Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken and Rice

It's impossible to have too many slow cooker chicken recipes! We love the flavors of this Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken and Rice. Simple and perfect for lunch or dinner!

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients:
● 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts,
● 1 cup long grain white rice
● 2 cups chicken broth
● 4 cloves garlic, minced
● Zest of 1 lemon
● Juice of 1 lemon, divided
● 1 teaspoon salt
● 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
● 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions:

1. Grease a large (5 or 6-quart) slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Add rice, chicken broth, minced garlic, lemon zest, juice of ½ the lemon, salt and pepper to the slow cooker and stir until combined.
3. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil. Sprinkle chicken with additional salt and pepper and brown in skillet on both sides, about 4-5 minutes on each side.
4. Place browned chicken breasts in slow cooker on top of rice mixture.
5. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and rice is al dente. Check chicken after 1 ½ hours for doneness and remove from slow cooker early if necessary. Chicken is done with no longer pink in the middle and an instant read thermometer reads 165°F.
6. When rice and chicken are done, drizzle with juice from remaining ½ lemon and fluff rice with a fork. Serve immediately.
   Notes:
   ● Browning chicken before cooking in the slow cooker improves flavor and gives the chicken a nice
   golden color, but this step can be skipped if desired.