Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken uses chicken thighs or breasts and has the same flavors as the beef version, only with chicken! Pressure cooker Mississippi Chicken is full of flavor and easy to make! A delicious and easy dinner recipe.
Originally published on 1/16/2018
Mississippi Chicken in the Instant Pot
Many of you know about the very popular Mississippi Pot Roast, but you might also like this chicken version!
This "Dump-and-Start" Instant Pot chicken is very popular and so easy to make! I love the flavors and texture of the shredded chicken.
What's Great About this Recipe
- You can make it in under an hour, so that makes this a good weeknight dinner.
- Another thing is that you can feed a group of hungry people just by adding a bit of extra chicken. I have packed my instant Pot pretty full of meat and still had it turn out perfect!
- Mississippi Chicken can be made mild or spicy.
- The shredded chicken can be served over rice, in a tortilla, with potatoes, or however you like.
Is This Recipe Salty?
• This recipe can be a bit salty. I suggest finding low sodium au jus and/or ranch dressing mix, if you can.
• I have a recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix that is lower in sodium than the commercial brand. You can even completely omit the salt in this mix if you want.
• Be sure to use unsalted butter. You can also add a little more water and a few small potatoes to help thin out the salt.
Are Pepperoncinis Spicy?
- Pepperoncinis are the surprise flavor in this Instant Pot chicken recipe. They add a tang and a savory flavor that just makes this recipe.
- They are more tangy than spicy if you get the original, mild version. There are spicy versions, so be sure to read the jar when shopping for them at the grocery store.
- If you don't want to eat them, cook them whole in the recipe and just pick them out.
How to Make Mississippi Chicken in the Instant Pot
1) Add the chicken, water or broth, pepperoncinis and juice, seasoning packets, and butter to the pot (don't stir).
2) Put on the lid and set the time. Easy!
Why not cook some rice with it?
Get a tall trivet and set it down in the pot so it touches the bottom.
I rinse some long grain white rice and toss it in one of my ekovana stainless pans with some water and cook it right along with the Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken! You could add potatoes if you want, instead of the rice. Then I use a Topolo pan gripper and set the pan on the tall trivet. Put the lid on, set the time, and go play while dinner cooks!
Watch Me Make Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
Instant Pot Beef Barley Vegetable Soup
Sandy's Instant Pot Beef Stew
Instant Pot Ham Hock and Bean Soup
Instant Pot Mississippi Chicken is a take on the amazing Mississippi Pot Roast recipe created by Robin Chapman. Make this in your pressure cooker in under an hour. You can even cook rice with it!
- 2-3 lbs Chicken Thighs or Breasts* (Boneless/skinless. Fresh or frozen. Cut breasts in half, if possible)
- ½ cup Water (or low sodium chicken broth)
- ½ (16 oz) jar Pepperoncinis (with juice) Leave whole or slice as desired
- 1 (1 oz) packet Au Jus or Brown Gravy Mix** (I like Au Jus best)
- 1 (1 oz) packet Ranch Dressing/Seasoning Mix** (low sodium, if possible)
- ½ stick Unsalted Butter (4 Tbsp) or more to taste
- 1 ½ cups White Long Grain Rice (rinsed well)
- 1 ½ cups Water
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Put chicken in the bottom of the inner pot of the pressure cooker. (If using chicken breasts, cut them in half, if possible).
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Add all of the other ingredients (don't stir) and close the lid and lock it in place. Turn the steam release knob to the sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual Button (or use dial) and use the +/- button to select 8 minutes (if using frozen breasts that you can't cut in half, set time to 15 minutes).
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When the cook time is finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes (5 minute Natural Release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to Quick Release the remaining steam/pressure.
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After adding all ingredients, set the tall trivet in the pot and make sure it touches the bottom of the pot.
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Put the rinsed rice and water in the pan and set it on the trivet (A Topolo pan gripper helps with this). Close lid and proceed with cooking directions (takes the same time to cook as the chicken.
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When the cooking cycle finishes, let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes (5 minute natural release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to Quick Release the remaining steam/pressure.
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When the pin in the lid drops down, open it and use a pan gripper or silicone mitts to remove the pan of rice (if making rice)
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Use tongs to remove the chicken and shred it.
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If you want to thicken the cooking liquid, turn on the Sauté function and stir in 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with some of the hot liquid. Pour into the pot and stir until thickened.
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Mix the chicken back into the cooking liquid.
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Serve over rice, or potatoes, on tortillas, etc.
*If using frozen breasts that you can't cut in half, set cook time to 15 minutes.
**This recipe can be a bit salty. I suggest finding low sodium au jus and/or ranch dressing mix, if you can. I have a recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix that is lower in sodium than the commercial brand. You can even completely omit the salt in this mix if you want.
Adapted from "Mississippi Pot Roast" by Robin Chapman
Sam
Definitely salty, but it was good. I think next time I’ll leave out the ranch packet and if I want the ranch taste I’ll add regular liquid salad ranch dressing at the end when it’s done. I cooked my rice separate. Was still good though! Just too salty for my liking.
Tania C
I love this dish! Won’t be sharing with my husband this go around as he is out of town. Does this recipe freeze well?
Sandy
That=nk you! Yes, it freezes well!
Margaret
I made this exactly as written. I am not sure if it was just because we stick to a VERY low sodium diet because of my husband's heart attack, or because the mixes were high sodium (not that high, but certainly enough to make note of), but this was really salty. Next time I may rinse the peppers to remove any brine and substitute another gravy mix for the au jus mix (I am thinking this was the culprit) At any rate, had it not been so salty, it would have been good. It was certainly easy to make.
Sandy
Hi Margaret, yes, this is the biggest complaint about the "Mississippi" recipes. I posted this recipe quite a while ago, and have just updated it to give some options for a less salty result. I suggest finding low sodium au jus and/or ranch dressing mix, if you can. I have a recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix that is lower in sodium than the commercial brand. You can even completely omit the salt in this mix if you want. Using unsalted butter, and water instead of broth. Rinsing the pepperoncinis may help, but you still want some of their tangy flavor! Thank you for your review!
Alyssa
Quick and flavorful chicken! It’s only my fiancé and I so I used a little over 1 lb of chicken with the same measurements and still turned out great. I had frozen chicken and it was still juicy and fully cooked through. My grocery store was out of au jus seasoning packets (after the holidays) I used liquid gravy and just as good!
Sandy
Thank you, Alyssa, so glad you liked it!
Cathy Kent
I don’t have a tall trivet. Do you think I could make a foil bowl to cook the rice in and place it right on top of the meat?
Sandy
Yes, as long as it stays put!
Daphne
LOVE this recipe!! I made it for dinner tonight and OH. MY. GOODNESS. It was easily one of the best tasting things to come out of my kitchen! The tang from those peppers with the flavors from the spice packets... oh my. I used frozen breasts and cooked it for 15 min, turned out perfect! Thank you so much for sharing such an easy, quick, and DELICIOUS recipe!
Sandy
That's awesome, Daphne! I'm so glad you liked this recipe! It's so fast, too, isn't it? Thanks for your review!
Susan
Made this tonight for dinner and it was way too spicy for our taste. Do the peperoncinis come in mild, or could mild green chili’s work as well? Otherwise, it was simple to make. Also, I used bone in chicken thighs and just cooked them a couple minutes longer and removed the bones while shredding the chicken.
Sandy
Yes, the original pepperoncinis are barely spicy. I learned that there are spicy versions, and it says on the jar. So that is how you will know for next time.
Dee
Is this very spicy? My husband is a wuss when it comes to "packing the heat" in food.
Sandy
No, it's not very spicy, as long as the pepperoncinis you buy are not the spicy ones.