Lemon Poppy Seed Chicken

OK... my original recipe called for 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup. When I made this the other day I was out of Cream of Mushroom, so I subbed 1 can Cream of Chicken and 1 cup of heavy cream for the two cans of Cream of Mushroom soup. I love it so much better and my kids didn't complain about the little mushroom pieces in it! Either way, it's yummy!!!

Ingredients:

4-6 large chicken breasts

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 to 1 cup of heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

2 packages (sleeves) of Ritz crackers

1 T. poppy seeds

1 stick real salted butter, melted

Directions:

Boil the chicken breasts slowly for about 30-40 minutes so they will be nice and tender. (Sometimes I boil them in water and add a couple of chicken bouillon cubes for more flavor. Or I boil them in a couple of cans of chicken broth and enough water to keep 'em covered.)

While the chicken is cooking, mix together in a bowl: the soup, the sour cream, and the lemon juice. (Use the whole lemon for some zing or just use half the juice and add more to taste.) Now add the cream. About a half of a cup ought to do it, but I like mine really juicy and creamy so I use a whole cup. (This is especially good if you like to serve this casserole over rice!) Stir it all well and set it aside.

When the chicken is done, chop it up (or shred it) and spread it out in the bottom of a 9"X13" casserole dish. Use about a cup of the broth to pour on top of the chopped up chicken.

Now add your creamy mixture to the top of the chicken and spread it around to cover it up nicely. Crumble the Ritz crackers right on top of the creamy part, then sprinkle the poppy seeds over the cracker crumbs.

Drizzle the melted butter on top of the whole thing and pop it in a 350 oven for about 35 minutes. The crackers will get nice and golden and the creamy part will be bubbling along the edges! Enjoy!!!

*** This freezes well, but wait until you are ready to cook it before you add the crackers, poppy seeds and butter. Don't want those cracker crumbs to get soggy! Even better the next day!