Mississippi Chicken

Easy, convenient, and budget-friendly, Mississippi Chicken is a weeknight slow-cooker supper you can rely on time and time again. It comes together using affordable and easy-to-find ingredients, and it cooks in the slow cooker while your hands are free.

Made in the style of the classic Mississippi Roast, chicken is the star here instead, with peppers adding tang and texture. The protein is so tender it falls apart, and the dish is hearty, savory, and altogether comforting.

Learn how to make Mississippi Chicken, and treat your family to a new favorite weekday dinner.

Mississippi Chicken Ingredients

Keep the pantry staples on hand, and you'll need only to grab fresh chicken to make this dish:

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast: This cut of chicken turns tender and shreds easily. If you use bone-in chicken breast, you may need to check the temperature of the meat before you shred it as it can take a bit longer to cook.
• Yellow onion: Adds a subtle hint of umami and depth to the dish.
• An envelope of chicken gravy mix: Trust us on this. It adds a savory flavor that you can't get from a slow-cooker dish typically. It'll taste like you've been braising chicken all day.
• A package of ranch dressing mix: It's not just for salad dressings (though obviously we love it that way, too). As an ingredient in Mississippi chicken, the ranch dressing mix adds the tang of buttermilk without the moisture and loads of herbal notes, too.
• Kosher salt: To balance the flavors of the dish.
• Banana peppers: Plus pickling liquid from the jar. This is the star of the show in any Mississippi roast-inspired dish. These bright and tangy peppers break through with bold flavor and brightness.
• Unsalted butter: To add richness to the final sauce since the lean chicken won't have much on its own.

For serving, prepare mashed potatoes or cooked rice as you prefer. And use fresh, flat-leaf parsley for garnish and a hit of freshness.

How To Make Mississippi Chicken

As with all good dump-and-go slow-cooker recipes, you don't have to do much to get this Mississippi Chicken going.

• Step 1. Place the chicken in an even layer in the slow cooker. Top it with onion, gravy mix, ranch mix, salt, banana peppers and pickling liquid, and butter.
• Step 2. Cover and cook on high or low per your preference and the time you have until dinner.
• Step 3. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the slow cooker, and put it on a cutting board. Use two forks to coarsely shred the chicken before returning it to the liquid in the slow cooker.
• Step 4. Serve it over your choice of mashed potatoes or rice, and garnish with parsley.

What Does Mississippi Chicken Taste Like?

Mississippi chicken is so tender it falls apart easily (so much so that a slotted spoon is required to capture it all, whereas tongs would allow it to slip through). As the chicken braises for hours in the buttery liquid, it picks up flavors and aromatics from the ranch and gravy mix. The banana peppers impart acidity and tang along with the juice. The onion only further deepens the flavor.

Can You Use Pepperoncinis Instead of Banana Peppers?

You can make Mississippi Chicken using pepperoncinis. In fact, many people do. Both banana peppers and pepperoncini are widely available, and both are considered sweet peppers, but the banana pepper is the slightly sweeter of the two. Pepperoncini are sharper—even noted for a hint of bitterness, especially the Italian variation—but they also tend to be more succulent. 

How To Store Mississippi Chicken

Move any leftover chicken and sauce to an airtight container, and store in the fridge up to 4 days. We commend you keep the potatoes or rich separate from the chicken and sauce so it doesn't turn mushy or extra wet.

Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.

Can You Freeze Mississippi Chicken?

Absolutely! Freeze the entire dish or just leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Keep the chicken separate from the mashed potatoes or rice, though. And be sure to label the dish so you'll know what it is and when you stuffed it in the freezer.

When you want to eat it, let the dish thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.