Chinese Sundaes

My coworker introduced me to this meal.  When she first told me about it, I thought she was crazy.  The mixture of ingredients just didn’t sound right.  After she told me that a friend introduced it to her and many of her friends have tried it and loved it, then it piqued my interest and I knew I had to give it a shot.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m a believer.  The concoction is unbelievably delicious!  What is a Chinese Sundae and what makes it so yummy?  It’s rice (think ice cream), chicken gravy (think hot fudge sauce), chow mein noodles (think nuts) and mandarin oranges, celery, coconut, tomatoes, cheese, pineapple, almonds (think all the extra toppings).  Did I build the picture for you?  Doesn’t it sound weird!?

This is a fun meal to serve for friends.  You just set out the ingredients and everyone gets to make their own “sundaes.”  This way, no one has to pretend to eat something they don’t like!  And, it’s even more fun to see your guests’ unsure reaction to what you’re serving…then their surprised reaction to how good it really tastes!

The recipe below doesn’t give measurements of all ingredients.  It’s really just an estimate of how much you think you and your guests will use up. I also use mostly canned items for this recipe…one of the very few.  Last time I served 6 of us with leftovers for Ben and I to eat a few nights later.

Chinese Sundaes

Printable Recipe

Serves 6 – 8

For the gravy:
3 large cans of white chicken
2 cans cream of chicken
3/4 cup milk

6-8 servings white rice
mandarin oranges
chopped celery
chow mein noodles
coconut (i usually leave this out)
diced tomatoes
crushed pineapples
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped green onions
sliced almonds

To make the gravy, drain the chicken.  Mix the chicken, milk and the soup in a medium sized sauce pan.  Heat on medium.  Meanwhile, set up the rest of the ingredients in different serving bowls.   When the chicken gravy is ready (all heated up), hand everyone a plate and tell them to “dig in!”

Here’s how I do it:  I start with rice, add my choice of toppings (I use all the toppings together) and then top with a lot of gravy.  The gravy is the best!  Garnish with the chowmein noodles and sliced almonds.