Hawaiian Haystacks

I really like recipes that a) taste good leftover, b) are easy to make, and c) are versatile. Enter: Hawaiian Haystacks. From scratch. The easy way to make this is to throw some chicken in with some cream of chicken soup and serve it over rice. But... honestly, canned cream of chicken soup kind of makes me icked out a bit. (Maybe it's because I buy the off-brand stuff that retains its can shape when you dump it out.) So you get this recipe instead. Lucky you!

Cream of Chicken Soup (makes about 3 cups, or 2 cans)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)

1/4 teaspoon parsley

dash of paprika

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup flour

Instructions:

1. In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two (longer if using fresh onions or garlic).

2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens (this should only take about 5 min at most).

This can be frozen in 1½ c amounts if you make it ahead of time.

Recipe obtained from here. 

Hawaiian Haystacks

Ingredients: 

1 cooked chicken cut in bite sized pieces (I use 3 large chicken breasts)

2 cans cream of chicken soup (see above recipe)

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups milk

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a pot until thick and bubbly. I usually cook the chicken ahead of time and dump it in after everything else is mixed together. I also normally make the cream of chicken soup right before I make this, but you can make it ahead of time if desired. You will probably need to add salt to taste, but I normally don't bother and just add some when I eat it.

Serve over rice and Chinese noodles, then top with any combination of the following (see, versatility at its finest, perfect for picky children):

grated cheese

sliced almonds or cashews 

shredded coconut

chopped tomatoes

crushed or chunk pineapple

celery

green pepper

green onions

bacon bits

and anything else you want.

I'm not really sure how many servings it makes, but probably 8-10 at least. A LOT. We ate it every night for a week.

I personally prefer a combination of chicken goop, cheese, cashews, coconut, and pineapple chunks on my crunchy noodles and rice, but to each their own. It makes great leftovers (though I highly recommend adding the crunchy noodles and cashews right before you eat it or they get soggy) and also works well for parties, since it feeds a lot and you can assign people to bring toppings if it's potluck. 

Enjoy!