Hawaiian Haystacks

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that Monday night was the first time I'd ever eaten Hawaiian Haystacks. My husband was shocked when I told him. It seems like everyone has eaten these before except for me! And probably my siblings. We never had them growing up so it's not something I've ever made for myself. I was on Pinterest the other day when I came by this recipe and thought I'd give it a try for dinner Monday night. My husband and son both loved it. My little guy can be a little picky so I was especially excited when he couldn't get enough of this. And my husband said that he liked the sauce on these better than what he had growing up. Yay! Another winning recipe discovered. I love that I can make a different Hawaiian Haystack every time with all of the different toppings options out there. This would make a great dish to feed a crowd.

I forgot to take pictures of the process when we made these. I guess I was too excited to try them and got sidetracked! I appreciate the use of the picture from Picky Palate!


Hawaiian Haystacks
image and recipe via Picky Palate
makes 4 servings

• 1 stick butter (I used half a stick to cut the fat and it worked great.)
• 1/2 c. flour (I used 1/3 c. just to cut that down too. It also worked great.)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 32 oz. reduced sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp. dry Ranch Dressing seasoning packet
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 2 c. cooked shredded chicken breast
• steamed rice, enough for your family

Topping Options (Don't feel limited to just these. The possibilities are endless! Choose what you like and run with it. The ones in bold are the ones we used.)

• Chow Mein crispy noodles
• diced green onions
• black olives
• pineapple
• cranberries
• almonds
• tomatoes
• shredded cheese

Directions

Jenny over at Picky Palate didn't mention how she cooked the chicken. But this is what I did: I placed two large, frozen chicken breasts in my crock pot and poured the chicken broth right over it. I set it on low and let it cook for 6 hours. When it was finished I took the chicken out and placed it in a bowl to shred. I poured the broth through a strainer and set it aside to use for later in the process. This gave the chicken a good flavor. As Anne Burrell always says, your chicken is always going to taste like what you cook it in!

Let's make Hawaiian Haystacks, shall we? Begin by placing the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to melt. Slowly whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper and stir till smooth and thick (about 1-2 minutes).

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until smooth. Increase the heat to high, whisking until thick (about 2 minutes). Add the sour cream, Ranch seasoning, garlic salt, and cooked chicken. Stir together well.

It's time to serve! Place a nice pile of rice in the middle of your plate and pour some of the gravy over the rice. Top with all kinds of delicious toppings and enjoy!