Hawaiian Chicken Haystacks is a retro dinner that has chicken over hot rice and topped with caramelized pineapple bits, cherries, & coconut.

Raise your hand if you have heard of Hawaiian Haystacks. Anybody? Well, I bet a few of you have. It is more of a retro dinner and I need you to have an open mind going into this, the recipe is a little quirky.

Hawaiian Chicken Haystacks Recipe

You start with the basics of chicken in a sauce over hot rice. Then you add your toppings. They range from run-of-the-mill things like olives, tomatoes, shredded cheddar, and bell peppers, all the way to unexpected items like caramelized pineapple bits, cherries, and coconut.

Hawaiian Chicken Haystacks Recipe

Before I totally lose you, no you aren’t putting ALL of those ingredients over the same plate of chicken, sauce, and rice. Rather, you pick and choose a few of them that sound the best to you.

Notes: A classic and very retro suggestion is to use the following toppings over the chicken and rice: Coconut, pineapple, and maraschino cherries. This happens to be my favorite way to eat this dish. It sounds crazy, I know, but it is so good!

Hawaiian Chicken Haystacks Recipe

A more savory suggestion is to use the following toppings over the chicken and rice: cheddar, olives, bell peppers, pineapple, bugles chips or chow mein noodles, and tomatoes. I thought this was good too.

Have I convinced you to give it a try? If you are a lover of trying out retro dishes you should give it a go. If you have tried this before please be sure to leave a comment letting us know what your favorite toppings for this are. I can always use new ideas for how to top this.

Savory Chicken Haystack 1

Hawaiian Chicken Haystacks Two Ways

Yield: 4
Hawaiian Chicken Haystacks is a retro dinner that includes juicy chicken over hot rice, then topped with caramelized pineapple bits, cherries, and coconut.
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Ingredients

  • 2 cans of cream of chicken
  • 1 can of milk or so
  • 2 cups of cooked chicken breasts diced
  • Rice cooked, seasoned with a little butter and salt
  • Toppings savory: diced tomatoes chow mein noodles, bugles chips, sliced black olives, diced celery, shredded cheddar, sliced almonds, diced mushrooms, diced green bell peppers
  • Toppings sweet: pineapple tidbits* coconut, maraschino cherries, mandarin oranges

Instructions 

  • *I went all out and I sauteed the pineapple with a tiny bit of butter and a fat pinch of brown sugar until it was getting a bit caramelized. It gave it a deeper flavor and it tasted great.
  • In a large saucepan, heat cream of chicken and one can of milk over medium-high heat until warmed through and cream of chicken is dissolved. Serve over hot prepared rice. Top with desired toppings.

Notes

notes: A classic and very retro suggestion is to use the following toppings over the chicken and rice: Coconut, pineapple, and maraschino cherries. This happens to be my favorite way to eat this dish. It sounds crazy, I know, but it is so good!
A more savory suggestion is to use the following toppings over the chicken and rice: cheddar, olives, bell peppers, bugles chips, or chow mein noodles and tomatoes. I thought this was good too.