Grease a large (5 or 6-quart) slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

Add rice, chicken broth, minced garlic, lemon zest, juice of 1/2 the lemon, salt and pepper to the slow cooker and stir until combined.

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.

Place browned chicken breasts in slow cooker on top of rice mixture.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and rice is al dente. Check chicken after 1 1/2 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.

When rice and chicken are done, drizzle with juice from remaining 1/2 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.