One-Pot Lemon Chicken, Rice & Broccoli

This was last night's quick "band dinner" and I decided it's a keeper. Didn't get a photo of it last night, so just grabbed one of the leftovers! We got a bunch of lemons in our last Hungry Harvest box, so this used up some of those. A good easy comfort meal with bright flavor. For a vegan option, I think chickpeas would be good instead of the chicken: just dump in a drained/rinsed can when you add the broccoli, use veggie broth and add the lemon pepper with the other seasonings. Or, you could even oven-roast your chickpeas with the lemon pepper until they're crispy, and add them on top of each serving! 

- 1 lb boneless chicken breast or thighs
- lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups long grain white rice (jasmine is good)
- 1/4 tsp tumeric (optional, but makes it a nice yellow color)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 box (4 cups) low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (use the stems too!). Or use frozen broccoli.
- 1-2 lemons (grate the zest & squeeze the juice of one; the other can be sliced for optional garnish & more lemony-ness)

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with lemon pepper and salt (I also added some Penzey's Mural of Flavor and Black & Red for an extra kick). Let sit for a few minutes while you prep other ingredients (or you can do it a few hours ahead and marinate in the fridge).

Heat a Dutch oven or large pot/skillet on medium high and add some olive oil. Saute the chicken until just browned; it doesn't need to cook all the way through. Remove to a bowl.

Saute the onion until softened, add the garlic and stir briefly, then add the rice. Stir for a couple minutes. There will be some browning on the bottom of the pot, that's good. Add the turmeric and thyme.

Add some of the chicken stock and stir well to loosen up the brown bits. Then add the rest of the stock (you might not need it all, but I ended up using the whole box. It's OK if it's a little soupy at the end). Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes. 

Add the chicken, broccoli, and lemon juice & zest. Stir well, cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. Garnish with lemon slices, if you like.