Hawaiian Haystacks feature a creamy chicken sauce served over hot rice and topped with a variety of tasty fruits, veggies, and cheeses. There may be several different variations out there, but this is the best Hawaiian Haystacks sauce ever!
I’ve lived in Utah my entire life, but I didn’t have Hawaiian Haystacks until I was almost a teenager. I mostly blame my Italian mother for not bringing us up on the classic Utahn cuisine like this recipe and Chicken Pillows.
Thankfully, this is a staple in my husband’s family, so I’ve gotten my fair share of it over the years.
I love this recipe because it makes a lot! It’s perfect for a large family gathering where people have different tastes because everyone gets to choose their own toppings.
Plus, it’s so cheap to make. I keep most of the ingredients stocked in my food storage so it doesn’t take a huge chunk out of my grocery budget for the week.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Cook 3 chicken breasts as desired and shred or cube (or use 2 (12 ounce) cans of chunk chicken).
In a large saucepan on the stove, add 10.5 ounces of canned cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of chicken broth and warm over medium-low heat.
Once that’s combined, add your chicken and simmer for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and carefully mix in 1/2 cup of sour cream until sauce is smooth.
Serve the sauce warm over rice with desired toppings like pineapple tidbits, chow mein noodles, mandarin oranges, olives, green onions, tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese and slivered almonds.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
There are several ways to prepare the chicken for this dish. You can cube the chicken and cook it in a frying pan. Or you could use an Instant Pot and shred it with a mixer.
I personally like to use canned chunk chicken for the sauce. It’s a great way to use up food storage and there’s absolutely no prep work required.
The recipe says to simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, but if you’re low on time, you can just combine all of the ingredients and heat through.
This makes a lot of sauce, so it’s perfect for feeding a crowd. It feeds my family once for dinner with several leftovers, including enough to freeze for later.
Here are several substitutions for ingredients in this recipe:
- Cream of chicken soup substitutes
- Chicken broth substitutes
- Sour cream substitutes
- Olive substitutes
TO FREEZE: Pour cooled sauce into a gallon-size freezer bag. Securely close the bag top and lay flat in the freezer for up to 4-6 months.
TO REHEAT: Place gravy bag in the fridge to thaw or run under warm water. Once thawed, add gravy to a medium pot and heat over medium heat until warm.
More Like This
Looking for more chicken recipes? You’ll love these!
- White Chicken Chili Recipe with Cream Cheese
- Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Bake
- Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream White Sauce
- Grilled Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken
- Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Mayo
- The Easiest Chicken Pillows Ever
FAQs
You might be surprised to know that Hawaiian Haystacks actually don’t come from Hawaii!
Haystacks originated in the 1950s and are a general term for a potluck dish that layers several ingredients into a pile or haystack. Would you believe there are Mexican Haystacks, Adventist Haystacks, Mennonite Haystacks, and LDS Haystacks?
Different cultures and religions have created their own unique versions over time. The Hawaiian Haystacks my family loves are also known as LDS Haystacks.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has strong ties to Hawaiian culture and for this particular variation, pineapple, oranges, and even soy sauce are often included!
There are probably as many versions of this dish as there are methods for making the sauce. But, I have to say, mine is the best and easiest haystacks sauce I’ve ever tried!
When I make this dinner I usually serve it with a roll or bread of some sort since the toppings include a variety of fruits and veggies. But a green salad would also go well with this recipe.
You could try any of these sides:
– Dinner rolls
– Scones
– Cheesy drop biscuits
– Breadsticks
– Strawberry spinach salad
I hope your family loves this Hawaiian Haystacks Sauce recipe! If you make it, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable.
And if you’d like to get a 4-week meal plan featuring my recipes, just enter your email in the form above and you’ll get it straight to your inbox!
The Best Hawaiian Haystacks Sauce
Ingredients
- 10.5 ounces canned cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (or use 2-12 ounce) cans of chunk chicken)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4-8 cups cooked white rice
Topping Suggestions
- Grated cheese
- Tomatoes, chopped
- Olives
- Peas
- Green onions, chopped
- Green pepper, chopped
- Pineapple tidbits
- Mandarin oranges
- Slivered almonds
- Coconut, shredded
- Chow mein noodles
Instructions
- Add cream of chicken soup and chicken broth to a large saucepan and warm over medium-low heat.
- Once the soup and broth are combined (about 3-5 minutes), add chicken to the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the sour cream until sauce is smooth.
- To create a haystack, layer rice, chicken sauce, and desired toppings.
Jesslyn
Wednesday 5th of October 2022
I should have read the comments first.. 2 cups of broth was WAY too much!
Jessica Ashcroft
Thursday 6th of October 2022
Did you mean 2 cans? The recipe is written for 2 cups of chicken broth or 1 can. I've made this recipe several times and 2 cups is just right!
Susy
Tuesday 2nd of August 2022
Are you figuring 1/2 cup per serving, or more then that?
Jessica Ashcroft
Tuesday 2nd of August 2022
Yes it’s 1/2 cup of rice and about 1/2 cup of sauce per serving!
Bosslady
Wednesday 7th of July 2021
In your description near the top, you say two cans of soup and two cans of chicken broth. My fault for not reading the actual recipe until it was too late, but in case anyone else does that, two cans of broth is way too much.
Jessica Ashcroft
Thursday 8th of July 2021
You are absolutely right. I'm SO sorry about that! Fixing it now.