This Mississippi Chicken recipe makes the most delicious, zesty, rich, fall-apart tender shredded chicken. It’s great for a healthy weeknight dinner, potlucks, to freeze for later, or to serve guests. Make a batch today using your slow cooker or Instant Pot!
Why We Love It
By now you know Mississippi flavors are my jam! Just check out my Mississippi Pot Roast and Mississippi Chicken Marinade, if you don’t believe me.
And now I’m back with this zesty, bright, buttery, and tender Mississippi Chicken. It’s an easy and unforgettable weeknight dinner, and one of my favorite Keto and WW friendly meals to make on busy weeknights.
It’s another “dump and start” recipe, meaning all you need to do to make it is simply add (or dump!) all the ingredients into your Instant Pot OR Crock Pot, and press start. Dinner doesn’t get any easier than that!
Best of all, there are only 5 ingredients in this recipe, in total! All you need is chicken breasts or chicken thighs, pepperoncini, butter or ghee, bouillon, and ranch spices.
What does Mississippi Chicken taste like?
The flavors of Mississippi are are zesty and bright from the ranch seasoning. Pepperoncini adds a bit of heat, and the liquid from the jar adds brine and acid. The ghee or butter is the final element that adds lush, rich flavor.
Mississippi chicken is fall apart tender, and it’s well balanced, and hearty without being super heavy – thanks to healthy and clean ingredients suitable for Weight Watchers and Keto ways of eating.
The whole house smells marvelous while it cooks, and you can serve your Mississippi Chicken with any sides you enjoy. Serve it on crusty rolls, with some quick air fryer fries, mashed potatoes, or any easy, healthy vegetables you enjoy.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts. I pretty much always have boneless skinless chicken breasts in my freezer. For extra flavor, use my Mississippi Marinated chicken breasts!
- Pepperoncini, plus the liquid from the jar. Jarred pepperoncini isn’t super spicy, but it definitely has a touch of heat to it. To make this dish mild, simply substitute banana peppers. The flavor is very similar, so the only real difference is the the heat!
- Ranch seasoning. Use a homemade ranch blend or any store-bought mix.
- Chicken Bouillon. This is an easy way to amp up the flavor factor. I prefer to use Better than Bouillon or something similar.
- Ghee or Butter. Use ghee if you’re following a Paleo diet.
Cooking Instructions
Next up, grab your slow cooker or Instant Pot and let’s get cooking! Now here’s the very best thing about this recipe- There are only 2 steps! Yup, it’s that easy. Here’s how to make it:
- Assemble all the ingredients in your slow cooker or Instant Pot. Turn it on and wait for the magic to happen.
- When the chicken is done cooking, use two forks the shred it into tender deliciousness.
⏲️ Cook Times
- Slow Cooker: Cook on Low heat for 5-6 hours or High heat for 3-3.5 hours.
- Instant Pot: Cook on High pressure for 15 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release (NPR). This means to do nothing, and simply allow the pressure to naturally dissipate. This usually takes about 10-12 minutes.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover chicken is one of my favorite things! To store leftovers, allow the chicken to first cool. Transfer it to an airtight container or zip top bag, and store in the refrigerator. Use with 3-4 days, per USDA.
Freezing for Later
Mississippi Chicken freezes and reheats beautifully! To freeze cooked chicken, transfer to a freezer friendly zip top bag (or any freezer-safe airtight container). Squeeze as much air as you can out of the bag, and press the mixture flat in the bag and set in the freezer. For best taste, defrost and eat the chicken within 4 months, per USDA.
Tips & FAQ
Serve Mississippi Chicken with cauliflower mash, hasselback roasted potatoes, air fryer green beans (pictured), air fryer baby potatoes (pictured), stuffed inside a microwaved sweet potato, with frozen French fries, or on a crusty roll.
You might be wondering if pepperoncini and banana peppers are the same thing. They’re very similar in flavor and texture, however banana peppers are less spicy. Use banana peppers if you prefer a milder flavor, or pepperoncini if you like a touch of heat.
Yes! This recipe calls for all keto and low carb friendly ingredients and has about 1 net carb per serving. Optionally, if you’d like to add extra fat and make the dish creamier, stir in 1/2 block of cream cheese to the cooked, shredded chicken. Once the cream cheese has melted and mixed in, serve.
More Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes
- Classic Chicken Stew
- Sweet Hawaiian Chicken
- Easy Hamburger Stew
- Shredded Pork Loaded Fries
- BBQ Chicken Lettuce Wraps
I’d love to hear about your experience making this recipe!
Please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom!
Mississippi Chicken – Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/3 cup ghee or butter
- 2 Tablespoons ranch seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chicken boullion
- 8-10 pepperoncini, or substitute banana peppers for less heat milder
- 1/2 cup liquid from pepperoncini jar
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Add the chicken, pepperoncini, pepperoncini liquid, ranch seasoning, butter or ghee, and bouillon in the slow cooker.
- Turn to Low heat and cook for 5-6 hours, or High heat and cook for 3-3.5 hours. Remove the lid, and use two forks to shred the chicken into bite sized pieces.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add the chicken, pepperoncini, pepperoncini liquid, ranch seasoning, ghee or butter, and bouillon to the Instant Pot.
- Secure the lid, and turn to High pressure. Set for 15 minutes. Once the cooking time is done, allow for a natural pressure release (do nothing and allow the pressure in the Instant Pot to naturally dissipate for about 10-15 minutes). Carefully open the lid and use two forks to shred the chicken into bite sized pieces.
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