This Instant Pot chicken recipe is one of my absolute favorites! This Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken is juicy and savoury, with the perfect hit of acidic tang. It’s great on sandwiches or can be served up with your favorite chicken side dishes.

Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken Recipe

The inspiration for this recipe came from one of my favorite easy roast beef recipes – Mississippi Pot Roast (hence the name). A traditional Mississippi Roast is sprinkled with ranch, onion soup mix and au jus powder along with some butter and pepperoncini peppers before being slow cooked. The result is a tangy, savoury and juicy roast beef.

For my Mississippi Chicken recipe, I keep a lot of the ingredients the same but I skip the onion soup mix and au jus powder. Personally, I don’t think they are needed because the ranch and pepperoncinis combine to make the perfect tangy, flavorful broth (and gravy) – but if you’d like to experiment, you can add them in when you make it or try a chicken gravy packet.

I always take a few extra minutes when the chicken is done cooking to turn the cooking liquid into a gravy. The chicken is still juicy and flavorful without it, but that gravy is half of why I love this recipe so much. The gravy bumps up the tang and heat in your dish, so leave it off for family members who don’t like spice, but load it up for those who want a bit of a kick.

This is a great recipe to make for a party or bringing along to a potluck-style event because not only is it super delicious and quick to make, it also accommodates low-carb and gluten-free diets and if you use a dairy-free ranch seasoning (one without powdered milk) it can be dairy-free as well.

Is Mississippi Chicken spicy? This recipe isn’t spicy but it does have a bit of kick from the acidity. Adding on the gravy amps up that acidic tang and may be considered “spicy” to some. Just for reference, the pepperoncini peppers used in this recipe rank as a 100-500 SHU on the Scoville scale while jalapeños are anywhere from 2500-8000 SHU and poblano peppers have double the SHU of pepperconcini. (Read more about the Scoville scale here.) If you’ve ever order Papa John’s pizza, a pepperoncini pepper is what is included in the box.

What kind of chicken should I use for Mississippi chicken? Personally, I like using boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they are super quick and easy to shred and the white meat gets really juicy and flavorful after cooking in this recipe. However, if you need to use a “fattier” chicken (like thighs or quarters) I would recommend reducing the butter by at least half.

Can Mississippi Chicken be made in the Crockpot? Yes! I will be sharing our Crockpot version soon, but you will just need to cook all of the ingredients on high for 3.5-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Can Mississippi Chicken be made in the oven? Yes, you can combine all ingredients in a casserole dish and bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes.

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days, or in an airtight freezer container for up to three months. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)

What to Serve with Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken:

• roasted or sautéed veggies
• serve on slider buns (check our our homemade Hawaiian rolls recipe here) – and for another twist, melt some provolone or swiss cheese overtop
• toss in some cooked pasta or egg noodles for a unique pasta dish
• serve on soft or hard taco shells for a unique chicken taco recipe with all of your favorite toppings
• serve over a bed of mashed potatoes or cauliflower with the gravy overtop
• I also recently learned that I love this recipe on top of a bed of macaroni salad or homemade mac and cheese – that creative combo is thanks to my daughter, Ella

Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes? Check out our full collection here!

Check out our quick recipe video to see how easy this Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken is to make – and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe card:

Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts
• Ranch Seasoning <– grab our homemade ranch seasoning recipe here
• Butter
• Chicken Broth
• Pepperoncini Peppers, plus juice

For Serving:

• Slider Buns
• Cornstarch, for making the gravy
• Provolone Cheese, optional

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: opt for a low-sodium ranch seasoning to ensure this recipe isn’t too salty.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Instant Pot <– I’m so excited to upgrade to this one with air fryer capacities soon! (You can also just buy the lid which adds the air fryer capacity to your standard IP.)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Sharp knife
• Tongs
• Whisk
• Meat Shredders or Two Forks

How to Make Mississippi Chicken in the Instant Pot

Place chicken breasts in your Instant Pot.

Season with ranch seasoning and distribute butter evenly over the chicken breasts.

Pour in the pepperoncini peppers and pepper juice, followed by the chicken broth.

Secure the Instant Pot lid and cook for 9 minutes on manual.

Allow to natural release for 5 minutes before moving the valve to quick release.

Remove the chicken to a plate or bowl and shred using forks or meat shredders.

If you want to create a gravy for serving, turn the Instant Pot to saute and whisk in the cornstarch. Once the gravy is thickened, remove from heat. 

Serve the chicken as-is or on slider buns with gravy and cheese.

Pin this Easy Instant Pot Chicken recipe for your meal planning:

Grab your free printable for our Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken recipe:

I hope your family loves this easy Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken recipe as much as mine does! It’s one of my top ten favorite chicken recipes!

For more easy chicken recipes, check out our full chicken recipe collection here:

For more Instant Pot ideas, check out our full Instant Pot recipe collection here:

Or for more sensational sandwiches, check out our full sandwich recipe collection here: