Hawaiian Haystacks

I love any dish that has rice and chicken.  And if it adds some extra veggies and tropical flavors, it's even better.  Yes, I just described Hawaiian Haystacks - what's not to love?  Well, maybe the chemicals in the original chicken sauce.  But, that's why I couldn't wait to make over this crowd pleasing dish into something processed free.  Here is my version, and as you'll notice, there is lots of flexibility in this recipe to make it easy to prepare with whatever you have on hand.

2 tsp. butter
6 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
2 cups chicken broth (divided)
1 cup milk
chicken

This forms the sauce.  Melt the butter on medium heat in a pot, then add the flour to form a roux.  Add 1 cup of broth (I make my own and freeze them in ice cube trays for recipes) and 1 cup of milk.  Bring to a boil and whisk continually until the roux is dissolved and it becomes thick.  Now add the chicken and the last cup of broth.  Stir until well incorporated and heated through. 

I know I'm being vague with the chicken, so let me explain.  There are several different ways to prepare and add this.  The first is to boil a few chicken breasts, remove them from the pot, shred them and save the broth for the rest of the recipe.  Another way is to use left over chicken or canned chicken.  I would use at least 24 oz. or more if you use canned.  My favorite is to use home canned chicken breasts.  I pressure cook and can my own chicken breast and I use a quart size jar with the liquid to make this 100% easy.  Do whatever you like or have on hand, this is why you can be flexible.

Serve this over brown rice (make enough for 6 good sized servings) and let everyone add the toppings they would like.  Here are my favorites:

diced tomatoes (I actually prefer canned)
shredded cheddar cheese
slivered almonds
diced green bell peppers
diced celery
green onion
crushed pineapple
shredded coconut (unsweetened)

If these toppings are pre-chopped, this dinner comes together in no time.  And I can always count on everyone eating it, including my picky kids.  Score!!  This is also extremely easy to double or triple for a crowd.  We all need recipes like that in our hip pocket.  Enjoy!