It's a little crazy I haven't shared this recipe yet since it's probably one of my most requested. We eat it at least once a month and love this cozy comfort food so much. My original recipe called for Ritz crackers (yes, we are still waiting for them to make a gluten free version) but once we found the Lance's Original Baked Crackers we knew we had a great gluten free version! I love to use a rotisserie chicken to make this even easier and faster. A sour cream chicken and broccoli mixture is sandwiched between crushed buttery crackers and baked to perfection. Poppy seeds make it unique!
Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole
Serves 4-5
8 ounces gluten free butter crackers (we like Lance)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can gluten free cream of chicken soup (you can find this at Walmart)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
2 cups broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large resealable bag, crush the crackers with a mallet into crumbs. Combine the cracker crumbs with the melted butter and stir to combine. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, stir together soup, sour cream, and poppy seeds. Add chicken and broccoli and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. In an 8X8" baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, spread half of the cracker mixture on the bottom. Carefully spread the chicken and broccoli mixture over the crackers. Top with the remaining crackers, spreading to cover all. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and crackers start to brown a little.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need 8 oz, gluten free butter crackers (that's 1 1/2 boxes of Lance's Original), 1 stick butter, 1 can gluten free Cream of Chicken soup, sour cream, poppy seeds, 2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen), and 2 cups shredded chicken (I like to use a rotisserie chicken).
First, pour the crackers into a large resealable bag and crush them to crumbs with a kitchen mallet or rolling pin.
In a large glass measuring cup or bowl, melt the stick of butter in the microwave. A trick I use is to cover the butter with it's own wrapper while I microwave it so the butter doesn't sputter and make a mess in the microwave. Add the crushed crackers to the melted butter and stir to combine. Set aside.
If you are using fresh broccoli, cut into florets and add to a bowl with a few tablespoons of water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave on high for about 3 minutes to steam it. If you are using frozen broccoli, you can skip this step. Both work great.
In a mixing bowl, stir together 1 can of GF Cream of Chicken Soup, 1 1/2 cups sour cream, and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds. If you don't want to use canned cream of chicken soup, you can easily make your own by following this recipe.
Add 2 cups shredded cooked chicken. I love to use a rotisserie chicken because of the easiness and the flavor.
Add the broccoli. Stir to combine.
In a greased 8X8" baking dish, spread out half of the buttery cracker crumbs.
Carefully top the crumbs with the chicken/broccoli mixture and spread with a spatula to fill the dish.
Top all with the remaining crumbs.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. As you can see, I make a special bowl for my youngest son who detests broccoli. I know, I know...... I have grown soft in my mothering and shouldn't cater to his pickiness, but I've decided with this meal, I just want him to eat!! Bake for 30-35 minutes, until bubbly and hot. It will take a little longer if you use frozen broccoli.
The crackers will start to brown a little on top and the insides will be bubbly.
We love to eat this with fresh fruit or smoothies. Yes, it's a casserole, but it's a good one!
Recipe Source: Shanna's recipe box