This delicious and easy Instant Pot Mississippi chicken recipe is made with the classic combination of au jus gravy, ranch dressing seasoning, and pepperoncini peppers to get those perfect pot roast flavors: savory, a touch tangy pot with just the right amount of heat.
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Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken Overview
You might be well familiar with the Mississippi pot roast, which is usually made with chuck beef but in this recipe, we are using chicken instead of red meat. This dish showcases how the rich Mississippi roast gravy pairs just as well with white poultry meat.
Chicken breasts are cooked in a sauce made with au just gravy mix, ranch dressing seasoning, lots of butter and pepperoncini peppers. This might sound like a strange combination of ingredients but it works and is absolutely delicious with lots of savory, umami flavors and a touch of acidity (or tanginess) from the peppers to cut through the richness of meat and butter.
Chicken is succulent and tender, shredded after cooking and drenched in the thickened gravy to absorb as much flavor as possible.
This chicken version of the Mississippi pot roast will become a family favorite!!!
More Like This: If you like tender-cooked, pot-roast style meat recipes in the Instant Pot, check out the flavorful Italian Beef, the delicious Mojo pork, the family-favorite beef roast and gravy, our decadent French onion chicken, the bright and fresh spring vegetable chicken stew or the hearty red wine and garlic beef cheeks.
What To Serve With Mississippi Chicken
The ways to serve Mississippi chicken are similar to beef pot roast:
- Sides that go well with meat and gravy sauce: mashed potatoes, roast potatoes or other root vegetables, rice, pasta or noodles, quinoa, couscous and so on.
- In a sandwich or bread roll: For ultimate comfort food, serve pieces of shredded chicken and dripping gravy sandwiched between soft bread slices or bun halves or in a baguette.
- With other baked goodies that can soak up the gravy: cornbread, zucchini bread, focaccia, garlic bread or garlic cheese bread.
- Vegetable sides: green salad with lemon vinaigrette, steamed or grilled broccoli or Brussels sprouts, green beans, coleslaw, sauteed cabbage and so on.
Ingredients For Mississippi Chicken
- Chicken - we are using chicken breasts, cut into 2-3 pieces; you can also use chicken thighs here. Sliced pork or turkey would also work well with the Mississippi gravy.
- Au jus gravy seasoning - you will need a packet of this dry seasoning, about 1 ounce (2-3 tablespoons). Brown gravy or dry onion soup mix can be used in place of au jus gravy.
- Ranch dressing seasoning mix - again, this is the dry packet seasoning mix, not the actual liquid dressing! You can use homemade ranch seasoning mix (try this recipe) or just add a few herbs and spices that you have. You will need about 1 oz (2-3 tablespoons).
- Pepperoncini peppers - these add a lot of flavor and a little tang to the sauce, which helps to cut through the richness of the pot roast. Sliced banana peppers can also be used. Both come in a jar, sometimes sliced but often whole. They add a little bit of heat but the dish is not too spicy!
- Butter - and lots of it! It adds wonderful flavor and richness to the sauce. Some recipes call for salted and others for unsalted, it's up to you. It's safer to go with unsalted as you can always season the dish more once it's cooked.
How To Make Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken
You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos for how to make Mississippi chicken in the Instant Pot. You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot for this dish.
Step 1. Cut the chicken breasts into 2-3 pieces, especially around the thicker part of the breast.
Step 2. Add 1 cup water, au jus gravy and ranch seasonings to the pot and stir. Place the chicken pieces in the liquid and stir a little.
Step 3. Add cubed butter and pepperoncini peppers on top. Secure the lid and lock it in place.
Step 4. Set to Pressure Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes.
Step 5. Once the timer is done, allow natural pressure release (NPR) for 5 minutes and then do a Quick Release.
Step 6. Remove the chicken from the pot but keep the cooking liquid. Once the chicken is cooled, shred it into strips.
Step 7. Make a slurry to thicken the liquid. Add 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour to a bowl. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and stir through, then add 2-3 more tablespoons either of water or the cooking liquid from the top. Turn the Instant Pot on Saute and let the cooking broth heat up again. Pour in and stir the thick slurry into the broth, it will thicken into a lush gravy.
Step 8. Return the shredded chicken to the gravy and stir.
All done! Taste for seasoning and serve this pressure cooker Mississippi chicken over potatoes, rice or pasta or you can make delicious gravy chicken rolls or sandwiches.
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Full Recipe
Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.
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Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 large skinless chicken breasts cut in halves
- 1 cup water
- 1 packet au jus gravy mix 1 oz / 28 g
- 1 packet ranch dressing mix 1 oz / 28 g
- ½ cup cubed unsalted butter 1 stick
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncini peppers + a few whole ones especially if they are small ones
To thicken:
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 4-5 tablespoons water or cooking broth you can use a combination of both
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts in halves around the thickest part.
- Add a cup of water to the pot along with au jus gravy mix and ranch dressing mix.
- Stir and add the chicken breasts. Scatter the butter cubes and the pepperoncini peppers around the chicken.
- Lock the lid and set to pressure cook on HIGH for 10 minutes. Once done, naturally release the pressure for about 10 minutes and then do the quick release.
- Open the lid. Remove the chicken breasts, shred them on a cutting board. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot.
- Press Saute function and bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Thicken the cooking liquid by adding 2 tablespoons of flour mixed with 4-5 tablespoons cold water or some of the hot liquid in a little bowl (a slurry). Stir through and cook for 10-15 seconds.
- Then add the shredded chicken back to the pot and stir through.
Notes
- Can be served over rice, potatoes, on tortillas, in a bread roll or bun with melted cheese.
- Au jus gravy can be replaced with dry onion soup mix or regular brown gravy mix.
- If using frozen breasts that you can't cut in half, set cook time to 15 minutes.
- Store leftover Mississippi chicken and gravy in an airtight container. It is even tastier the next day!
Nutrition
Mississippi Pot Roast FAQs
Mississippi pot roast is a dish of tender chuck roast (beef), slow-cooked in a savory sauce made with gravy and ranch seasonings, butter and pepperoncini peppers. The recipe originated from a home cook Robin Chapman in Mississippi, who invented the dish in the '90s when trying to recreate her aunt's pot roast.
Traditionally, beef is used to make this pot roast - chuck roast is considered the best - but, there is nothing stopping you from using chicken or pork. It's all about the flavor of the sauce!
Mississippi pot roast is similar to a regular beef pot roast or a beef stew but the ranch and gravy seasonings add A LOT more flavor - savory, umami, salty, herby, garlicky - and it's quite rich from the lush butter. The vinegary pepperoncini helps to cut through the richness of the meat and gravy and give the dish a little acidity. It's not a spicy or overly tangy dish but it does have a little kick and zesty notes.
Leftover Mississippi pot roast can be transformed into a variety of delicious dishes: shred the meat for sandwiches or tacos, create a hearty hash with diced potatoes, make a comforting soup by combining the meat with broth and vegetables, craft a flavorful shepherd's pie with mashed potatoes, construct cheesy quesadillas or stuffed bell peppers, toss with pasta and sauce, layer onto nachos or into enchiladas, or even use as a filling for burritos — the possibilities are abundant for repurposing this flavorful roast into delightful meals.
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Deborah
This is the first time I’ve made this with chicken , we generally use venison tenderloin , and it was amazing!!!
Kay Lowe
A question for you. Why flour for thickening instead of cornstarch? I do a lot of IP recipes, esp. Asian, and cornstarch works very well for thickening. Is there a reason that flour would be preferred here?
Tori
I’m making this tonight and I added some sliced onion to it!
Deborah
Wow what a great idea! I just mentioned to my husband and we both agree we will add that next time !! Thank you
Linda
This recipe is also great on top of romaine lettuce. No salad dressing needed only a scoop of the Mississippi Chicken!
Ann
Loved this recipe! Making it this weekend for a Halloween party and serving with flour tortillas.
Jenna
My family loved this recipe! We will definitely be adding it to our weekly rotation
Ann Fabrizio
Thank you! Wow so happy it made it on the weekly rotation.