Homemade poppy seed chicken casserole is easy to make in the crockpot and so delicious! It is a comfort food classic the whole family will love.
One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is to take an old family favorite or classic recipe and make it easier to prepare and 100% homemade. That’s exactly what I’ve done with this Homemade Poppy Seed Chicken recipe!
My mom made this growing up and it was one of my favorite meals. It’s a true comfort food classic! I make it in the crockpot which turns it into a super easy meal and I eliminated the cream-of-chicken soup, replacing it with a homemade version {that tastes way better}.
Now, if you’d like to make this poppy seed chicken casserole recipe with the canned cream-of-chicken soup that’s totally fine. No food judgment here! You’d just replace the roux {butter/flour/chicken broth} steps with adding a can of cream of chicken soup + a can of water to the crockpot.
But really, try the homemade version, it’s amazing! PLUS it’s a little formula you can use in any other recipe that calls for cream-of-something soup. Sneaky… 🙂
With that being said, the hardest part of this poppy seed chicken casserole recipe is making the replacement for the cream-of-chicken soup.
But it really isn’t hard! I make it using a roux, that’s just a fancy term for cooking equal parts fat to flour in a pan for a few minutes and then adding a liquid until it reaches a consistency you’re happy with.
It’s a cinch to do – don’t be scared away by it. It’s important to cook the flour and butter mixture for a few minutes, it gets rid of the raw flour taste. You’ll know when it’s ready because it will start to darken a bit to a nice golden color, don’t let it get too dark, the butter can burn.
When whisking in your liquid, really whisk the whole time. This may take practice, don’t worry if you have a few lumps the first time you try it. If you look at the mixture and get scared – just keep whisking! It will come together, I promise. When in doubt, keep whisking.
I also broil the topping quickly in the oven at the end. In the recipe, I specify to take the insert OUT of the crockpot. I think that could go without saying, but just in case, I thought I should mention it. Don’t stick your whole crockpot setup in the oven!
It should be totally fine for your insert to go in there, it should just be made of ceramic which is oven-safe. If you’re concerned, check the manufacturer instructions.
I hope this becomes a favorite in your family!
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Homemade Poppy Seed Chicken (Crockpot!)
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh
- 1 teaspoon dried sage or 4 leaves fresh sage
- 1 onion quartered
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 3-4 cups chicken broth low sodium, divided
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers crushed
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- Fresh chopped parsley and chives (optional)
Instructions
- Turn crockpot on high and place chicken breasts, quartered onion, and herbs in it.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter and stir in flour.
- Cook for a few minutes, until flour just starts to turn golden.
- Add 3 cups of the chicken stock, whisking constantly.
- Let simmer for 3-5 more minutes until thickened.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Pour over everything in the crockpot and cook on high for 3 1/2 or 4 hours, until the chicken is shreddable. You can also cook on low for 8 hours, but I find this dries out the chicken.
- Halfway through cooking, check the liquid in the pot, add more chicken stock if it starts looking dry or too thick. The consistency should be slightly thicker than cream.
- When chicken is done, remove herb sprigs (if you used fresh herbs) and onion quarters.
- Shred chicken.
- Stir in sour cream, poppy seeds, parsley and chives and leave covered in crockpot.
- Turn oven on to broil on high.
- Crush package of Ritz and sprinkle over top of the mixture in the crockpot.
- Drizzle remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter over the top.
- Remove ceramic insert from crockpot and place in oven.
- Broil on high for just a few minutes (keep your eye on it!!) until the crackers are slightly crisp and darker in color.
Bethany Wattier says
What if halfway through, it is still very liquidy? :/ I may have added too much broth to begin with..
Alli says
How did it turn out, Bethany? It can look watery halfway through, but it will thicken as it cooks and when you shred the chicken and add the sour cream.
Sammi Windley says
I’ve been looking for a good poppy seed chicken recipe and I finally found it!!