Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

This Instant Pot Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole Recipe is a creamy, cheesy one-pot dish topped with a crispy Ritz Cracker crumb crust you can finish in the oven or with an air fryer lid. 

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This creamy, cheesy casserole has it all: it’s full of flavor from garlic and onion, has tender, juicy pieces of chicken, and you can prepare the white rice at the same time as the chicken. 

We’ve been making one-pot chicken recipes in the pressure cooker for years. And casseroles are always a hit with my family.

This one is inspired by our Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Broccoli over Rice, but with new flavors. 

This is one of our favorite Instant Pot Chicken Recipes. It’s fast, easy, and requires just one pot, just like our Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta. 

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED

Here’s what you need to make creamy poppy seed chicken casserole in an Instant Pot:

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces so they mix easily throughout the casserole. 
• Garlic and onion: If you don’t want to dice an onion, we used 1/2 cup frozen onion and it worked great.
• Chicken broth: You can use low-sodium store-bought broth or make your own. 
• Cornstarch: The key to thickening the sauce.
• Cream cheese: For best results, use room-temperature cream cheese.
• Parmesan cheese: You could also use pecorino romano or cheddar.
• Sour cream: This adds a nice tanginess to the dish. 
• Poppy seeds: Find these in the spice section of the grocery store. 
• Dried parsley: You could also use fresh, minced parsley if you like. 
• Ritz Crackers: Crush these in a zip-top bag or using a food processor for the crumb topping if you like.

How to Make Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole in an Instant Pot

This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.

To start, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper all over. Heat the oil in the pressure cooking pot using the Saute function. When hot, add the onion and cook for a minute, then cook the garlic for 30 seconds. 

Add the butter and chicken and cook for two minutes, then add the broth, salt and pepper.

If you’d like to add rice, combine the rice, water, and salt in a 7-inch round cake pan. Place a trivet in the pot, then lower the cake pan onto the trivet with a sling. 

Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Release the pressure for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. Remove the lid, then use the sling to remove the pot with the rice. 

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Select Sauté and add the cornstarch mixture to the pot, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.

Add the cubed cream cheese, a few pieces at a time, stirring until smooth. Add the parmesan cheese until melted. Add the sour cream, poppy seeds and the parsley and stir until smooth. 

Making a Crumb Topping

If you’d like to add a crispy, crunchy topping to the casserole, make a crumb topping by combing a tablespoon of butter with the crushed Ritz crackers. 

To Finish in the Oven

You can make the crispy topping in a baking dish. To do so, grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and preheat the broiler. Transfer the chicken casserole to the baking dish. Sprinkle the crumbled Ritz crackers topping on top. Place under the broiler until golden and bubbly, keeping a close eye on it. 

To Finish with an Air Fryer Lid

If you have an air fryer lid, you can finish the dish right in the pressure cooker. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the crushed ritz crackers and cheese. Set the temperature to 350°F and bake for 2 to 4 minutes, until browned.

Products

We use the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with an Air Fryer Lid to finish this dish in the Instant Pot. To cook rice, you’ll need a 7-inch round cake pan that fits inside the pressure cooker. We use this one from Fat Daddios. And you can make your own aluminum sling or use a reusable sling, this is the one we use. 

Important Tips for Making Poppy Seed Chicken

• I found that the dish isn’t nearly as pretty when you finish it with the air fryer lid. That’s what I do when I’m just serving my kids. But for a more refined presentation, I recommend using a baking dish and the broiler.
• Greasing the baking dish makes clean-up easier!
• You don’t strictly need the poppy seeds, but they add to the texture and to the visual appearance of the dish. If you’re not a fan, feel free to omit the seeds. 
• You can skip the rice if you like, but when you cook rice at the same time as the chicken, you have a full meal all from one pot!

Frequently Asked Questions about Poppy Seed Chicken 

MORE Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

Make these other quick and easy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes:

• Chicken Bacon Penne Pasta is coated in a creamy garlic sauce. 
• Coq au Vin is a classic French dish made quick and easy in the Instant Pot. 
• Honey Sesame Chicken has a sticky sweet sauce and is way better than take-out

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Instant Pot Poppyseed Chicken

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 34 minutes

This Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole has a crispy crumb topping from Ritz Crackers, and a creamy, cheesy center with sour cream, parmesan, and cream cheese.

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Ingredients

Filling

• 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds), diced into bite-size pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced (Jenn’s family generally uses ½ onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

Crumb Topping (optional)

• 1 sleeve (about 30) Ritz Crackers, coarsely crushed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

For the rice (optional)

• 2 cups white rice
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

TO MAKE THE FILLING

1. Salt and pepper the diced chicken to taste.
2. Select Sauté to preheat the pressure cooking pot. When hot, add the olive oil and onion and sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the diced chicken, and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
3. For the rice: In a 7-inch round cake pan, stir together the rice, water, and salt. Place a trivet above the chicken in the pressure cooking pot. Use a sling to carefully lower the cake pan onto the trivet.
4. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time.
   When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
5. Use the sling to carefully remove the pan of rice from the cooking pot. Cover and set aside. Remove trivet.
6. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until smooth. Select Sauté and add the slurry to the pot, stirring constantly until the liquid thickens.
7. Add cubed cream cheese a few blocks at a time and stir until well blended. Add the parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Add sour cream, poppy seeds and the dried parsley and stir until well blended
8. Can serve as-is or finish with a crumb topping.

CRUMB TOPPING

• If using, combine with 1 tablespoon butter with the crushed Ritz crackers and set aside.

TO FINISH IN THE OVEN

• Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and preheat the broiler. Transfer the chicken casserole to the baking dish and sprinkle with the crumbled ritz crackers. Place under the broiler until golden and bubby, keeping a close eye on it.

TO FINISH WITH AN AIR FRYER LID

• Sprinkle the top with the crushed ritz crackers and cheese. Set the temperature to 350°F and bake for 2 to 4 minutes, until browned.

TO SERVE

• Serve hot over cooked rice
  

Notes

Note: If you’re not cooking the rice at the same time, you don’t have to wait the full 10 minutes, you can just finish with a quick release.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Instant Pot Duo Crisp, 8-quart Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer
• 
  Mealthy Crisp Lid (use code PRESSURECOOKINGTODAY10 to save $10)
• 
  OXO Good Grips Soft-Handled Garlic Press, Black, One Size

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 285Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 772mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 18g

Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.

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