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This 5-ingredient Mississippi chicken recipe is really easy to make and perfectly juicy! The signature pepperoncini ranch sauce tastes zesty and amazing.
I think you’ll also enjoy my Creamy Lemon and Herb Pot Roasted Chicken or Mississippi Sloppy Joes.
Why you’ll love it
You’ve probably heard of Mississippi Pot Roast already since it’s so popular, and I’m happy to bring you similar flavors with chicken! It’s super simple to throw together and has an irresistibly tasty savory sauce with pepperoncini peppers.
The magical buttery sauce keeps the chicken nice and moist as it cooks, and then it’s fall-apart tender. Absolute perfection. I love the little kick from the peppers. This Crockpot Mississippi chicken is a family-friendly pantry recipe that will go on repeat and makes fantastic leftovers!
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Pepperoncini peppers – these peppers and brine give the sauce its tangy quality. Find them in a jar in the pickle aisle.
- Au jus mix – get one labeled au jus gravy. It’s different than regular gravy.
- Ranch seasoning – I prefer Hidden Valley, but use your favorite
- Butter – for adding luxurious, buttery goodness. Make sure to use unsalted since the seasoning and au jus already contain salt.
Helpful tips
- This recipe has a bit of a kick, but as written, it’s not too spicy. Out of all the hot peppers out there, pepperoncini peppers are fairly mild. If you want it to have more kick, you can go ahead and the whole jar of peppers!
- The chicken should shred easily with two forks. If it doesn’t, simply give it a little more time. I usually cook mine on high for 3.5 hours.
How to make Mississippi chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Add the chicken to your slow cooker, followed by pouring in the pepperoncini juice. Add in the contents of the packets, and arrange the remaining ingredients around and on top of the chicken. Once cooked, shred with two forks and enjoy.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the Crockpot model I use for this recipe.
- An instant read meat thermometer is an inexpensive way to make sure your chicken is cooked perfectly to 165F.
Substitutions and variations
- If salt is a concern, you can use a Homemade Ranch Seasoning vs. the packaged kind.
- You may want to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, especially if you’re planning on cooking it for 8 hours on low heat. Chicken breasts are very lean and can dry out quite easily. I’d use 6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts depending on their size (you want about 2 lbs. or so).
- If you prefer to make oven baked Mississippi chicken, use a 9×13 baking dish and cook at 375F, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, or until the chicken is 165F in the middle.
What to serve with Mississippi chicken
- It’s great over mashed potatoes. Try my classic Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or change it up with these Boursin Mashed Potatoes. Rice works well too!
- It’s also delicious served in a bun with some coleslaw or sweet pickles and mayo for Mississippi chicken sandwiches, or you could serve them as tacos.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover slow cooker Mississippi chicken for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Reheat over a low heat until warmed through.
- You can freeze this one for up to 3 months, but be aware chicken breasts can dry out more in the freezer.
If you made this Mississippi chicken recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and review in the comments below! You can also find me on Instagram.
Mississippi Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken breasts boneless skinless
- 12 pepperoncini peppers + 1/4 cup juice from the jar
- 1 (1 ounce) packet ranch seasoning mix I use Hidden Valley
- 1 (1 ounce) packet au jus seasoning
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) cut into pieces
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts to your slow cooker. Pour in the pepperoncini juice and then add the peppers on/around the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the ranch and au jus seasoning, and then place the butter on top. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
- Shred the chicken with two forks, toss with the sauce, then serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Chicken breasts can dry out, so if you’re planning on cooking it for the full 8 hours, you may want to swap with boneless skinless chicken thighs as they hold up better to slow cooking.
- This recipe is quite salty, so be sure to use unsalted butter and taste before adding any extra salt.
- Adapted from my Mississippi Pot Roast recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hello! I can’t wait to make this but I do not have a slow cooker. Do you have a guess on how to cook this in a dutch oven either on the stove or in oven?? Thanks!
Hello! I did a bit of research, and it appears that the low setting on a typical slow cooker is 200F, and high is 300F. So I would say that you may need to check the chicken a few times if you do it in your Dutch oven as this will be a bit of an experiment, but that would be the temperature guideline. Luckily chicken thighs are quite forgiving so they shouldn’t dry out if you go a bit too hot/long. Let me know how it goes!
Delicious! I diced a whole onion and added to the crock pot with a little EVOO before placing chicken and also sprinkled black pepper on the chicken. Thanks for the recipe!
You are very welcome!!
Yummy
Thank you!! 😀
We love this and many of your recipes. Yesterday when I made it I forgot to add the butter and it still turned out super good. We didn’t even notice any difference!
Aww thank you so much! Glad it was a hit!
Not only is this an easy recipe, it’s delicious! Served it over mashed cauliflower (faux mashed potatoes) and my family devoured it. This chicken would also be amazing as sliders. This is going into our regular rotation!
Thank you so much!! 😀 Glad to hear it!
My family LOVED this! We have to be a little careful with salt, so I put in about half the seasoning packets and it was still plenty of flavor for us. I served on buns with coleslaw and my boys came back for seconds 🙂
Wonderful!! 😀 Thanks, Sarah!
This was SOOOOOO good! I was nervous comparing it to the beef version but it was just as good!
Thank you so much! Glad you loved it!
Made this last night and it was SO GOOD! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and will double the recipe next time so I have extra leftovers! So easy, and really delicious served on mashed potatoes. My chicken-to-seasoning ratio was a tad off (my fault!) so it was on the salty side, but now I know to pay closer attention next time. Thanks so much for another wonderful recipe! This one’s a keeper 🙂
You are very welcome, Emily!! 😀 Appreciate your review!
I think chicken thighs would be better
Hi! I suggest it in the blog post. Feel free to make the swap. 😉
Hello 😀 Can you clarify what the rough total weight of the chicken should be before cooking? I’m a little confused about that part. I have 4 huge breasts that weigh between 4.5 and 5lbs total. How much of that should I use?
Thank you!
Hi! I’d do up to about 2.5 pounds in one go unless you double the recipe, and then cook time will likely need to increase as they will be stacked (and I have not tested doing this). I fit the pictured 4 chicken breasts (see ingredients photo) into the slow cooker side-by-side, and they were a bit over 2 lbs. total. Hope this helps!