A Recipe from Simple Hawaiian Cookery (1964)

About the Recipe

Y’all – look at this mid-century nonsense. Beige on beige on beige. Canned Campbell’s soup, canned pineapples, and slivered almonds. When we sat down to the table to try it, we all had that apprehensive look on our faces. That look that says – this might have been a mistake. I prepared to start writing a “Danger, Will Robinson!” post. And then we tried it.

Friends – it was absolutely, unequivocally delicious. Even my toddler, Maxx said “Mm, mm! Delish!”

A few quick notes on this one:
– I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I marinated them in a little salt, pepper, and olive oil and then cooked them in a skillet. A rotisserie chicken will work really well. Great use for any chicken leftovers that don’t have a super strong flavor.
– Go a little heavy on the pineapple if you can. The extra acidity and sweetness cut really well through the heavy soup. I used about 3/4 of a 20 oz. can.
– Mushroom chunks will make a great addition to this in the future. I’ll add them with the garlic and peppers.
– Pour the pineapple juice in first to deglaze the pan. You’ll get better flavor out of it.
– I’m pretty sure that if you don’t want to use the pre-made soup, you could make a velouté with a roux and some chicken stock and it would work just as well (and maybe a little bit better). Use 2 T flour and 2 T butter to make your roux and then add 2 cups stock.

About the book

I’m so in love with these little Peter Pauper books. There are folks out there who specifically hunt them, and I definitely understand why. The mid-century illustrations and little poetic touches are just so wonderful. Enjoy!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 large green pepper, cut in strips
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T salad oil
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 (13 oz.) can pineapple tidbits with juice
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
2 T soy sauce
3 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup toasted almonds, slivered

Directions:

In saucepan, cook green pepper with garlic in oil until tender. Blend in soup and pineapple juice; add chicken, pineapple tidbits, and soy sauce. Heat, stirring now and then. Serve over rice. Top with almonds. 6 servings.