This easy Hawaiian Haystacks recipe starts with a bed of rice, then a spoonful of chicken in gravy sauce, and add all of your favorite toppings. A quick weeknight meal using ingredients you have on hand!
Want more easy 30 minute meals? Check out my BBQ Chicken Tacos, Spring Roll Bowl, or Lox Bagel!
Why I love this recipe:
- Quick – Only 20 minutes and dinner is on the table! This is a great meal to have kids help with too!
- Picky Eaters Approved – What's not to like about rice and chicken in a creamy gravy? Everyone gets to choose their own toppings and customize it the way they like.
- Pantry Ingredients – Hawaiian Haystacks ingredients are very basic, and you probably already have everything on hand.
How to make Hawaiian Haystacks:
1. Make the Sauce: Whisk together milk, cornstarch, butter, chicken bouillon paste, spices, and water in a large saucepan on medium heat. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens.
2. Steam Rice and Prepare Toppings: Steam the rice, slice tomatoes and olives, grate cheese, and prepare all of your desired toppings for Hawaiian Haystacks.
3. Assemble: Add a layer of rice to your bowl. Top it with chicken and gravy, and your favorite toppings.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Steam the rice, cook the chicken, and make the sauce up to 1 day ahead of time. Store rice and gravy separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
To Freeze: This Hawaiian Haystacks sauce freezes well. Allow it to cool completely then store in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat slowly on the stovetop.
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Recipe
Hawaiian Haystacks
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups milk , cold
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste or cubes or powdered
- Salt and pepper , to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups chicken uncooked, or cooked
- Hot cooked rice , for serving
Topping Ideas:
- Pineapple
- Chow mein noodles
- Green onion
- Shredded cheese
- Sliced olives
- Tomatoes
- Toasted Coconut
- Peas
- Celery
- Bell peppers
- Slivered almonds
Instructions
- Prepare rice according to package instructions.
- In a small saucepan whisk together milk, water and cornstarch. Add butter, bouillon, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
- Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. If using uncooked chicken, season it with salt and pepper and add to the pot, Reduce heat and cook until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened to gravy consistency. If using leftover cooked chicken, stir it in at the end.
- To serve, add a spoonful of rice to a bowl. Pour chicken gravy on top. Add desired toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
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This recipe was originally shared March 2020. Updated August 2022.
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Please tell me what is Hawaiian about this. I was born and raised in Hawaii and have never seen such a mess in my life.
Kate, don’t knock the recipe until you try it. I appreciate the author posting the recipe. It probably isn’t authentic Hawaiian food, it;s not meant to be. It’s just the name. It’s really very good, and one of our favorites.
Kate, this is really good and not a real Hawaiian dish, it is just the name. It is fun and everyone loves it…Try it!
Very good!! Boiled the chicken then diced & added to the sauce. No leftovers, everyone loved it! Thank you!!
Made this but with pork instead of the chicken. I used vegi stock instead. we added pineapple and cherries. very good recipe. Will keep in our monthly rotation.
Good homemade recipe for Hawaiian Haystacks. HOWEVER, I would recommend cutting the garlic powder by half or more. We love garlic, but that and onion powder were all we could taste and ended up having to add a can of cream of chicken to tone it down.. it helped only a little.
If I make again I’ll probably just give a dash of garlic powder, or better yet, use real garlic.
So yummy! We loved it. Any chance you know what the serving size is?