Aunt Barbara’s Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole is an easy dinner recipe that’s perfect on a cool winter evening! It’s a freezer meal that you can prep ahead and enjoy when your family needs comfort food quickly!

Hi, friends! I’m glad to be back from The Seasoned Mom to share another one of our favorite weeknight dinners with all of you!

This recipe comes from my Aunt Barbara, who delivered it to us shortly after the birth of my second son. I was an overwhelmed, sleep-deprived mom learning to juggle a newborn and a 17-month-old toddler. Homemade food (that I didn’t have to cook) never tasted so good!

We inhaled Aunt Barbara’s casserole at the time, and I begged her for the recipe shortly thereafter. It’s been a cool-weather staple in our house ever since because everyone loves it!

I think that my aunt actually got the recipe from her friend Debbie, who lives down in Florida. Debbie got the recipe from her daughter. You get the idea…it’s one of those family-friendly meals that pleases everyone and tends to be passed around because it’s THAT GOOD.

This dinner freezes beautifully, so feel free to prepare it in advance. If you decide to save it for a later date, just be sure to freeze it before you bake it in the oven. When you’re ready to serve the casserole, allow it to defrost in your refrigerator overnight and bake as instructed. Enjoy!

Yield: 6

Aunt Barbara's Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

1 (6 ounce) package wild rice mix (about 3 cups cooked)*
3 cups cooked, diced chicken**
8 oz. sour cream
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed Cream of Chicken soup (NOT diluted)
½ cup slivered almonds
1 roll butter crackers, crushed (about 1 ½ cup crumbs)***
2 t. poppy seeds
1 stick butter, melted

Instructions

Cook rice as directed on package. Spread in bottom of 13-in x 9-in dish.
While the rice cooks, prepare the rest of the ingredients:
In a large bowl, stir together soup, sour cream, almonds and chicken. Spread over rice.
In a separate bowl, combine cracker crumbs with melted butter. Stir in poppy seeds and sprinkle cracker crumb mixture on top of the chicken.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Notes

*I used a box of Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice Original Recipe

**I like to use leftover roasted, grilled, or smoked chicken when we have it available, but a rotisserie chicken also works well!

***I like to use either Ritz crackers or Keebler Club crackers