Mississippi Chicken Is My Favorite 5-Ingredient Dinner

Mississippi chicken is one of my favorites. Consisting of tender chicken breasts, pepperoncini, and ranch dressing seasoning, it could not be easier to make in the slow cooker or the oven. It's deliciously salty, savory, and briny, perfect for spooning over rice or noodles for a satisfying dinner.

For my take on the classic dish, I call for mayonnaise instead of butter for an extra dose of savory creaminess. I used a stock base rather than chicken gravy mix because you’ll never find me without a jar of stock base in the fridge; it amps up the chicken flavor.

Make Mississippi Chicken in the Oven

Instead of slow cooking, you can make Mississippi chicken in the oven:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Stir together the ranch dressing mix, pepperoncini, pickling liquid, stock base, and black pepper in a medium Dutch oven. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the ranch mixture, then arrange the chicken in an even layer.
3. Cover with the lid and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, about 40 minutes. Remove the chicken with tongs and place it on a cutting board; coarsely shred the chicken using two forks. Return the chicken to the liquid, add the mayonnaise, and stir to combine.

Simple Swaps

Make Mississippi chicken using boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts and cook until the internal temperature reaches at least 170°F. If you don’t have chicken stock base, you can swap for two teaspoons of chicken bouillon granules.

Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes

• Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
• Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken Stew
• Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Slow Cooker Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Prepare the ranch mixture:

Stir the ranch dressing mix, pepperoncini, pickling liquid, stock base, and black pepper together in a 6-quart slow cooker until combined.

Cook the chicken:

Add the chicken in an even layer. Cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, on high for 1 1/2 hours or on low for 2 1/2 hours. Turn off the slow cooker.

Shred the chicken and combine with mayonnaise:

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker with tongs and place it on a cutting board. Coarsely shred the chicken using 2 forks. Return the chicken to the liquid in the slow cooker, add the mayonnaise, and stir to combine.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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