Hawaiian Haystacks - Reinvented

Please try to ignore the ugly paper plates in a couple of my last posts. :) We had company in town and used paper plates a couple of nights. The first time I ever had Hawaiian Haystacks was when I was a freshman in college. I ate dinner at a friend's house and his mom made them. I thought they were wonderful! I made them quite a bit when Ben and I were first married. But in the past year or two, I've really tried to lessen the amount of cream soups I use. In fact, I used to use A LOT of cream of chicken soup and I rarely use it anymore. Recently I came across a recipe for the Hawaiian Haystacks sauce that doesn't use cream soup. I didn't think that was possible! So I tried it and it did not disappoint.

Hawaiian Haystacks Chicken Sauce

*Makes about 4 cups chicken sauce (enough to serve 4-6 for Hawaiian Haystacks)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks (or leftover cooked chicken, cubed)
3 tablespoons butter
½ onion (about ½ cup), finely chopped
3 cloves garlic; finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion and raw chicken (if using leftover cooked chicken, don’t add it to the skillet now, you’ll add it later). Saute the onion and chicken, if using, until the onions are soft and translucent and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute, stirring, until fragrant.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions and chicken and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for one minute – this helps get rid of the starchy, flour taste. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Add the salt and pepper. If you are using leftover cooked chicken, add it now. Continue simmering, stirring the sauce frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.

Serve the chicken sauce over rice with your toppings of choice, such as olives, tomatoes, shredded cheese, celery, green onions, pineapple, coconut, raisins and/or chow mein noodles.