. . . hawaiian chinese haystack sundaes . . .

. . . are they hawaiian haystacks? . . .

. . . are they chinese sundaes? . . .

. . . whatever you call them ~ 

they're something i hadn't made 

since that gluten-free thing 

came into our lives 

because of the dreaded 

cream of chicken soup 

in the sauce . . .

{also chow mein noodles, but you can easily skip those}

{well . . . I didn't, but if you need to be gluten-free, you can . . .}

. . . but i've been noticing 

that lots of people 

are jumping on 

the anti-cream-of-whatever 

bandwagon . . .

. . . and when you think about it, 

it really is kind of gloppy 

and disgusting 

when it comes out of the can, 

isn't it? . . .

. . . so i decided to see 

what i could figure out . . .

. . . well . . . 

. . . here's my new version . . . 

. . . and it was yummy . . .

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

heat olive oil and butter in large skillet. season chicken with salt and pepper. brown on both sides. transfer chicken pieces to crock pot. deglaze pan with 1/2 cup water to loosen brown bits. add liquid to crock pot. finish cooking on low 4-6 hours.

1 quart chicken broth {kitchen basics brand is gluten-free. i get it at fry's.}
4 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup cold water
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. chive and onion soft cream cheese {this secret ingredient is thanks to a trick i learned from lori}

heat chicken broth in large saucepan. dissolve corn starch in cold water. stir until smooth. slowly whisk corn starch/water mixture into hot chicken broth. sauce will thicken as it comes to a boil. lower heat and  stir in cream cheeses until melted and sauce is smooth. remove from heat.

remove chicken pieces from crock pot. add sauce to remaining cooking liquid in crock pot. when chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite size pieces. add chicken to sauce. keep warm. 

to serve: let diners layer any {and or} all ingredients. that's the beauty of it. there's something for everyone.

steamed rice {i cook in chicken broth for extra flavor}
chicken sauce
grated sharp cheddar cheese
halved grape tomatoes
diced celery
minced green onions
diced red bell pepper
green peas
sliced olives
pineapple tidbits {they're just the right size}
mandarin orange segments
craisins
toasted coconut
toasted almond slices
bacon bits
chow mein noodles
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

top with a maraschino cherry and enjoy. 

it's an easy dinner to make for a crowd, especially if everyone is assigned to bring a topping or two.