I’m back with a recipe post!
And not just any recipe post…a really delicious and unique one!
I love Pinterest as much as the next girl, but I’m starting to feel like I see the same recipes over and over again every time I go there for inspiration.
It’s like we’re all using Pinterest to find recipes and we all end up blogging and sharing the same stuff.
Well, I don’t think you’ll find this meal on Pinterest.
Or almost anywhere else for that matter!
I was introduced to this dish back in 1996 on a missions trip with my high school youth group.
And it wasn’t to Indonesia!
We went to Mexico to help a medical mission, but our youth pastor’s wife made this meal for us that week and I’ve loved it ever since!
None of us had ever had anything like it and many of us were doubtful.
Pineapple and chicken and coconut and celery and cheese?
Are you kidding me?
THIS MEAL IS NO JOKE.
Somehow it just works.
You’ll have to trust me on this.
The flavors in this dish come together in an amazing way that pleases even the most skeptical eaters!
If one of the ingredients is something you absolutely can not stand you can, of course, omit it.
But if you have an open mind about all 10 items, you should definitely serve up your plate with everything and prepare for the flavor party in your mouth!
I love making this meal because even though it seems complex and fancy, it’s actually very simple. There are 10 components, but many of them don’t require any prep work.
I remember everything I need for this dinner by running down the list in my head, making sure to have a total of 10 things:
1. Rice
2. Chicken or Turkey
3. Green onions
4. Celery
5. Pineapple
6. Coconut
7. Peanuts
8. Cheddar cheese
9. Curry sauce
10. Chow mein noodles
Don’t you dare read “curry sauce” and think this isn’t for you!
I MEAN IT!
People who don’t even like curry enjoy this dish.
True story.
Somehow all of the flavors combine and curry is the last thing on your mind.
You notice the gooey cheddar and the sweet pineapple and the rich peanuts and the sharp green onions and the tender chicken and the crispy chow mein noodles.
You wonder why this tastes so good even though you were cynical about the recipe.
I double dog dare you to make it.
Just try it. All ingredients included if at all possible.
I just know you’ll like it!
If you don’t, well then I’m sorry.
Maybe we shouldn’t be friends.
Just kidding :)
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 1½ cups rice, cooked
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 3-4 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 15 oz can of pineapple chunks in JUICE
- 1 small can lightly salted peanuts
- 1 small bag shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 1 small can chow mein noodles
- FOR THE SAUCE
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup (I normally NEVER use canned cream soups because they are full of junk, but I haven't worked out a substitute for this recipe yet so I just get over it!)
- ¾ cups pineapple juice (all the juice from a 15 oz can of pineapple chunks)
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon curry powder (just plain old yellow curry powder from the spice aisle at the grocery store - I use Kroger brand.) I know this seems like a lot, but trust me. Use it all. It won't be spicy or over-seasoned!
- 1 cup chicken stock or water (I reserve 1 cup of the water I poached the chicken in)
- Prepare rice according to package directions.
- Cook chicken, or shred previously cooked chicken - a rotisserie chicken would work well here. I always poach chicken breasts by adding them to a pot of water and boiling for about 15 minutes or until they are cooked through. Then I reserve 1 cup of the "chicken water" to use when making the curry sauce.
- While rice and chicken are cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Slice green onions and celery.
- Open and drain pineapple (saving all the juice for making the curry sauce)
- Open the coconut, peanuts, chow mein noodles and cheddar cheese.
- To make the sauce, add 2 cans of cream of chicken soup to a shallow saucepan. Add pineapple juice and whisk to combine. Add cup of chicken stock or cooking water and continue to whisk to fully incorporate. Add curry powder a tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition to fully incorporate.
- Heat over medium-low until the dish is ready to serve. Keep a lid on the sauce while it's simmering so that a gross "skin" doesn't form on the surface.
- Right before serving, I usually turn the sauce up to medium heat so that it is hot enough to melt the cheese.
- Layer all ingredients starting with the rice, then the chicken, the other veggies/fruits/nuts and finish with the curry sauce (as much as you like) and lastly the chow mein noodles.
- Enjoy!
Been cooking this recipe since 1987. A lady came to Calgary from Java and prepared it for a friend of mine. I was in Ontario and was cooking 3 meals a day for 400 people. It was a combination that was very crazy to me, but they asked for refill after refill. When the meal was concluded the tables were stripped clean.
Been cooking this recipe since 1987. A lady came to Calgary from Java and prepared it for a friend of mine. I was in Ontario and was cooking 3 meals a day for 400 people. It was a combination that was very crazy to me, but they asked for refill after refill. When the meal was concluded the tables were stripped clean. The only difference was no celery, made a thick chicken sauce with chicken breast in cambells cream of Chicken soup and just sprinkled dry curry powder on the top.
I grew up with this recipe as Mom would make it for Mountain of Java parties in the 60’s and 70’s. I still have the poster that she had me draw as a kid that shows the order of ingredients. Served on large square teak plates perfect for this quirky meal.
So happy to see it’s resurgence.
Cheers to Mountain of Java parties. Have people bring the separate toppings if you want. Fun!
Thanks. Your build-up was right on once you try this. Easy and different. There are many things you can do to add options for dietary restrictions if needed.
My mother in law would make this in the 80’s. She just thickened chicken broth to put on top and one of her toppings was diced cooked chicken breasts. She is long gone, but am making it for my father in law (Now 91) for Fathers Day this weekend . He is pretty happy about that! It’s great foe family get togethers because the picky ones can opt for which toppings they want.
I have made this meal since the late 70’s! Found it in a Campus Crusade for Christ cookbook. Our family has had it as a Christmas Eve dinner for almost 30 years! I too have tried to come up with an alternative to the campbells soups but haven’t so, yeh, I sneak it in lol. We also use raisins as one of the toppers. ?
Javanese dinner is one of my favorite meals. I do like to use one can of cream of chicken soup and one can of cream of celery soup (instead of 2 cans cream of chicken) in the gravy. The cream of celery really gives a little flavor kick that I really like. Also, I don’t think it is traditional, but I like to sprinkle mine with a good shot of soy sauce. For me, the “exotic fruit salad” usually translates into a pineapple tidbits. I love this stuff. If you haven’t tried this, give it a go. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
The curry is great, but if you truly can’t stand curry, it is okay to omit it.
My Mother made a dish called Java Chicken decades ago. Been looking for it ever since.! THIS IS IT! Except she made gravy more like giblet gravy and we had slice tomatos also. When my dad made his plate, he covered his plate with rice. Then adding each ingredient on top. By the time he finished, his plate was filled with enough food to feed all 4 of us! Every since we have called anything of over flowing or indulgence “The Java Chicken Theory “. If you made this you should know what I mean. Thanks so much for posting this recipe! Leigh from Texas
Leigh I’m so glad you found the recipe!!! This is a family favorite here too :) I appreciate you taking time to leave a comment!!
I like the idea that it is not a new political party, but very direct in what it stands for and aligning itself to T. Roosevelt and his beliefs and, even better, his techniques. He walked the talk and found ways of getting things done. Bully to you all!
Hi, first of all, I’m a french speaker so this is not gonna be a beautiful text… I’m from Quebec, Montreal.
Probably around the same time, like 1995 my family and I was introduce to something very similar…
I’m just gonna do the same exercise as you…
1. Rice
2. chicken with campbell cream of chicken or mushroom (now when I made this dish, I made my own cream of whatever)
3. exotic fruit salad
4. curry powder
5. green onion
6. coconut
7. almond sliced
8.chow mein noodle
And that is so delicious… I posted your recipe to my mother and we will try it… we want to know wich one we like the better!
Feel free to try ours… have a good day!
This is the one i remember.. but with no cheese. Ours also had apples and mandarin oranges and diced red peppers. Same – been making it with success since the ‘80s!
Been cooking this recipe since 1987. A lady came to Calgary from Java and prepared it for a friend of mine. I was in Ontario and was cooking 3 meals a day for 400 people. It was a combination that was very crazy to me, but they asked for refill after refill. When the meal was concluded the tables were stripped clean.
I am one of the previously doubting now believing fans of this INCREDIBLE dish!
Never one to enjoy fruit in anything beside dessert… like pineapple on a “Hawaiian” pizza? YUK! Or Mandarin oranges in a salad? Not so much. Any way…
When I first heard about the 10 ingredients that made up this meal, I started thinking about the ingredients I was going to EXCLUDE. Pineapple and coconut were my top 2! But, as she did in this post, Rebecca encouraged me to try the ALL TOGETHER. Just as a “no thank you” helping. Using my own words against me… low blow! LOL
Despite the seeming cacophony of flavors and textures clashing, they actually complement one another in what is now one of my FAVORTIE and most DELICIOUS dishes of all time! It is also one of the most IMPRESSIVE meals you can share with guests!
Set out as in a “salad bar” style… the only warning you should give your guests is that it piles high FAST. But that has never been a problem either. People eat it all!
As a Java convert myself… I echo the encouragement of Rebecca, try ALL the ingredients together. You may just found YOUR new FAVORITE dish!
Java ROCKS!!!
I was introduced to this by a dear friend’s mother who used to host international students,. She made it for us back in the 80’s and it’s been a fun family favorite at our house. I do make my own turkey or chicken gravy and follow her recipe; she always added tarragon, which gives it a unique flavor. I’ve never used the canned cream soups but rather just thicken the gravy with a little cornstarch. I have not tried the curry sauce but will certainly do so at the first opportunity. Thank you for sharing this!