Poppy Seed Chicken Recipe

Poppy seeds are tiny kidney shaped seeds commonly used as a topping or filling in various baked food items. They are harvested from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) seed pods, and have been cultivated from centuries. Adding poppy seeds to our diet provide numerous positive health benefits to our body, like one serving provides 13%, 7% and 5% of daily recommended amounts of dietary fiber, calcium and iron, respectively. With these poppy seeds nutrition facts, poppy seeds are also known to add calories to a meal. In fact 1tbsp poppy seeds has 46 calories and one serving has 4 grams of fat in it. However, being high in terms of vitamins and minerals, poppy seeds are primarily used for baking purposes, especially in rolls, breads and cakes. In fact, you will be amazed to know that they are also used in many salad and chicken recipes. Hence, following are some enticing chicken recipes that will surely satiate your taste buds.

Poppy Seed with Chicken
Ingredients

• 5 - 6 skinless chicken breasts
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 (8 oz) can of cream of chicken soup
• Poppy seeds
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 stick butter
• Ground pepper
• Ritz crackers
• Salt to taste

Preparation

In a boiler, boil the chicken breasts with few celery stalks in a salty water and then simmer for a couple of hours. Once the chicken breasts are ready, take them out of the broth and put them in to a large mixing bowl. Shred the chicken and add cream of chicken soup; mix well. Now mix in the sour cream, lemon juice and ground pepper and transfer the mixture in to a casserole dish. Take out two stacks of Ritz crackers, crush them with your hands and sprinkle over the top of the mixture. Sprinkle poppy seeds as much as you want, melt butter and pour it evenly over the entire mixture; add butter only when you are about to cook. Now in a preheated oven, bake at 350F for 30 minutes and serve hot with broccoli or any other green vegetable.

Poppy Seed Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients

• 12 oz bowtie pasta, cooked
• 4 - 6 oz poppyseed dressing
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 3 oz slivered almonds
• cup finely chopped celery
• cup chopped green onion
• 1 (6 oz) package dried cranberries
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Take a medium-sized bowl and mix the pasta, chicken, cranberries, celery, onion, and almonds. Stir in the dressing, flavor with salt and pepper and serve chilled.

Lemon Chicken with Poppy Seeds
Ingredients

• 6 - 8 oz sour cream
• 2 pounds chicken, cooked and cut into small pieces
• tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms, optional

Toppings

• 2 cups buttery round crackers, crushed
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 stick ( cup) butter, melted

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, lemon juice, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Now add chicken and mushroom, and gently stir until well incorporated. Spread the mixture into a slightly greased baking pan, mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 25 - 30 minutes, garnish with sliced lemons and serve hot over rice.

These were some recipes that are not only scrumptious and delectable but also easy to prepare. Since most of the ingredients are easily available, try preparing these innovative recipes at home and surprise your family and friends.