My husband’s favorite meal growing up, Hawaiian haystacks are a super easy and satisfying dinner made in the crockpot. 

First of all, let me preface this post by saying I’ve been in a real recipe rut lately. I’ve been trying so many new recipes just to have them flop. It’s been pretty disappointing to say the least. For me, there’s nothing worse then spending money, preparing a meal and then having it not be good.

So instead of trying new things this week, we’ve been eating a lot of our old favorites. This is one of them. It’s one of those easy recipes that you can whip up and it’s good every single time.

Now, it’s also one that has cream of chicken soup in it, so if you’re in the group of “cream of anything” haters,  then sorry this recipe isn’t for you.  I’ve tried other versions without it, and this is the one we all like best!

Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about Hawaiian haystacks. Until I moved to Utah, I had never heard of a Hawaiian haystacks. My husband said they used to have them in elementary school for lunch and he loved them. I’m pretty sure the only reason they are called “Hawaiian” is because one of the toppings is pineapple. Otherwise, they are just delicious creamy chicken gravy over rice.

I’ve tried a few recipes for Hawaiian haystacks and although they were good, this one is my absolute favorite. My friend Hillary was making this recipe one day and I tried some and I knew immediately I needed her recipe. Honestly, this recipe is super simple and I think  it’s the evaporated milk that makes it extra delicious. (And don’t confuse evaporated milk with sweetened condensed milk, because that would be bad news!)

My kids love it because you can choose your own toppings.  I don’t like pineapple or noodles on mine. Just the chicken gravy, rice and a vegetable for me please!

Hawaiian Haystacks in the Slow Cooker

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk
1 can chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp garlic powder

Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred.

Create a slurry with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water and add to the slow cooker to thicken the gravy.

Serve over rice with desired toppings.

Some ideas for toppings:

Chow mein noodles
Pineapple
Shredded cheese
Green onions
Olives
Peas
Red peppers