
Combine chicken, ranch dressing mix, au jus mix, butter, and pepperoncini in a slow cooker or Instant Pot for a flavorful and easy Mississippi Pot Roast! Sure to be your new family-favorite dinner!
When I first thought about starting a food blog, there were two recipes I couldn’t get out of my mind. I felt like the whole world needed to know about them! As you can tell, I started a food blog, and I shared the first recipe already: Salsa Verde Chicken. The second recipe is this one for Chicken Mississippi Pot Roast!
If you only make one thing from the blog, I highly recommend either one of these two recipes. Both of these recipes are so great for so many reasons!
First, they use minimal ingredients which is perfect if you are on a tight budget. Although, they are still full of flavor!
Second, the preparation is so easy because they are dump and go recipes. All you need to do is add all the ingredients to a slow cooker, and you’re basically done!
Third, depending on your ingredients, these recipes can be dairy-free, diabetic friendly, and low-carb. Plus, it’s perfect for picky eaters!
Finally, it can be prepared in advance for easy meal prep. The prepared meats can be used in so many ways with so many sides!
Chicken Mississippi Pot Roast Ingredients

Credit for this recipe goes to Robin Chapman from Ripley, Mississippi. She developed this recipe in the early 2000’s, and her family loved it! She shared it with a few neighbors who shared the recipe on their blogs. Since then, this recipe has gone viral! It’s been shared and loved by millions!
To make this recipe, you’ll only need 5 ingredients:
- Protein of Choice (Beef, Chicken, Pork)
- Butter
- Ranch Dressing Mix
- Au Jus Gravy Mix
- Pepperoncini Peppers
It seems like such an unusual combination of ingredients. But when they are combined, something magical happens! The slow cooking makes the meat so tender, and the different spice mixes give the meat so much flavor! Plus, the butter helps create a rich and creamy sauce. Finally, the pepperoncinis give a little bit of acid to help cut through all the richness. So yummy!
What Meat is Used in Mississippi Pot Roast?
In Robin’s original recipe, she uses a beef roast. And, it’s absolutely delicious! Personally, I don’t use beef as much because it tends to be more expensive than other types of meat.
For this recipe, I prefer to use boneless, skinless, chicken thighs. You could also use chicken breasts, but I like the chicken thighs since they are less likely to dry out in the slow cooker. Although, feel free to use any cut of chicken you like.
TIP: You can save even more money if you buy bone-in, skin-on thighs, and prepare them yourself. To see how it’s done, check out this helpful 4-minute video from FoodFAQ for a quick tutorial on how to remove the bone and skin from chicken thighs.
Or you could also use pork roast. But, between beef, chicken, and pork, pork is my least favorite protein. But, you can’t go wrong with whatever protein you use.
Are Pepperoncini Peppers Hot / Spicy?
This is one of the most common questions about this recipe. To answer this simply, pepperoncini peppers are not hot or spicy at all.
In fact, their heat level is very similar to a pimento pepper. Or you could also compare the heat level to that of a bell pepper. When they are pickled, their heat is more tangy than a spicy.
As mentioned earlier, these pepperoncini peppers help provide acidity to the dish. It helps brighten all the flavors and it helps make the dish not too rich. You can find them in most grocery stores next to the olives or jarred pickles.
If you have really picky kids, you could always leave them out. But, if you can, I HIGHLY recommend keeping them in.
Chicken Mississippi Pot Roast Prep Tips

For this recipe, I used my tried and true 6 quart, Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker. Or you could also cook it in your 6 quart Instant Pot or other Pressure Cooker.
When making this Chicken Mississippi Pot Roast in the slow cooker, I always cook it on low. If you cooked it for 2 hours on high, it would probably turn out ok. But sometimes, the chicken can be tougher if you cook it on a higher temperature.
If you make this in the Instant Pot, you’ll need to add a little bit of extra water to allow the pot to build pressure. To ensure your meat is tender, be sure to let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes before doing a quick release of pressure.
The original Mississippi Pot Roast recipe calls for a full stick of butter. However, I only use a half stick (4 tbsps) of butter. I promise you won’t miss any thing by reducing the amount of butter. Using less butter will help the final dish from being too greasy. Plus, it helps reduce the calorie count of the dish.
My favorite way to eat this Chicken Mississippi Pot Roast is with mashed potatoes. Other serving suggestions include serving it on egg noodles or cooked rice. Plus, you can add just about any side vegetable (carrots, green beans, peas, or a side salad). Or you can just eat it as is!
Prepared chicken should last up to a week in the fridge, and I’ve used prepared and frozen Chicken Mississippi Pot Roast for up to three months.
Is Chicken Mississippi Pot Roast Low-Carb?

One of my favorite things about this dish is it’s naturally low-carb dinner. But, unlike many healthy recipes, this dish is packed with flavor. Who says low-carb food has to be bland and boring?
To make this low-carb, use the lowest carb dry mixes you can find. Or even better, you can make your own homemade ranch dressing mix or au jus mix.
To keep the dish low-carb, try serving the dish with cauliflower mash or cauliflower rice.
Want More Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes?
I really hope you love this Chicken Mississippi Pot Roast as much as I do! If you want to try other quick and easy dump meals, give these a try:
- Salsa Verde Chicken (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
- Barbecue Pulled Pork (Slow Cooker)
- Beef Pot Roast and Gravy (Slow Cooker)
- Kalua Pork and Cabbage (Slow Cooker)
Or you can find all of my slow cooker recipes, here! To see more of my Instant Pot recipes, click here! Or I also have lots of ideas for meal prep recipes, here.
Love what you are seeing, and want more? I typically publish a new recipe once or twice per week. If you want to be the first to know what’s new at Clean Fingers Laynie, SUBSCRIBE here, and never miss another recipe!
Chicken Mississippi Pot Roast (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Chicken Thighs Boneless, Skinless
- 3 tbsp Ranch Dressing Mix 1 Packet
- 1 oz Au Jus Gravy Mix 1 Packet
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1/4 cup Pepperoncini Peppers
Instructions
- Place chicken in the bottom of slow cooker (or instant pot) and sprinkle the dry ranch mix and dry Au Jus mix on top of the chicken. Cut butter into small chunks, and place on top of chicken. Distribute the pepperoncinni peppers on top of the chicken.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Cook chicken on low for 4-5 hours.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add 1/2 cup of water, and 1/4 cup of pepperoncini juice to the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot with the lid, and set the valve to sealing. Cook on HIGH pressure for 8 minutes. Wait at least 5-10 minutes before quick releasing the pressure, or naturally release the pressure.
Notes
