Poppy Seed Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

 Poppy Seed Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Don't know what to do with all the leftover chicken you cooked the night before? How about a delicious chicken casserole. This is a great way to use up all the left over chicken especially the dark meat which in my family no one wants to eat. I cook whole chickens because they are more budget friendly but no one in my family wants to eat the leftover dark meat including me so I have to get creative to use it up which how this recipe came about. The amount of chicken, cheese, poppy seeds, and veggies are up to you. You can use a little or a lot. I used leftover lemon rosemary garlic chicken and leftover broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot stir fry veggies from the night before. The casserole has a yummy flaky crescent roll crust but you could substitute biscuits instead. It is a lot like a chicken pot pie so you could also switch the broccoli and cauliflower out for green beans, corn, and or sweet peas. This casserole is delicious way to use up leftover chicken and veggies. The photos are of my finished casserole. (Recipe is below.)

Poppy Seed Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

recipe by Julie Hodges 

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of crescent rolls

• chopped or shredded cooked chicken

• broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower

• 1 can of cream of chicken soup

• salt 

• pepper

• Parmesan cheese

• shredded white cheddar cheese

• 1 can of chicken broth (use the empty soup can to measure)

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 2 tsp. poppy seeds

1. In a skillet, combine the cooked chicken, vegetables, salt, pepper, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Cook until combined and veggies are done. (If using frozen vegetables it may take longer.) Stir in the butter and poppy seeds just before removing from the heat. Remove after butter melts.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and while the filling is cooking open the two cans of crescent rolls but leave them together as a sheet of dough. Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish with non-stick baking spray and place one sheet of crescent roll dough in the pan stretching it out the full length of the dish. Pinch the steams together to seal the dough into one continuous sheet. Add the filling from the step above to the crescent roll sheet in the casserole dish. Spread it out evenly and then place the second sheet of crescent roll dough on top of the filling. Press the side down and tuck the top crescent roll sheet into the bottom and pinch the two together to create a crust like a pot pie. Sprinkle the top with shredded white cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. 

3. Bake in a 400 degree oven until golden and the crescent roll dough is done. Allow to cool for a minute or two before cutting and serving.

* Green beans, corn, or sweet peas could also be used in place of the broccoli and cauliflower. 
* Biscuits could be used in place of the crescent rolls.


pictures and recipe by Julie Hodges (me)