Recipe: Hawaiian Haystacks

My husband is in the bishopric of a USU ward, and every year they plan a Luau night for the first activity as the students return to school.  This year we decided to have Hawaiian Haystacks.  This is a dish I tend to forget about and go for long periods of time without making; then when I have occasion to serve it I wonder why I waited so long!  It's a great meal for this time of year because of all the vegetables involved and is perfect for a large group because everyone can fix theirs up exactly how they like it.  Even if you have your own version, you may be interested in how I go about preparing it (see instructions at end of letter).  Next Monday night I'll be serving this to 130 hungry college kids, so just be happy you only have to whip up a small batch in comparison to feed your back-to-school crew!

Hawaiian Haystacks
(Serves 10)

3 cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup
4 (10 oz) or one large (50 oz) can of chicken or 6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
3 cups canned chicken broth (some of this can be broth from the canned chicken)
1 cup of evaporated (canned) milk
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon or so black pepper
3 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved into 1/4 cup water in microwave
1 1/2 cups sour cream

-Place all ingredients except chicken and sour cream in slow cooker and cook on low about 5 hours. Add chicken for the last hour or so, breaking it up a bit if needed.  Stir in sour cream just before serving.  Taste and season as needed.

-Serve over cooked, white rice with the following toppings, letting everyone choose what they want and make up their own dish.

TOPPINGS

Green Onions

Crispy Chinese Noodles

Shredded Carrots

Frozen Petite Peas, thawed

Sliced or slivered Almonds

Coconut, toasted or plain

Pineapple tidbits

Grated Cheese

Diced Celery

Diced Bell Peppers

Sliced Black Olives

Diced, seeded Tomatoes

Mandarin Oranges

Soy Sauce

Note:  To make this in larger quantities for a big party, it can be multiplied using Family Sized Soups and large (50 oz) cans of chicken from Sam's Club or Costco and cooked slowly in Roaster Ovens. Four batches will fit into each roaster oven.  Be sure to stir often, as it will stick to the sides if the heat is too high.  Cook at about 225 to 250 degrees in the roaster oven for several hours before adding the chicken, and add sour cream at the end as explained above.