3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ziti pasta
3 oranges, peeled, cored, and sliced into rounds
2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 ounces pesto
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 ounces ordinary or grated Romano cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a bowl, combine water, salt and rice. Drain and reserve 1 cup.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cooked rice and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until al dente; add salt and reserved rice. Simmer 1 minute. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 ounces Parmesan cheese. Cook, stirring, until melted.
Return forkfuls of noodles to pot, and simmer 5 minutes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring constantly for 5 minutes, or until bread comes out clean. Stir in pesto, basil, Romano cheese, olives, Parmesan and chicken. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and mixture thick.