Italian Chicken and Rice Salad (gluten free)

This is one of my favorite Chicken Salad recipes! We got this from a friend who brought it to a Bible study. This is pictured in a giant salad bowl. This is eleven cups!!

3 chicken breast (boneless, skinless, cooked)

2 cup (measured white uncooked) rice. I used Basmati rice.

1-2 cups frozen baby garden peas

pinenuts (found at Walmart where they have the nuts for cooking in flour isle-2 oz package)

parsley

green onions

yellow raisins

Italian dressing (use your favorite)

Optional slivered almonds instead of pinenuts

Cook the chicken breasts (ie about 20 minutes in simmering water--or they are even better grilled). Cook the rice (see the ps). Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and toss with the rice. Saute or roast the pinenuts (about 2 oz package). Toss with rice. Add chopped parsley, chopped green onions, and yellow raisins, and peas (uncooked--I put them in frozen and the heat from rice is enough)--as much as you desire. Toss all with Italian dressing using as much as you would like and refrigerate.

Ps. I like to cook the Basmati rice or Jasmine rice by following the normal directions on the package for the measurements, BUT altering the method of cooking. So for the Jasmine rice you put 2 cups of rice and 3 cups of water and a tab. of olive oil with some salt in the pot. Bring to a boil UNCOVERED. Boil until the water comes just below the surface of the rice and then cover and reduce heat to low cooking 15-20 minutes more. (sometimes I turn the stove completely off for a 5 minutes and then put it back on low )--this makes for a drier rice which is nice in salads.

Makes about eleven cups.