Poppy Seed Chicken and Rice Casserole with Buttery Cracker Crunch

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A true one-dish Southern supper: rice bakes right in the pan with a creamy chicken broth base, then gets folded with rotisserie chicken, broccoli and sharp cheddar and crowned with a buttery poppy seed cracker crust. It feeds six generously, needs no pot on the stove, and the leftovers reheat beautifully.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 cups cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed
• 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded

• 35 crackers round butter crackers, coarsely crushed
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Directly in the dish, whisk together the chicken broth, condensed soup, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in the uncooked rice and spread it into an even layer.
3. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is just barely tender.
4. Uncover and fold in the shredded chicken, thawed broccoli and 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar. Smooth the top and scatter over the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar.
5. In a bowl, toss the crushed crackers with the melted butter and poppy seeds until evenly coated, then scatter over the casserole in an even layer.
6. Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges bubble and the cracker topping is deep golden. If the top browns early, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it.
7. Rest 10 minutes before serving so the sauce thickens around the rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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