This version of Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken doesn’t need butter; chicken thighs have enough buttery flavor! This is a spin-off of the infamous Mississippi Pot Roast recipe. The chicken is tangy, not spicy, and great served over plain white rice.
Try my Mississippi Pot Roast Recipe or even my SPICY Mississippi Pot Roast recipe if you love this tangy flavor combo.
Cooking the chicken with the pepperoncini makes a tangy and delicious sauce that I love to serve over rice. Some like to do sandwiches with this chicken and peppers, but rice is my go-to. Next time I make this, I plan to serve it with crockpot squash au gratin from my friend’s website; zucchini season is just around the corner!
How do you make Mississippi Chicken in the Crockpot
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – Use chicken thighs instead of breasts in this recipe for the fatty flavor, note that I do not add butter like most Mississippi recipes. I’m in a lot of Slow Cooker Facebook groups and many people have complained about how greasy the Mississippi recipes can be, that’s what I love about this recipe, no butter!
- Ranch Seasoning Packet – you can use a Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix or one that is labeled “dip”.
- Deli sliced Peperoncinis – For this recipe I used the deli sliced pepperoncinis (and juices) instead of the whole ones like other Mississippi recipes. Works great and is easier to eat too. I wonder what this dish would taste with these hot mix peppers that have a mixture of chopped vegetables in a spicy brine.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Add the chicken thighs to the slow cooker, trim the very large pieces of fat off. Sprinkle over the ranch mix, then add the jarred sliced peppers and juices (1/2 cup).
Step Two – I let the chicken, ranch seasoning, and peppers cook for 7 hours on low. If you are gone for the day, this meal can go an hour or two longer.
Step Three – After the cooking time is up, you can shred the chicken or leave the chicken thighs whole. I left mine whole this time, which made serving very easy.
What to serve with Mississippi Chicken
- Serve over white rice or mashed potatoes.
- Add a green side such as a salad or steam broccoli.
- Serve on toasted buns (drain the meat).
- Can be used in taco shells for a unique taco night.
Recipe FAQs
Peperoncino is the generic Italian name for hot peppers. They are peppers that are sold in jars with salty vinegar brine. They are not spicy, though they have a mild kick to them. Pepperoncini peppers are low on the Scoville scale (100-500 SCU) compared to a jalapeno (2500-8000 SCU).
If you want to add another flavor packet to this dish, use a chicken gravy packet. Though use ONLY a half packet of ranch mix and a half packet of chicken gravy mix, the dish isn’t too salty to eat.
Use thawed chicken when making Mississippi chicken. Some studies suggest it isn’t safe to use frozen meats in the slow cooker for the temperature can stay in the danger zone.
Mississippi chicken is excellent leftover; it only gets better. Store your leftovers in a ziplock bag or Tupperware in the fridge for up to three days or freezer for up to three months.
Yes, Mississippi chicken is lower in carbs but not carb-free. Mississippi chicken has approximately seven carbs per serving.
The chicken will be on the drier side if you use breasts. To combat this, add half a stick of butter to this recipe.
If you want to convert this recipe to an instant pot recipe, check out this recipe from Adventures of a Nurse.
I hope you love this version of Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken! If you love this recipe, you may want to try my Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast, Spicy Mississippi Roast, or Mississippi Pork Roast. All are great with over rice for an easy dinner.
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Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs (trim and discard large pieces of fat)
- 1 oz. packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
- 16 oz. deli-sliced pepperoncini peppers Whole pepperoncinis can be used or the mini spicy ones.
- 1/2 cup pepperoncini pepper juice or chicken broth
Instructions:
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle over the ranch seasoning mix and the pepperoncinis and the half cup of juices from the jar.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Serve the chicken thighs whole or shred them all. Serve over rice, buns or even baked potatoes.
How to Video:
Sarah’s Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
I didn’t like it! Way too spicy for me and I love pepperoncinis. May havecadded too much of the liquid, IDK…
Anybody else’s juice turn out congealed after cooking?
Did you trim the fat off the chicken? Maybe that caused it.
My husband and I can’t get enough of this delicious recipe. We LOVE to shred it and use it for tacos w/white corn tortillas. SO flavorful and SO good. Great with pickled veggies and Monterey cheese
So great to hear! I love your serving idea!
This was so so good and so easy! Literally a “dump and go” recipe. The chicken just falls apart it is so tender and so tangy! Going into my regular rotation of recipes!
This was super delicious. I will make it over and over again. I added a 1/2 tablespoon of ghee and also about 2 tsp of Brown sugar to just cut the acid a little bit. And if you are wondering, is ghee good for you- YES!! It is. So this going to be a definite addition to my recipes!!
Good recipe! Made it for dinner last night. Chicken thighs were tender and juicy. Added some fresh cut carrots and small cubes of potatoes (because I love them and didn’t want to serve a separate side dish) and they were tender and flavorful just like the chicken. Also used half the pepperoni juice from the jar and one cup of organic chicken broth to keep it mild and not too spicy. Added 2 tablespoons of butter to help flavor potatoes and carrots. Very tasty!
Thanks so much for the link back 🙂 Carla
just thought you might want to know that “infamous” means being famous for something bad. 😉
Yeah, I know. It’s a very controversial recipe. People in the Facebook slow cooker groups are tired of it (its the most posted recipe) and some think the stick of butter is too much.
Can you use bone in chicken thighs?
Yes! Bone-in thighs will work well.
This recipe was very flavorful but very spicy. I was disapppointed after cooking it all day to find out it was too spicy for us to eat.
I’ve tried several on your Crock Pot recipes, and think they’re simple and delicious.
BUT…
After looking at the ingredients of the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing seasoning, I now understand why these meals taste so good… One of the main ingredients is MSG! Most of the rest are artificial additives, too.
So, of you’re ok with MSG (I was wondering why my ears were ringing…), these Ranch Dressing recipes are wonderfully delicious. If not, try adding your own natural spices – the flavor won’t be as good but it might be better for you.
I hear ya, Jerry! I love recipes with it in them, and I try not to eat it too much. Often I will add plenty of garlic powder, onion powder and parsley to a recipe and it’s a similar flavor.
You can get a version of Hidden Valley seasoning with no MSG! It comes in a big container and I get it at Costco – it’s called Hidden Valley Homestyle ranch seasoning. The ingredient profile isn’t perfect but it’s good enough for me, and no MSG.
There are a lot of recipes to make your own ranch dressing mix. I mix my own and store it in canning jars. I use them for my recipes and give jars to family
This was super delicious I will make it over and over again. I added a 1/2 of stick of butter and also about 2 tsp of Brown sugar to just cut the acid a little bit. Going to be a definite addition to my recipes!!!