The Best Hawaiian Haystacks Imaginable

I usually offer recipes without commentary but I need to give some credit to my Thai-food-loving husband here.  I wanted a good Hawaiian Haystacks recipe that didn't use cream-of-anything soup and found this one that looked great and was pretty simple.  I planned to make it for dinner before leaving for Choir one night but some people were at our house in the afternoon and I just ran out of time to make the dinner.  So I sent the recipe to Ben and asked him to make it.  I tried the leftovers the next day and it was SO AMAZING.  I knew I tasted coconut, but I wasn't sure what Ben had done to accomplish this deliciousness.  Turns out, he'd substituted coconut cream for the milk in the recipe.  And now I will never make Hawaiian Haystacks the same way again.

1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked chicken (or dice 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and cooked with the onion)
3 Tbs. butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 19-oz. can coconut cream
1 cup chicken broth
Rice
Toppings*

1. Begin cooking the rice.

2. Melt butter in a medium-sized pan, add onions, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook until onions are soft.

3. Sprinkle the flour over the pan and stir to combine.  Cook for one minute.  Slowly whisk in the coconut cream and the chicken broth.  Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat.  Add in the chicken.  Continue simmering, stirring the sauce frequently, until the sauce has thickened, 5-8 minutes.

4. Serve over rice with your favorite toppings*.

Note: I usually don't add a vegetable side to this dish, since I tend to pile on the toppings and it's so hearty on its own.  But steamed green beans, broccoli, edamame, or sugar snap peas would all be good.

*Topping ideas are almost endless.  Here are my favorites:
Chow mein noodles
Sliced green onions
Pineapple tidbits
Mandarin oranges
Bell pepper chunks
Frozen peas
Matchstick carrots
Thinly sliced celery
Sliced almonds, toasted
Cashews

Other ideas:
Sliced olives
Grated cheddar cheese
Sliced (red) onion
Chunk or sliced ham

Slight adaptation from: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/hawaiian-haystacks-chicken-sauce-reinvented/