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Hawaiian Haystacks are definitely a family favorite at our house. Easy to make, yummy to eat, and everyone can personalize it to their own tastes!
I think this dish is pretty much a staple for a lot of families. Some of you may call it Mexican Haystack or just Haystacks. I’ve heard it called all kinds of things.
I think this recipe came from one of the very first cookbooks I got when I was married – Make a Mix.
Whenever my daughter, Cali got to pick what we had for dinner her choice was always Hawaiian Haystacks.  When she went gluten and dairy free the thing she missed most was Hawaiian Haystack until I came up with a gluten free dairy free cream of chicken soup and she could once again enjoy it!
This dinner is quick and easy to prepare and it is a great one when you are feeding a crowd too. It can be made ahead of time and kept warm in a crock pot. The other reason it is great for a crowd is because people can personalize it to their tastes – depending on what toppings they add.
Hawaiian Haystack is a fun dinner – a “build your own” kind of meal. We just serve the meat sauce over rice and then everyone adds whatever toppings they like.  I love to make my rice in my rice cooker because it turns out perfect every time!
Some of our favorites are pineapple tidbits, chow mein noodles, peanuts, green onions and lots of cheese. The sky is the limit as far as what you can add to it!
How to make Hawaiian Haystacks
The first trick I taught Cali was a quick and easy way to cook the chicken that goes into the Haystack. It is done in the slow cooker and the chicken stays nice and moist and doesn’t dry out as chicken will do. You can check out the post on how to cook chicken in the slow cooker.
After your chicken is shredded add the chicken to two cans of cream of chicken soup (for 2-3 breasts) and then add enough chicken broth to make it the consistency you want. We don’t like it too runny!
Serve your chicken over the rice,  add toppings and you are good to go!   Doesn’t get any easier then that!! Enjoy!
Kids love this and so do adults. Â The best part is they can personalize it to their own tastes! Â Add the toppings they love and leave off the others.
Hawaiian Haystacks Recipe
Hawaiian Haystacks
Ingredients
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 C chicken broth
- 2 C chopped cooked chicken
- Cooked rice
Toppings
- cheese
- green onion
- tomato
- broccoli
- chow mein noodles
- peanuts
- pineapple
- black olives
- carrotts
- peas
- dried cranberries
Instructions
- Add chicken to cream of chicken soup
- Add chicken broth until desired consistency
- Serve over rice
- Top with desired toppings
Nutrition Facts:
Julie says
Would you by any chance know the amounts for all the toppings if I am serving this to 200 people?
Leigh Anne says
I don’t. Whenever I am feeding a crowd like that – I figure out what one portion would be and then do the math. Good luck!
Sandra says
I saw your GF cream of chicken soup recipe and came to see this one – how much of the homemade Crm of chik would equal two cans? Thanks in advance!
Leigh Anne says
It’s not exact but I use about 4 cups. 2 Cups per can
Toni says
This is a new variation on the ‘haystacks’ we’ve been making in our family for years. Ours is more Latin based, with Organic corn chips on the bottom, a little smashed, then toped w/ seasoned beef or chicken, then black or refried beans, then an assortment of toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, green onions, salsa or enchilada sauce, black olives, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado slices… whatever happens to be ‘on hand’ when we make them. A little meat goes a long way b/c of all the other ingredients. This is also GF and dairy free if you omit the cheese & sour cream, or use a lactaid or vegan version. I like your idea for haystacks and we will be trying it in our house soon! . 🙂
Toni says
This is a new variation on the ‘haystacks’ we’ve been making in our family for years. Ours is more Latin based, with Organic corn chips on the bottom, a little smashed, then toped w/ seasoned beef or chicken, then black or refried beans, then an assortment of toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, green onions, salsa or enchilada sauce, black olives, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado slices… whatever happens to be ‘on hand’ when we make them. A little meat goes a long way b/c of all the other ingredients. I like your version, and we will be trying it in our house soon! 🙂
Leigh Anne says
Your family’s version sounds great!