Lemon Chicken and Broccoli

I adapted this one from a recipe by Life in the Lofthouse. Her version is super simple and yummy too, but I wanted to turn it into a full meal.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp Italian herb blend
• 3-4 Large boneless, skinless Chicken breasts, cut into tenderloins
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 packet Italian dressing/seasoning mix
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 2 cups frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1½ cups chicken broth

Steps

1. Mix the Italian herb blend with the flour and place in a wide, shallow bowl.
2. Rinse the chicken pieces with water, and then lightly coat them in the flour. You don't need perfect coverage, just make sure that some of the flour sticks to all sides of the chicken (see below left). Set aside.
3. Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. When oil is runny, add half of the flour-coated chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes or until slightly brown on each side. The chicken doesn't need to be cooked all the way through, just enough to make the breading stick well (see below right).

4. As pieces get done (larger ones might take a little longer, so they may not all be done at once), place them in the bottom of your crock pot and turn it on low.
5. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, and cook the rest of the flour-coated chicken pieces, then add them to the crock pot.
6. Sprinkle the Italian dressing/seasoning mix evenly over the chicken. Pour the lemon juice and ½ cup of chicken broth over the it all. Cover with lid, and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours. If you haven't already, this is a good time to take the broccoli out of the freezer.
7. About half an hour before you are ready to serve, dump the chopped broccoli on top. No need to stir, just set it in there.  
8. 15 minutes before meal time, bring 1½ cups chicken broth to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan. Once it is boiling vigorously, lower heat to a simmer and stir in rice. Cover and cook for 15 min. 
9. Serve the chicken and broccoli combo over rice, with sauce. You can either serve the chicken pieces whole or shredded (as above). Enjoy!