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Whip up a flavorful pot of Mississippi chicken in the slow cooker with just 10 minutes of prep! This easy dinner practically makes itself, so that you return home at the end of the day to tender pulled chicken that you can serve over rice or mashed potatoes, in sandwiches, or alongside mac and cheese, biscuits, cornbread, or collard greens. You’ll love the rich, zesty, and tangy combination of chicken and onions with Ranch seasoning, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini. It’s so unique, and so delicious!
Chicken Mississippi
You won’t believe how quickly this tangy Mississippi chicken recipe comes together! Whether or not you consider yourself a cook, I can assure you that it’s virtually impossible to mess up this dish. There are no fancy chef skills or techniques required, and it comes out perfectly every time. Best of all, you can put all of the ingredients in the Crock Pot and go about your day. It’s a hands-off meal that practically makes itself!
What is Mississippi Chicken?
This chicken mississippi is really just a new version of the classic beef-based Mississippi pot roast. The original Mississippi Pot Roast recipe first gained popularity in the early 2000’s, when a Mississippi woman named Robin Chapman created the meal as a twist on her aunt’s chuck roast recipe. Robin’s recipe included 5 simple ingredients: a chuck roast, a packet of au jus gravy mix, a packet of dry ranch seasoning mix, a stick of butter, and pepperoncini peppers. Sounds like an odd combination, but it works!
Mississippi chicken takes advantage of the same ingredients as Mississippi pot roast, but uses boneless skinless chicken breast or boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of the chuck roast. It’s not spicy, and it’s not overly tangy. The mild peppers add just a touch of acidic tang to balance the rich, succulent meat. The recipe tastes like a zesty, flavorful pot of pulled chicken. Your dinner guests will wonder about the “secret” ingredients!
Ingredients for Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken
This is just a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need for an easy Mississippi chicken recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Onion: adds flavor and sweetness to the chicken as it cooks.
- Low-sodium chicken broth or water: adds just a bit of moisture to the Crock Pot to thin the sauce. Use either a low-sodium broth or water — just don’t use a salty liquid, because there’s already plenty of salt in the au jus gravy mix.
- Chicken: either boneless, skinless chicken breast or boneless, skinless chicken thighs will work. The thighs tend to stay a bit juicier in the slow cooker, but both the white meat and the dark meat are great (or use a combination of both).
- Au jus gravy mix: I use the packet from McCormick. Au jus gravy mix is not the same as a packet of brown gravy mix. The brown gravy mix will be much thicker and will change the consistency of your dish.
- Dry ranch seasoning and salad dressing mix: a packet of ranch dressing mix adds extra zesty herb flavor.
- Butter: I recommend unsalted butter, since there’s plenty of salt in the seasoning packets.
- Pepperoncini: an acidic component that balances the richness of the meat and gives the dish a more complex flavor.
How to Make Mississippi Chicken
Yes, you can make mississippi pot roast with chicken instead of beef! It doesn’t get much easier than a crockpot chicken recipe with about 10 minutes of prep…
- Place onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken broth to the pot, and place chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) on top.
- Sprinkle the au jus gravy mix and the Ranch seasoning mix over all of the ingredients in the pot.
- Place the butter on top of the chicken.
- Add the pepperoncini and 2 tablespoons of the juice from the pepperoncini jar to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Shred the chicken with two forks, then return the meat to the sauce and give it a good stir.
- Garnish the shredded chicken and gravy with chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley), and serve!
What to Serve with Mississippi Chicken
This pulled chicken mississippi is incredibly versatile. Serve it over rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes, tucked inside a sandwich bun with melted provolone cheese on top, or paired with any of your favorite sides. Here are some delicious side dishes that go well with the rich, flavorful meat:
- Hush Puppies
- Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
- Hoe Cakes
- Baked Potato Wedges, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives, Baked Potatoes, or Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
- Skillet Cornbread, Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Honey Cornbread, Old-Fashioned Corn Sticks, Sweet Cornbread Muffins, or Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn
- Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, Crock Pot Mac and Cheese, Stovetop Shells and Cheese, or No-Boil Easy Mac and Cheese
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Easy Drop Biscuits
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Honey Beer Bread
- Wedge Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, House Salad with Candied Pecans, or a Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Easy Potato Salad
- Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
- Southern Succotash
- Southern Collard Greens
- Mashed Cauliflower or Riced Cauliflower
- Sauteed Zucchini
- Tomato Salad or Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad
- Cucumber Dill Salad, Cucumber Salad with Vinegar, or Quick Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Fried Okra
- Broccoli and Cheese
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon
- Charleston Red Rice or Rice Pilaf
- Okra and Tomatoes
- Southern Squash Casserole
- Cheese Grits
- Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion, Braised Red Cabbage, or Roasted Cabbage
Storage
Leftover mississippi chicken will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
How to Freeze
To extend the life of your pulled chicken, store the leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Make it a freezer meal! You can also freeze the raw ingredients together in a large Ziploc freezer bag if you’re prepping a batch of freezer meals. Thaw the bag in the refrigerator overnight, and then dump everything from the bag into a slow cooker when you’re ready to cook the meat.
How to Reheat
Place the cooked chicken and sauce in a saucepan on the stovetop. Cover with a lid and warm over low heat, just until the meat reaches the desired temperature (stirring regularly). You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Serving a larger group? Double all of the ingredients.
- Make it spicy by adding some cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes to the seasoning in the pot.
- Add some minced garlic to the Crock Pot for even more savory flavor.
- Use either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. We find that the dark meat thighs stay a bit juicier during the slow cooking process, but they are both great.
Tips for the Best Mississippi Chicken Recipe
- Do not add any extra salt to the chicken before it’s cooked through and you give it a taste. The au jus gravy mix and the ranch seasoning mix both include a lot of salt, so you likely won’t need any more. I also recommend unsalted butter and either water or low-sodium broth for the same reason.
- Packets of au jus gravy mix are not the same as a packet of brown gravy mix. The brown gravy mix will be much thicker and will change the consistency of your dish, so make sure that you use au jus mix.
- Be careful not to overcook your chicken. I find that the chicken breast or thighs have the best texture when cooked in my slow cooker on HIGH for about 2-3 hours (at the most — sometimes they’re done in just 90 minutes). That keeps them moist and juicy, and prevents them from drying out. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Also remember — every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why the recipe gives you general time ranges, rather than exact times). Since my slow cooker tends to cook at a relatively high temperature, I find that the meal is best when cooked on HIGH for about 2 hours or on LOW for about 4 hours. Just get familiar with your pot and adjust accordingly.
More Crock Pot Chicken Recipes to Try
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken
- Chicken Corn Chowder
- Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Chicken Stew
- Crock Pot Chicken and Noodles
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice
- Crock Pot Chicken and Gravy
Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 (1-ounce) packet au jus gravy mix (such as McCormick brand)
- 1 (1-ounce) packet dry ranch dressing and seasoning mix (such as Hidden Valley brand)
- ¼ cup (half of a stick) unsalted butter, cubed
- 6 pepperoncini peppers (from a 12-ounce jar), plus 2 tablespoons of juice from the jar
- Optional, for serving: chopped fresh parsley; cooked rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, cornbread, biscuits, or sandwich rolls
Instructions
- Place onion in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the chicken broth (or water). Arrange chicken on top of the onion.
- Sprinkle au jus mix and ranch seasoning mix over the ingredients in the pot. Place butter pieces on top of chicken. Add pepperoncini and 2 tablespoons of juice around the chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Shred the chicken with two forks. Stir the meat back into the sauce. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes, tucked inside baked potatoes or sandwiches, or with a loaf of crusty bread, biscuits, or cornbread.
Notes
- Do not add any extra salt to the chicken before it’s cooked through and you give it a taste. The au jus gravy mix and the ranch seasoning mix both include a lot of salt, so you likely won’t need any more. I also recommend unsalted butter and either water or low-sodium broth for the same reason.
- Packets of au jus gravy mix are not the same as a packet of brown gravy mix. The brown gravy mix will be much thicker and will change the consistency of your dish, so make sure that you use au jus mix.
- Be careful not to overcook your chicken. I find that the chicken breast or thighs have the best texture when cooked in my slow cooker on HIGH for about 2-3 hours (at the most — sometimes they’re done in just 90 minutes). That keeps them moist and juicy, and prevents them from drying out. The meat is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Also remember — every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature (which is why the recipe gives you general time ranges, rather than exact times). Since my slow cooker tends to cook at a relatively high temperature, I find that the meal is best when cooked on HIGH for about 2 hours or on LOW for about 4 hours. Just get familiar with your pot and adjust accordingly.
- Serving a larger group? Double all of the ingredients.
- Make it spicy by adding some cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes to the seasoning in the pot.
- Add some minced garlic to the Crock Pot for even more savory flavor.
- Use either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. We find that the dark meat thighs stay a bit juicier during the slow cooking process, but they are both great.
Delicious Sunday night meal. We used t chicken thighs and served it over rice with a side salad. Simple and everyone enjoyed it!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you, Jamee!
I cannot wait to try this lovely looking dish! Thank you so much for posting all the recipes that you do. I thoroughly enjoy your content and overall vibe of your blog. Getting the weekly email always gives me inspiration on what to do for dinner. After this I want to make your Dorito Taco Salad.
That’s so good to hear, Dee! I hope that you enjoy both of the meals. Thank you for reading along with me each week!
I tried several of the recipes listed with the Mississippi chicken. All were super. I am going to try to make Mississippi venison. Thanks for the ideas.
That’s great, Kathy! I hope that the venison works well, too!
Ll