Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken

Treat yourself to the best Mississippi Chicken Crock Pot recipe! It’s super easy to make and freezes well! Also learn how to make it in the Instant Pot, oven, or stovetop. Pairs wonderfully with Instant Pot mashed potatoes and lemon butter asparagus.

Have you ever tossed a few random ingredients into a slow cooker, crossed your fingers, and hoped that it would turn out decent enough to eat?

Or have you ever followed a recipe you were absolutely sure would fail, but it actually turned out pretty good?

That’s how I feel about this Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken recipe.

It stemmed from tinkering with a better-for-you version of Mississippi Pot Roast and my husband RAVED about the pot roast.

So I figured, if he loved the flavor and ingredient combination so much with a chuck roast, maybe he would like it with chicken too?

Oh my… did he ever!!

This dish is easily the most asked-for meal in my house right now and considering it’s a “dump and go” recipe, I’m all on board!

Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken

Honestly, the mere fact that my entire family is always asking for this recipe AND that I can dump the ingredients into a slow cooker and walk away are reasons enough to be making Mississippi Chicken on a nearly weekly basis.

My other reasons:

• It uses pantry staple ingredients. I always have chicken in the freezer and pepperoncini in the pantry.
• It’s perfect year round. I don’t want to heat up the kitchen in the summer and I like comfort foods in the winter. Best of both worlds!
• It makes a lot of food. Important when you’re feeding teens and/or need leftovers for lunches and/or don’t want to make dinner every night.
• It freezes well. You can either combine this in a freezer-safe bag BEFORE you cook, or make the recipe and then freeze it. Either way, it works.
• It goes great with almost anything. Keep it simple with rice and a steamed veggie or fancy it up with mashed potatoes. Either way, you’ll impress all the in-laws, bosses and picky neighbors in your life.

Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken Ingredients

You need just four simple ingredients for slow cooker Mississippi Chicken (the full recipe with measurements is below):

1. Chicken (fresh or frozen both work – see notes on chicken below)
2. Au Jus Gravy Mix (store-bought or homemade – see the recipe for homemade Au Jus below)
3. Ranch Seasoning (store-bought or homemade)
4. Sliced Pepperoncini

Just as important is what you DON’T need:

Butter, any other seasonings (like garlic powder), and chicken broth. Trust me on, this recipe is so flavorful on its own, you don’t need to add anything else to it!

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How to Make Mississippi Chicken in the Crockpot – Step by Step

Step 1. Place chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker, in a single layer if possible. I have this 6 quart slow cooker that I absolutely LOVE and I can fit quite a bit of chicken inside.

(Both fresh and frozen chicken will work – see notes below.)

Step 2. Pour all of the sliced pepperoncini and half of the liquid in the jar over the chicken.

Step 3. Sprinkle the Au Jus gravy mix (for homemade – see below) and ranch seasoning mix over the chicken.

Step 4. Cook on low for 2 hours. When the chicken is done, shred with two forks and serve as desired (see serving ideas below).

Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken Recipe Tips and Notes

• I recommend boneless skinless chicken thighs. You can use any type of chicken you want – including drumsticks, skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenders, or even bone-in chicken thighs – but boneless skinless chicken thighs have always given me the best results and the least amount of work.
• You can use either fresh or frozen chicken! Both will cook up the same, but you’ll need to add additional cooking time if you start with frozen chicken.
• You can make your own Au Jus gravy mix! Not only will you avoid unnecessary preservatives found in the packets of au jus gravy mix, but you can control the salt and sodium content as well. For homemade Au Jus, just substitute 2 Tbsp granulated onion and 2 Tbsp cornstarch for the au jus packet.
• You can also make your own ranch seasoning! It’s been YEARS since I’ve bought a ranch dressing mix – just follow my ranch seasoning recipe and you can’t go wrong.
• I recommend SLICED pepperoncini, not whole. The peppers will come in a juice, making it hard to hold and slice whole peppers without making a mess. Emptying a jar of sliced pepperoncini peppers is a million times easer, PLUS you get little pieces of pepperoncini with every bite!

FAQs

Alternative Cooking Methods

How to Make Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken

For the Instant Pot, follow the same steps for the crock pot method, making sure the chicken is completely submerged in the juice from the pepperoncini peppers (especially if you’re using chicken breasts). Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes for fresh chicken, 6 minutes for frozen chicken; use natural pressure release.

How to Make Crockpot Chicken Mississippi Style on the Stove Top

Step 1. Place Your Ingredients in a Large Pot. Put them in the same order that you would if you were using a slow cooker.
Step 2. Cover Your Stock Pot. If you do not have a lid that fits, place aluminum foil on top and keep your chicken covered.
Step 3. Put Your Stove on a Low Flame. Allow the chicken to cook low and slow on the stovetop. You can come back to check on it regularly. It should cook within four hours, but you can check it often to make sure it is good to go before you serve it.

How to Make Mississippi Chicken in the Oven

Step 1. Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
Step 2. Place chicken in the baking dish. Sprinkle with ranch seasoning and au jus gravy mix.
Step 3. Top the chicken with pepperoncini peppers and top with butter slices.
Step 4. Bake chicken for 25 to 30 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F.

What to Serve with Mississippi Chicken

There are PLENTY of side dishes that would compliment Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken, but here’s my general “formula:”

• Choose a starch: rice (or riced cauliflower), egg noodles, baked or mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower)
• Choose two vegetables: green beans, asparagus, peas, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, butternut squash, root vegetable saute
• Of course you could serve Mississippi Chicken tucked between two rolls as a sandwich, in a tortilla in a wrap, even broiled under the oven with some melted provolone cheese!

More Crock Pot Recipes

• Crockpot Hot Chocolate
• Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
• Classic Slow Cooker Pot Roast
• Slow Cooker Mexican Potato Soup