This crockpot Mississippi chicken (also called chicken au jus) is fall-apart tender with a buttery, briny, tangy sauce. Six ingredients, no chopping, and dinner basically makes itself.

Close-up of shredded Mississippi chicken topped with sliced pepperoncini peppers and parsley, served next to mashed potatoes.

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Crockpot Mississippi Chicken

Some people call this crockpot chicken au jus, and it makes sense, the au jus gravy packet does a lot of the heavy lifting in the sauce. But the real name is Mississippi chicken, and it traces back to crock pot Mississippi pot roast, invented in the 90s by a mom named Robin Chapman in Ripley, Mississippi. She was tweaking her aunt’s recipe (which called for Italian dressing) and swapped in ranch to make it milder for her kids.

The chicken swap came later and as they say the rest is history! What truly matters is that it’s a dump-and-go meal like my creamy crockpot chicken, six ingredients, no chopping, no browning. The butter melts down with the ranch, au jus, and pepperoncini juice into a buttery, briny, tangy sauce, and the chicken gets fall-apart tender. Serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles and dinner’s done.

XO - Jamielyn

Ingredient Notes

Mississippi chicken ingredients on the counter including unsalted butter, ranch seasoning, au jus mix and chicken breast.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Chicken breast. About 4 boneless skinless breasts (2 pounds). Thighs work and are more forgiving on time, but breasts shred cleaner. Skip frozen.
  • Seasoning packets. Ranch dressing mix for tang, au jus gravy mix for savory depth. Hidden Valley and McCormick are my picks. Brown gravy works in a pinch.
  • Unsalted butter. Has to be unsalted. The packets bring plenty of salt on their own.
  • Pepperoncini peppers. The heat mellows out as they cook, leaving a tangy, briny pop. Don’t pour off the juice when you measure. Splash in extra if you want more kick.

How to Make Mississippi Chicken

Lay the chicken breasts flat in the bottom of the slow cooker in a single layer. They can touch, but don’t stack them or the bottom ones will overcook while the top ones lag behind.

Sprinkle the au jus and ranch packets evenly over the chicken, don’t dump them in one pile or you’ll get a salty hot spot. Add the butter pats on top and scatter the pepperoncini around juice splashed in is a good thing).

Raw chicken breasts in a white crockpot topped with ranch seasoning, au jus mix, pats of butter, and sliced pepperoncini peppers before cooking.
Cooked Mississippi chicken in a white crockpot with pepperoncini peppers and au jus sauce, ready to be shredded.

Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Resist the urge to crank it to high to speed things up, chicken breast on high gets stringy and dry. You want it pulling apart with barely any pressure from a fork.

Shred the chicken right in the crockpot so it soaks up all the buttery, briny juices. Serve over mashed potatoes (my pick), rice, or egg noodles.

Two forks shredding tender Mississippi chicken in the crockpot with pepperoncini peppers and buttery au jus sauce.
Close-up of shredded Mississippi chicken topped with sliced pepperoncini peppers and parsley, served next to mashed potatoes.

Recipe Tips

  • Don’t skip the pepperoncini juice. Chicken is leaner than beef so it needs the extra liquid to stay juicy. Without it, you’ll end up with dry, stringy chicken even in a slow cooker. Same reason it matters in easy shredded chicken and easy BBQ pulled pork.
  • If yours comes out too salty. Both packets run salty, so use unsalted butter and taste before adding any extra salt at the end. If you’re really sensitive, cut the au jus packet in half and make up the volume with low-sodium chicken broth.
  • Shred while it’s hot. Grab two forks and pull the chicken apart in opposite directions while it’s still warm. Cold chicken fights back. I know hand mixer shredding is having a moment, but skip it here. With this much juice in the pot, you’ll redecorate your kitchen.
  • Make it a one-pot meal. Throw chunks of carrots and baby potatoes in with everything else and you’ve got a full dinner with zero extra dishes. Just cut the potatoes small or they won’t cook through in 3-4 hours.
  • Instant Pot version. Add 3/4 cup of water to the pot with everything else, seal the lid, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Don’t skip the natural release or the chicken will seize up and get tough.

Serving Suggestions

  • You need a base to soak up all the savory tangy juices, so I highly recommend serving it overtop garlic mashed red potatoes.
  • If you’re wanting low-carb try cauliflower rice or cauliflower mash instead!
  • Pair this meal with a side of coleslaw and green beans.
Tongs lifting a serving of shredded Mississippi chicken with pepperoncini peppers from a white crockpot.

More slow cooker recipes we love include easy crockpot chicken fajitas, salsa verde chicken, and slow cooker chicken potatoes and green beans.

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Tongs lifting a serving of shredded Mississippi chicken with pepperoncini peppers and au jus from a white crockpot.

Mississippi Chicken Recipe

5 from 5 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8
Crockpot Mississippi chicken (also called chicken au jus) is easy to make with chicken, zesty pepperoncini, ranch and au jus gravy slow cooked until fall-apart tender.
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Video

Equipment

  • Slow cooker

Ingredients 

  • 2 pounds chicken breast , about 4
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons ranch dressing mix
  • 1 ounce packet Au Jus gravy mix
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter , sliced
  • ⅓ cup sliced peperoncini , more if desired
  • ¼ cup peperoncini juice

Optional for serving: Mashed potatoes, noodles or rice

Instructions

  • Add 2 pounds chicken into the bottom of your crockpot. Top with 1 1/2 Tablespoons ranch seasoning and 1 ounce packet Au Jus. Then place 4 Tablespoons sliced butter and 1/3 cup pepperoncini on top. Add 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice.
  • Secure lid and cook on low for 3-4 hours, or until chicken easily shreds. Shred and then season to taste.
  • Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Instant Pot: You can make this in the instant pot as well. 
  1. Add 3/4 cup water to the Instant pot with the ingredients above. 
  2. Close lid and set to seal position. Set high pressure and cook for 10 minutes. Then let it natural release for 10 minutes before releasing the steam. 
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Not only does it make great dinner leftovers, but you can stuff some of this chicken into a bun with melted cheese for lunch. Freeze up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 88mg, Sodium: 344mg, Potassium: 434mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 227IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.