Southern Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole

This recipe comes to you from my good friend, Becky. It is a staple in her dinner repertoire and I think you will find that you love it as well as I do.

Here's what you need. 4 - 6 boneless chicken breasts, large family size cream of chicken soup, either one large container of sour cream or 1.5 of the medium size containers. These were on sale so it was cheaper to buy them this way. Either a tube of Ritz or Town House crackers. Store brands work just as well. 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds. Half stick of butter. I forgot to photograph the rice. This dish works very well with white rice.

Preheat oven at 375 degrees.

I chopped one clove of fresh garlic.
A little extra virgin olive oil ... twice around the pan. Add the garlic and saute.
I prepared this dish for 4 individuals. 3 chicken breasts worked fine, but Becky's family is larger and she will use as many as 6 chicken breasts. Season with salt, pepper, paprika. Even though I photographed the parsley, I didn't use it!
Saute on low heat. Brown both sides and cover. Cook until done. Reserve the liquid to add later.
Use the large can of chicken soup (you could substitute cream of mushroom, but I don't like mushrooms...eewww). Remember, don't use both medium sizes of sour cream. I used one and a half.
All that yummy liquid from the chicken...add to the mixture. Blend well.
Now my family does not like cubed chicken so being the good homemaker that I am, I shred the chicken. I would prefer to cube it, but there would be an upheaval in my family.
Add the cubed or shredded chicken to the mixture. Blend well.
Take those crackers and smash them until they are medium fine.
Add one teaspoon of poppy seeds to the cracker mixture. Melt a half of stick of butter and mix well. Note: if you are taking a drug test in the next 3 days, omit the poppy seeds. You might get a false positive!

Here's a good time to add 2 - 3 cups of cooked rice to the bottom of your casserole dish. Or, if you prefer, serve the rice separately. Your choice. I have prepared it both ways and it's still great.

Add the cracker mixture. Pop casserole into the preheated oven. Set the timer for 45 minutes and go make your salad.
When the time is up, check to see if the casserole is bubbling around the edges.
I like to serve it with a fresh green salad and cranberry sauce. No one in my family likes cranberry sauce except me, so I often miss out on that side dish.

Remember, you could substitute mashed potatoes if you like, but I have always made it with rice.

This recipe made enough to feed 3 adults with enough for leftovers tomorrow night!

Hope you enjoy!

Note: to make this recipe easier, you can always use a seasoned rotisserie chicken. cut the proportions down to 1 regular size cream of chicken soup and 1 medium size sour cream.