Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken: Your New Favorite Quick & Flavorful Dinner
Imagine a dinner that practically cooks itself, bursting with savory, tangy, and incredibly tender flavors. That’s exactly what you get with Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken! This beloved Southern comfort dish, traditionally made in a slow cooker, is transformed into a lightning-fast, utterly delicious meal using your Instant Pot. Forget hours of simmering; in just a fraction of the time, you’ll have succulent chicken breasts infused with the irresistible blend of butter, mild banana peppers, and a dry ranch seasoning mix. The aroma alone will have your family gathering in the kitchen, eager for a taste of this scrumptious dinner.
Similar to its cousin, the famous Mississippi Pot Roast, this chicken variation offers all the deep, savory notes with a lighter, poultry-based twist. Our version uses mild banana peppers for a gentle tang that perfectly complements the rich chicken, creating a truly unique flavor profile that sets it apart from recipes using spicier pepperoncini peppers. Get ready to discover a fantastic, crowd-pleasing dish that’s ideal for potlucks, family dinners, or simply a cozy night in.
What is Mississippi Chicken? A Southern Comfort Classic Made Easy
Mississippi Chicken is a relatively modern Southern staple, gaining immense popularity for its incredibly simple preparation and explosively delicious flavor. It’s a spin-off of the legendary Mississippi Pot Roast, which first appeared in the early 2000s. The magic of this dish lies in its minimal ingredient list, combining chicken (often breasts or thighs), a packet of dry ranch seasoning mix, a stick of butter, and a jar of banana peppers (or pepperoncini). When slow-cooked, these humble ingredients meld into a rich, savory, and slightly tangy sauce that coats ultra-tender chicken.
The flavor profile of Mississippi Chicken is truly unique. The dry ranch mix provides a savory, herbaceous base with hints of garlic and onion. The butter adds a luxurious richness and helps to create a luscious sauce. And the banana peppers (or pepperoncini) contribute a crucial briny, slightly tangy note that cuts through the richness, preventing the dish from being too heavy. It’s comfort food at its finest – satisfying, deeply flavorful, and incredibly versatile.
Why Choose the Instant Pot for Mississippi Chicken? Speed & Unmatched Tenderness
While the Crockpot version of Mississippi Chicken is a classic for a reason, using an Instant Pot truly elevates this dish, making it accessible even on the busiest of weeknights. The primary advantage is, without a doubt, speed. What takes 4-7 hours in a slow cooker can be on your table in under an hour with the Instant Pot, including pressure build-up and release time.
But it’s not just about speed. The high-pressure environment of the Instant Pot works wonders on chicken breasts, transforming them into incredibly tender, shreddable perfection. The intense pressure also helps to infuse the chicken with the rich flavors of the ranch mix, butter, and banana peppers more rapidly and deeply, resulting in a dish that tastes like it’s been simmering all day. This “set it and forget it” convenience means you can toss in your ingredients, seal the lid, and walk away, returning to a perfectly cooked, intensely aromatic meal. It’s the ultimate hack for getting delicious, home-cooked comfort food on the table when time is short.
Essential Ingredients for Your Perfect Mississippi Chicken
The beauty of Mississippi Chicken lies in its simplicity. Just a few key ingredients are all you need to create this flavor-packed dish. Understanding the role of each component can help you customize it to your taste.
- Chicken Breasts: This recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They cook quickly and shred beautifully, making them ideal for this preparation. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for an even richer flavor and slightly more forgiving texture; if you do, you can omit the added butter as thighs have more natural fat.
- Dry Ranch Mix: This is the flavor powerhouse of the dish. A standard 2-ounce packet (or 4 tablespoons if using bulk seasoning) provides that signature savory, garlicky, herby base that makes Mississippi Chicken so addictive. Different brands might offer slightly varied flavors, so choose your favorite!
- Banana Peppers (Partially Strained): Our preferred choice for this recipe. Banana peppers are typically milder than pepperoncini, offering a pleasant tanginess without too much heat. Partially straining them means you retain some of their delicious briny liquid, which adds moisture and flavor to the sauce, but you avoid an overly watery result in the Instant Pot.
- Butter: This ingredient adds a crucial element of richness and helps create a silky, decadent sauce. It truly takes the flavor to the next level.
- Water: Essential for the Instant Pot. The water creates the necessary steam for pressure cooking and prevents the “burn” notice. In a Crockpot, you would typically use the liquid from the banana peppers instead of plain water.
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Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken
5 minutes
40 minutes
10 minutes
55 minutes
12 servings
Alyona Demyanchuk
Equipment
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6 quart Instant Pot
Ingredients
Mississippi Chicken
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4 lbs chicken breasts (4 large)
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2 oz dry ranch mix (4 Tbsp if in bulk)
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16 oz banana peppers (partially strained)
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1 cup water
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4 tbsp butter
Instructions
How to make Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken:
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Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot. Add the chicken breasts, dry ranch mix, partially strained banana peppers, and butter. Ensure the lid is securely closed and the vent is sealed. -
Select the “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” button and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Once cooking is complete, allow the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize for 10 minutes before performing a quick release of any remaining pressure. Serve the tender, flavorful Mississippi chicken over a bed of fluffy rice or your favorite side dish.
Notes
- For optimal flavor balance, use 1 tablespoon of dry ranch mix for every pound of chicken. This recipe calls for 4 lbs of chicken, so 4 tablespoons (or a 2 oz packet) is perfect.
- If you opt to use chicken thighs instead of breasts, you can generally omit the added butter, as thighs contain more natural fat, providing ample richness to the dish.
- For those who prefer a slightly different tang, sliced pepperoncini peppers can be substituted for the banana peppers. The flavor will be similar but with a slightly different acidic note.
- Crockpot Instructions: For a classic slow-cooked version, simply place all ingredients into your crockpot. Omit the additional water and instead use the full liquid from the jar of banana peppers. Cook on LOW for 7 hours, or on HIGH for 4 hours, until the chicken is fall-apart tender.
Nutrition per serving
Calories: 229kcal
Carbohydrates: 5g
Protein: 33g
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 107mg
Sodium: 569mg
Potassium: 656mg
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 1g
Vitamin A: 290IU
Vitamin C: 33mg
Calcium: 14mg
Iron: 1mg
Crockpot Mississippi Chicken: The Perfect Slow-Cooked Alternative
Don’t own an Instant Pot, or simply prefer the traditional slow-cooked method? No worries at all! This Mississippi Chicken recipe is just as fantastic, if not even more effortless, when made in a crockpot. The slow cooker allows the flavors to meld over several hours, resulting in an incredibly rich and deeply satisfying dish that requires minimal hands-on time.
The process is wonderfully simple: just toss all your ingredients – chicken, dry ranch mix, banana peppers (including their juices), and butter – directly into the crockpot. Unlike the Instant Pot version, you’ll omit the extra cup of water, relying instead on the natural juices from the chicken and the banana peppers to create the luscious sauce. Set your crockpot to ‘Low’ for 7 hours or ‘High’ for 4 hours, and let it work its magic. The result is a fall-apart tender chicken bathed in a savory, tangy sauce that’s perfect for shredding and serving. It’s an ideal choice for meal prepping or when you want dinner ready right when you walk in the door.
Delicious Serving Suggestions for Your Mississippi Chicken
Once your Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken is cooked to perfection, you’ll want to serve it with sides that complement its rich and tangy flavors. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy this incredible dish:
- Classic Rice: As mentioned in the original, serving it over a bed of fluffy white or brown rice is a fantastic choice. The rice soaks up all the delicious sauce.
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes: For ultimate comfort food, mashed potatoes are an excellent pairing. The chicken and its gravy are divine over a mound of creamy spuds.
- Egg Noodles: Buttered egg noodles are another simple yet satisfying option that works wonderfully with the shredded chicken and sauce.
- Sandwiches or Sliders: Shred the chicken and pile it high on toasted buns for an amazing sandwich. Add a slice of provolone cheese for extra melt-in-your-mouth goodness.
- Green Vegetables: To balance the richness, serve with a side of steamed green beans, roasted asparagus, or sautéed collard greens.
- Crusty Bread: Don’t let any of that incredible sauce go to waste! A good piece of crusty bread is perfect for soaking it all up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Mississippi Chicken
How many Tablespoons are in a dry ranch packet?
Typically, a standard 1-ounce packet of store-bought dry Ranch mix contains approximately two tablespoons. However, this recipe uses a 2-ounce packet (or 4 tablespoons if buying in bulk), which provides a more robust and flavorful seasoning for the 4 pounds of chicken. The general rule of thumb for this recipe is 1 tablespoon of dry ranch mix per pound of chicken.
Can I use pepperoncini peppers instead of banana peppers?
Absolutely! The original Mississippi Pot Roast recipe, from which Mississippi Chicken derives, traditionally uses pepperoncini peppers. While we prefer the milder, tangier profile of banana peppers for this specific chicken dish, pepperoncini peppers will also yield a delicious result with a slightly different acidic kick. Feel free to use whichever you prefer!
Are pepperoncini peppers hot?
Pepperoncini peppers are generally considered very mild. On the Scoville heat scale, which measures the spiciness of peppers, pepperoncini rank very low, typically between 100-500 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). To put that into perspective, a jalapeño pepper can range from 2,500-8,000 SHU, making it significantly hotter. So, no, pepperoncini peppers are not hot; they offer a pleasant, slightly sweet, and tangy flavor rather than heat.
Are Banana Peppers hot?
Banana peppers come in two main varieties: mild and hot. Mild banana peppers are most commonly found and are known for their sweet, tangy, and slightly tart flavor with virtually no heat. If you enjoy a bit of a kick, you can certainly seek out the “hot” variety of banana peppers, which will add a noticeable but not overwhelming spiciness to your dish. Always check the label to ensure you get the type you prefer.
What does Mississippi Chicken taste like?
Oh, prepare your taste buds for an unforgettable experience! Mississippi Chicken is incredibly aromatic and boasts a complex flavor profile that is utterly delicious. It’s savory and herbaceous from the ranch mix, with a wonderful tanginess from the banana peppers that brightens the whole dish. The butter adds a rich, luxurious depth, making the sauce incredibly satisfying. The chicken itself becomes incredibly tender and infused with all these flavors, almost melting in your mouth. Your house will smell absolutely amazing while it cooks, promising a delightful meal!
Can I use frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot?
Yes, you can use frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot for this recipe! Simply add about 10-15 minutes to the cooking time (so, 50-55 minutes on high pressure). Make sure the chicken breasts are separated and not frozen in a solid block for even cooking. The tender results will still be fantastic!
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Leftover Mississippi Chicken stores beautifully! Transfer any cooled leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, you can use the microwave, gently warm it on the stovetop over low heat, or even pop it back into the Instant Pot on the ‘Keep Warm’ setting or with a quick 5-minute pressure cook cycle (with a little extra liquid if needed) until heated through.
Pro Tips for the Best Mississippi Chicken Every Time:
- Pepper Choice Matters: While this recipe highlights banana peppers for a milder tang, don’t hesitate to use sliced pepperoncini peppers if you prefer their signature flavor. Both work wonderfully and offer a slightly different culinary experience.
- Master the Slow Cooker Method: If you’re not in a rush, the Crockpot delivers an incredibly rich and deeply flavored Mississippi Chicken. Remember to omit the additional water and rely on the banana pepper juices for the sauce. Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Perfect Ranch Ratio: For balanced flavor, aim for 1 tablespoon of dry ranch mix per pound of chicken. This ensures every bite is savory and delicious without being overpowering.
- Experiment with Chicken Cuts: While chicken breasts are fantastic for shredding, boneless, skinless chicken thighs can add even more richness and tenderness due to their higher fat content. If using thighs, you can reduce or completely omit the added butter.
- Thickening the Sauce: If you prefer a thicker sauce, after cooking, remove the chicken, shred it, and set it aside. Create a cornstarch slurry (1-2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of cold water) and stir it into the liquid in the Instant Pot. Use the ‘Sauté’ function on ‘Low’ and simmer until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency before returning the chicken to the pot.
- Meal Prep Powerhouse: Mississippi Chicken is fantastic for meal prep! Cook a large batch, shred the chicken, and portion it out with rice or other sides for easy lunches or dinners throughout the week.
Whether you’re new to Instant Pot cooking or a seasoned pro, this Mississippi Chicken recipe is a must-try. It combines the ease of pressure cooking with the comforting, robust flavors of a Southern classic, delivering a delicious meal that feels like it took all day to make, but only took minutes. So, gather your simple ingredients, fire up your Instant Pot, and prepare to be amazed by this quick, flavorful, and incredibly satisfying chicken dinner. Enjoy!