Hawaiian Haystacks is a quick and easy meal that my kids are in LOVE with! Serve fluffy rice with this amazing chicken sauce, then pile it high with your favorite toppings!
BTW, my recipe is a little different than others because this chicken gravy is made from scratch and not from cream of chicken soup. It’s totally worth the little bit of effort to make it.
I didn’t learn about Hawaiian Haystacks until after I got married. And I’ll be honest, I thought it was kinda weird to eat sweet fruits and savory vegetables together….let alone with chicken and gravy!
Boy was I wrong!
The combination of flavors is to die for! And it’s super fun because we serve our favorite toppings buffet style and everyone gets to load their haystack up just the way they want! Even my pickiest eater loves them!
The haystacks I first learned about are made with cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and milk. I think it has some seasonings too. I guess it’s an old Utah Mormon recipe.
But, then my friend Becki introduced me to her mom’s Hawaiian Curry recipe that she uses for the chicken sauce in her Hawaiian Haystacks!
This is life and so worth the little bit of extra time it takes to make the gravy from scratch!
Hawaiian Haystacks Ingredients:
I’m just going to list the ingredients needed to make the gravy and rice. See below for topping suggestions.
- Rice: White rice is our favorite. You can also use brown rice or jasmine rice.
- Butter: Real butter is best. Salted or unsalted
- Onion: White, sweet, yellow, red
- All-purpose Flour: Substitute cornstarch to make gluten-free haystacks
- Milk: 2%, whole, or skim
- Pineapple Juice: If you’re using pineapple as a topping reserve the juice from that
- Chicken Broth: Optional, you can use all pineapple juice instead
- Seasonings: Curry, salt, ground ginger
- Shredded Chicken: boneless skinless chicken breast or rotisserie chicken is a great headstart on this meal. You can also use canned chicken. See other canned chicken recipes!
How to Make Hawaiian Haystacks:
How to cook chicken:
You’ll need shredded or diced chicken for this recipe. I love making it ahead of time in big batches to save time.
- Stovetop: Add chicken to a saucepan and cover with water. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to hold a simmer. Cook until chicken is tender and reaches 165 degrees. Depending on the thickness of the chicken this will take about 30 minutes.
- Pressure Cooker: Using the Instant Pot to cook chicken is my favorite way. Add chicken breast and 1 cup chicken broth to the pot. Close lid and pressure valve. Cook on high pressure for 8-10 minutes. Open pressure valve to release steam.
- Slow Cooker: Add chicken to the slow cooker. Cover with chicken broth. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Little Dairy on the Prairie Pro Tip: Be sure to check out the easiest way to shred chicken using an electric mixer. I love making lots and freezing it for recipes just like this!
Hawaiian Curry Instructions:
STEP 1: Melt butter in a sauce pan. Sautee onions until tender.
STEP 2: Add curry, ginger, and salt to onions.
STEP 3: Add flour and stir until thickened to make a roux. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
STEP 4: Add cooked shredded or diced chicken. Stir.
Make Ahead Instructions:
Follow the steps as listed above. Once the chicken and gravy are made store them in the refrigerator.
Prepare all the toppings ahead of time and keep them in individual containers until it’s time to serve. This is a great recipe for a crowd since it can mostly be made ahead of time and it’s easy to make a lot!
To reheat Hawaiian Haystacks in the microwave until warmed through. Time will vary depending on how much gravy you have and how hot your microwave heats.
Add chicken and gravy to the crockpot and cook it on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-4 hours. It’s such a lifesaver to come home to dinner in the slow cooker on busy days!
Fun toppings ideas:
The sky is the limit here! Try to be open minded because I know how weird some of these combinations sound. Trust me, they’re amazing together!
- Fruit: Pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, grapes, dried cranberries
- Vegetables: Diced tomatoes, green peppers, green onions, thawed green peas, celery
- Shredded Cheese: This is a must! Cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack are all good options.
- Nuts: Slivered walnuts, chopped almonds, or pecans.
- Coconut: shredded. So good!
- Chow Mein Noodles: Not my favorite.
- Olives: I don’t do this one but I know lots of people do.
Other Make-Ahead Chicken Recipes:
Looking for more quick and easy weeknight dinner ideas? Here is a list of some of our favorite easy chicken recipes!
- Crockpot Chicken Nachos: It will be ready for you to build your own nachos when you are!
- Lime Verde Chicken: Makes the best tacos.
- Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Pizza: Use flatbread crust to make it really easy!
- Italian Chicken Sandwiches: Prep all the ingredients ahead of time.
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole: Make it. Refrigerate it. Then bake it when you’re ready.
Oh, and Hawaiian Burgers are amazing if you’re in love with Hawaiian flavors!
I love it when you make my recipes and give me feedback! If you have a minute please comment below and leave a star ranking! Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook!
Grab my Hawaiian Haystacks Recipe:
Hawaiian Haystacks
Ingredients
To make the Hawaiian curry:
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 cup milk whole, 2%, or skim
- 2 cups pineapple juice see note below
- 2 cups boneless skinless chicken breasts shredded or diced
To serve with the Curry Sauce:
- 6 cups cooked rice any variety
Instructions
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onions and sautee until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add seasonings and flour to the onions. Continue cooking and stirring until a paste is formed.
- While whisking slowly add milk and pineapple juice. Continue stirring until the mixture is thickened. This will take about 5-7 minutes. You want it the constency of a thick soup.
- Add cooked and shredded or diced chicken. Stir.
- Serve over hot cooked rice with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- If you’re using pineapple for a topping, drain the pineapple and reserve the juice to use in the sauce.
- You’ll need 2 cups of pineapple juice. If you don’t have quite enough you can use more milk or chicken broth to make the rest of the 2 cups.
- Fruit: Pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, grapes, dried cranberries
- Vegetables: Diced tomatoes, green peppers, green onions, thawed green peas, celery
- Shredded Cheese: This is a must! Cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack are all good options.
- Nuts: Slivered walnuts, chopped almonds, or pecans.
- Coconut: shredded. So good!
- Chow Mein Noodles: Not my favorite.
- Olives: I don’t do this one but I know lots of people do.
- To reheat Hawaiian Haystacks in the microwave until warmed through. Time will vary depending on how much gravy you have and how hot your microwave heats.
- Add chicken and gravy to the crockpot and cook it on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-4 hours. It’s such a lifesaver to come home to dinner in the slow cooker on busy days!
Well there you go again. Sharing one of my favorite things to serve when entertaining. I served these for an adult dinner and they loved them. One couple even asked me for the recipe, so I gave it to them. He said they have them when company comes because they are kind of special, or for Sunday Dinner because they so fast and easy.
He didn’t say there was a place reserved for me in heaven, but I am sure the thought it. Come to think of it, our guests were city folk and not country people, so maybe that is why he didn’t offer such a comment. But they slicked their plates right up too and asked for more.
Curry is one of my all time favorite spices. It sits right next to the salt shaker, which I use all of the time. Everybody should use curry until the love it too.
We LOVED the chicken sauce!! So much tastier than the traditional recipe. I especially loved the curry flavor! My kids ate it right up!
I agree! This recipe is so much better than the “cream of whatever” soup recipes! And if you’re kids at it, you know it’s a winner!