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Hawaiian Haystacks are a family favorite and definite comfort food at our house. A creamy chicken gravy served over rice with all your favorite toppings.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This dinner is quick and easy to prepare and it is a great one when you are feeding a crowd too. The other reason it is great for a crowd is because it’s perfect for picky eaters. People can personalize it to their tastes, depending on what toppings they add.
Ingredients
- Chicken. I always use chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you could also use thighs. Leftover turkey can also be used.
- Cream of Chicken Soup. We are using store bought canned soup for a quick and easy meal I also have a dairy free cream of chicken soup recipe that is gluten free too!
- Chicken Broth. If you prefer a creamier sauce/gravy you can use milk instead. You could also add in some sour cream if you’d like a creamier texture.
- Salt and Pepper. Add to taste.
Haystack Toppings
- Pineapple Tidbits
- Chow mein noodles
- Peanuts (or other nuts such as slivered almonds)
- Green Onions
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Tomatoes
- Cheese (we use cheddar cheese)
- Black Olives
- Dried Cranberries
- Shredded Carrot
- Mandarin Oranges
- Bell Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Celery
How to make Hawaiian Haystacks
- Cook the Chicken. I have three favorite ways for cooking chicken. The first one is in the slow cooker, the chicken stays nice and moist and doesn’t dry out. You can also do it in the Instant Pot in less time, it only takes about 25 minutes and is a great way to do a lot at one time. The quickest way to do though is in the microwave. You can find all the details for the microwave method here.
- Shred Chicken. Shredding the chicken while it is still warm is the easiest way. You can shred it or dice it into small bite size pieces.
- Make the Gravy. The easiest way to make the gravy is with canned cream of chicken for the gravy but you can also make your own cream of chicken (see below). I also have a diary free, gluten free version here. Add the soup to a sauce pan and then add in chicken, stir to incorpoate. Add in enough chicken broth to get the consistency you like. We don’t like it too runny! Heat through.
- Heat over medium heat on the stove top.
We always serve Hawaiian Haystacks over a bed of rice. You can use white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice.
Pour chicken gravy over rice and then add favorite toppings and you are good to go! It doesn’t get any easier than this! It’s a meal the whole family will love!
Tips
- Use your crockpot to keep the gravy warm. This is the perfect way to serve it if you are feeding a crowd or taking this to a potluck.
- Store leftover Hawaiian Haystacks in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. The gravy can also be frozen for 2-3 months.
- Reheat chicken gravy in a saucepan on the stove top or in the microwave. If the gravy seems to thick, add some additional chicken broth to thin it down
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make this Dairy Free and Gluten Free?
Yes you can! Instead of canned cream of chicken soup use this recipe for Gluten Free Dairy Free Cream of Chicken Soup. It’s delicious and no one will ever know it’s dairy free and gluten free!
Can I Make it ahead of time?
This is the perfect make ahead meal. Make the chicken gravy ahead and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve. Rewarm on the stove top, microwave or crockpot. If you are serving a crowd, serve it out of the crockpot. All the toppings can be prepared ahead of time and then just kept stored in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve.
Check out more of my favorite recipes:
- Mexican Haystacks
- Instant Pot Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
- Hawaiian Pizza
- Easy Gravy Recipe
- Hawaiian Chicken Sliders
Be sure and follow me over on You Tube for weekly cooking demos.
Hawaiian Haystacks
Ingredients
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1-2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
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
Barbara Jean Smith says
I have been looking for this recipe forever. Seriously! I went to a Bunko game when I was in my early 20’s and the hostess made this for her meal. I loved it then and now I am really craving it. Guess what my kids are getting for dinner tonight?! Thank you again for sharing. Loving the cooking lessons.
Emily says
This is a favorite at our house also . . . Guess what’s for dinner? The picture looks too good!
tamara says
This has been one of our staples for years. . . .Used to feed lots of missionaries on one chicken. Way to go Cali! It is a blessing you have the best teacher around. Am in Washington this week not too far away. Can’t wait to be here permanently and come over for my own cooking lessons.
Kara says
This is a favorite at our house too. We usually use almonds, but I think it would be fun to try the peanuts. Thanks for the idea!
Sarah says
I’ve never heard of this one…and it looks gooooood! My little ones would have fun with the chow mein noodles, too.