Have you ever ever had an upcoming well being disaster that you simply knew was going to happen? Maybe you have been present process therapy for a well being drawback, you had surgical procedure deliberate, otherwise you had a child coming.
When folks have these sorts of issues sooner or later, they attempt to plan forward to guarantee that the medical situation has the least doable impact on the lifetime of the household. Usually, this preparation contains packing the fridge with recent groceries and stuffing the freezer with make-ahead meals like casseroles.

Poppy Seed Hen Casserole
Our recipe for Poppy Seed Hen Casserole is the definition of consolation meals. Sure, it does embody premade, manufactured components, like cream of rooster soup and cracker crumbs. Nonetheless, generally, that is the form of meals that you simply crave. This casserole could be whipped up very quickly flat, or if you must plan forward, it freezes nicely.
Oven
Saucepan
Cooking spray
Baking Pan
Rolling pin/meat mallet
- 2 cups Cooked rooster 2 boneless skinless rooster breasts or 4 to six rooster tenders
- 1 can Cream of rooster soup
- 1 cup Bitter cream
- 1 tbsp Poppy seeds
- ¼ cup Ritz type crackers
- 2 cups Cooked rice (non-obligatory)
Preheat the oven to 350 levels.
In case you are not utilizing precooked rooster, put the rooster right into a medium-sized saucepan. Cowl the rooster with water by just a few inches. Put the pot on the range and produce it to a boil over medium warmth. Cowl the pan with a lid, flip off the warmth on the range eye, and let the rooster breast sit within the sizzling water for about quarter-hour. Take away the rooster from the pan, put it on a plate and let it cool. Shred the rooster.
Spray the underside and sides of a 9 inch sq. pan with cooking spray. Within the backside of the baking pan, place your rooster. Add the cream of rooster soup and the bitter cream. Stir within the poppyseeds. If you wish to add rice to the combination, stir the rice into it. Combine all of those collectively till the rooster and the poppy seeds are evenly distributed into the combination. Easy the filling of the casserole into a fair layer.
Use a rolling pin or a meat mallet to crush the crackers. You can even use a meals processor or blender to crush them if you need them to be crushed finely. You’ll be able to depart some bigger chunks of crackers within the combination. Scatter the cracker crumbs excessive of the filling of the casserole.
In a small microwave-safe dish, microwave the butter till it’s melted, about 30 seconds. Stir the butter till it’s easy. Sprinkle the melted butter over the cracker crumbs within the pan.
Slide the casserole into the preheated oven and bake it for 20 to 25 minutes. Spoon the casserole onto plates and serve.
Retailer leftovers within the fridge within the pan with a lid on it or coated with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Reheat the leftovers within the microwave, or you’ll be able to put the entire pan, uncovered, again into the oven at 350 levels for 15 to twenty minutes to maintain the cracker topping crisp. Use the leftover casserole inside three days.
To freeze our recipe for Poppy Seed Hen Casserole, put all of it collectively as much as the purpose of baking. Then, wrap the entire pan in a double layer of aluminum foil and put it within the freezer for as much as three months. To bake a frozen casserole, put it nonetheless wrapped within the fridge in a single day earlier than you propose to eat it. Then, the subsequent day, bake it the identical approach that you’d for those who hadn’t frozen it.
We embody directions in our recipe to make this from uncooked rooster. Nonetheless, you don’t have to make use of uncooked rooster if you do not need to. If you wish to use a rotisserie rooster breast, that’s one simple shortcut to organize this recipe. Simply choose the meat off of the bones and shred it. You will have about 2 cups of rooster for the casserole.
We included an non-obligatory ingredient of rice on this casserole. Rice is an effective “filler” choice if you’re attempting to pinch pennies and feed a crowd. You don’t have to make use of the rice if you don’t care to incorporate it. The casserole continues to be scrumptious with out it.
In case you are feeding a crowd, this recipe doubles simply. When it’s doubled, you’ll make a big 9 by 13 inch baking pan of the casserole and it’ll feed about 8 to 10 folks.
All Recipes | Breakfast | Dinner (Mains) | Dessert | Aspect Dishes | Soups | Appetizers | Salads | Snacks | Drinks | Breads