Baked Jasmine Rice with Chicken and Black Beans

I bought a rotisserie chicken from Safeway yesterday, it was on sale for $5. I made a sandwich which was delicious and then shredded the rest of the chicken. I made chicken stock out of the chicken bones which yielded 12 cups of stock. Then I made the following the recipe. Note - I still have almost a cup chicken left that I'm going to put in my famous "big" salad tomorrow for lunch. So this is really what is called "stretching your dollar".

Baked Jasmine Ric with Chicken and Black Beans

3/4 cup yellow onion chopped
1 garlic glove minced
1/2 chili pepper chopped (optional)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper
1/2 cup black beans
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken (white and dark meat)
3/4 c. jasmine rice
2 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat olive oil over medium. Saute onion, garlic and peppers for 5 minutes, add spices, salt and pepper. Add black beans and chicken, stir until combined. Lower heat Do not overcook. Stir constantly about 3 minutes. Put into 8 x 8 glass casserole dish. pour rice over chicken mixture. Pour chicken broth over entire dish. Make sure rice is covered throughout.
Cover with aluminum foil tightly. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Serve hot.
Enjoy!

Pistachio Tarragon Chicken Salad

I love Whole Foods' Tarragon Chicken Salad. This is my own version after lots of testing with various herbs, nuts and onions. This version is very unique with the inclusion of the pistachios. If you have almonds use those, but the pistachios are really worth trying. The tarragon and pistachio go quite well together. Do not skimp on the fresh tarragon, this is key. Dried tarragon really won't do. The licorice sweetness of the tarragon really gives it a full flavor. Enjoy!

1 1/4 lbs. poached chicken breast about 2 large or 3 small
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup light mayo
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Cut the chicken into 1/2' cubes and set aside. Combine all the ingredients thoroughly. Fold chicken cubes into mayo mix. Chill 1 hour. Serve on toasted bread or eat alone.