Name: Hawaiian Haystacks
Yield: 4

This Hawaiian Haystacks Recipe is a fun, build-your-own dinner with creamy chicken over rice and a mix of sweet, crunchy, and savory toppings piled high.

Author’s Notes

The Most Fun Dinner EVER!

If you’ve never had Hawaiian Haystacks before, it’s basically a build-your-own bowl with creamy chicken over rice and all the fun toppings. Sweet, crunchy, savory…a little bit of everything. It’s kind of like a salad bar, but way better. Fresh veggies, herbs, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and whatever sounds good on top!

This Hawaiian Haystacks recipe is one of my family’s all-time favorites and something my mom made on repeat growing up. With 7 kids, that says a lot. It’s one of those dinners everyone gets excited about because you get to build your own reliable bowl. Mine is always extra loaded with crispy chow mein noodles. I don’t hold back, haha!

All the ingredients in this recipe prepped out for straightforward assembly including the milk, cheddar, chicken, seasonings, sour cream, rice, butter, flour, and broth.

Ingredients in This Hawaiian Haystacks Recipe

Ingredient	Let’s Chat About It
Rice	White rice is classic, but brown rice or even quinoa works great!
Butter & flour	This is the base of the gravy. Cook it for a minute so it doesn’t taste floury.
Milk & chicken broth	Take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temp for a smoother sauce.
Seasonings & bouillon	Bouillon adds a big flavor boost to this Hawaiian Haystacks recipe. Adjust the salt at the end since it can vary.
Chicken, cheese & toppings	Rotisserie chicken keeps it super quick and straightforward. Freshly shred cheese for the smoothest melt.

Creamy, cheesy sauce for Hawaiian Haystacks being whisked together with chicken added to the pan.

Toppings

The best part of this Hawaiian Haystacks recipe is the toppings. I pick a few favorites, set them out in bowls, and let everyone pile on what they love.

Fresh & crisp: cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, shredded lettuce
Sweet: pineapple (crushed or diced), mandarin oranges, dried cranberries
Crunchy: crispy chow mein noodles, sliced almonds, crushed tortilla chips
Savory extras: black olives, shredded cheese, crumbled bacon
Herbs: fresh cilantro or parsley

the cook’s Notes

Great for Busy Nights & Big Groups

This Hawaiian Haystacks recipe is great for busy nights or feeding a crowd. Just double or triple the rice and chicken gravy and set out lots of toppings.

For groups, keep toppings in separate bowls, rice warm, and gravy in a slow cooker on warm. Store leftover chicken and gravy in the fridge for up to 5 days.