn Flakes if you would prefer
• 4 Tbsp. of melted butter

Here is what you do:

• Boil your chicken, let it cool, then shred it.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 in baking dish with Pam.
• Beat together the sour cream, cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, salt, and pepper in a large bowl (and I do mean large). 
• You can stir it with a spoon, but it's faster to beat it with a hand mixer.

• Stir in your hash browns. I suggest doing this a little at a time to make it blend more evenly.
• Stir in your shredded chicken until everything is blended evenly.
• Stir in two cups of your cheese.
• Pour the mixture into the dish and spread it out evenly.
• Add the last 1/2 cup of cheese on top- we really love cheese!
• In a medium-sized bowl, melt your butter, then stir in the crushed Ritz Crackers.
• Spread the Ritz mixture over the top of the casserole.
• Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

We LOVE Ritz Crackers, so that's why I used so many to top the casserole with. If you would like less topping, just divide the amount of butter and the amount of Ritz Crackers (or Corn Flakes) you mix together. 

Another thing you can do is throw in some vegetables! I didn't do any this time, but adding about 2 cups of peas or green beans would be a great way to get picky little ones to eat some veggies.

CM went back for seconds, and I wasn't really surprised. So I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!