Mississippi Chicken Casserole is creamy, cheesy and a little tangy: ranch-seasoned chicken and egg noodles baked in a sour cream and cream cheese sauce with sliced pepperoncini, under a bubbly, lightly golden layer of mozzarella and cheddar. It borrows the ranch, butter and pepperoncini flavors of Mississippi pot roast and turns them into a chicken dinner for a weeknight or a potluck. It serves 6.
How to make it: Brown bite-size chicken with a ranch packet, whisk a creamy pepperoncini sauce, stir in al dente egg noodles and cheese, and bake uncovered at 375°F for 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly golden.
Why You’ll Love It
- Big flavor from a short list: one ranch packet, a jar of pepperoncini and a stick of butter season the whole dish.
- Creamy with a tang: sour cream and cream cheese make it rich, and the pepperoncini add a tangy twist.
- A cheesy top: mozzarella and cheddar melt into the noodles and brown on top.
- One dish for the table: it bakes and serves from a single 9×13 and feeds 6.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: Two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces.
Ranch seasoning mix: One 1-ounce packet of the dry mix, not bottled dressing. It goes straight onto the chicken in the skillet.
Pepperoncini: You need both the sliced peppers and 1/4 cup of the juice from the jar. Banana peppers can stand in for pepperoncini.
Sour cream and cream cheese: A cup of each, with the cream cheese softened first. Greek yogurt can replace the sour cream.
Broth and butter: Low-sodium or no-salt-added chicken broth and unsalted butter, melted.
Cheese: Shredded mozzarella and cheddar, split between the filling and the top. You can use Monterey Jack instead.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ounce ranch seasoning mix (1 packet)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth, low-sodium or no salt added
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup pepperoncini peppers, sliced
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice, from the jar
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- Chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
How to Make Mississippi Chicken Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Cook the noodles. Cook the egg noodles in salted water until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and season them with the ranch seasoning, garlic powder and black pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until lightly browned. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked yet; it finishes in the oven.
4. Make the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk the chicken broth, sour cream, cream cheese, melted butter and pepperoncini juice until smooth.
5. Combine. Add the noodles, chicken and sliced pepperoncini to the sauce and stir until everything is well coated. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the cheddar.
6. Bake. Spread the mixture in the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of cheddar over the top. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly golden and the center reaches 165°F.
7. Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if you like and serve hot.
Keys to a Creamy, Tangy Mississippi Chicken Casserole
Season the chicken while it browns. Sprinkle the ranch packet, garlic powder and pepper right over the bite-size pieces in the hot skillet. Five to 6 minutes over medium-high heat gives them a light golden outside. They don’t need to cook through here, because the oven finishes the job.
Stop the noodles at al dente. Boil the egg noodles only until they are just al dente, then drain them well. They still have 40 to 45 minutes to spend in the oven, surrounded by sauce.
Whisk the sauce smooth before anything goes in. Start with softened cream cheese and melted butter, then whisk them with the broth, sour cream and pepperoncini juice until no lumps are left. Only then add the noodles, chicken and peppers, and stir until every noodle is coated.
Chop the peppers small. Cut the sliced pepperoncini into small pieces so their flavor spreads through the whole casserole. For more heat, add an extra splash of juice from the jar, or buy medium pepperoncini instead of mild.
Split the cheese. Fold 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the cheddar into the filling, and save the rest for the top. Bake it uncovered until the top bubbles and turns lightly golden. If you want more color, slide it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes at the end.
Tips for Success
What size dish do I need?
A 9×13-inch baking dish. With 2 pounds of chicken, 12 ounces of noodles and 3 cups of cheese, the casserole fills it to the brim, so use a dish at least that large.
Why is my casserole too salty?
Ranch seasoning mix brings a lot of salt. If you are sensitive to it, use less of the packet. Pick low-sodium or no-salt-added broth and unsalted butter, as in the ingredient list.
What if it sets up too thick?
If the casserole thickens more than you like after baking, stir in a splash of chicken broth before serving. The same trick loosens leftovers.
Variations
- With rice: Stir a 10.5-ounce can of cream of chicken soup, 1 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups of uncooked long grain white rice and half of a 1-ounce ranch packet and a 1-ounce au jus packet in a greased 9×13. Top with 2 pounds of chicken breasts, the rest of the seasoning, 4 tablespoons of sliced butter and 5 to 6 pepperoncini. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for 60 to 70 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken reaches 165°F. Rest 5 to 10 minutes and fluff the rice.
- Cracker-topped, no noodles: Mix 4 cups of cooked chopped chicken with a 1-ounce packet each of ranch dressing mix and au jus gravy mix, 1/2 cup of sliced pepperoncini, 1 cup of sour cream and a 10.5-ounce can of cream of chicken soup. Spread it in a greased 9×9 dish, top with 1 1/2 cups of crushed Ritz crackers mixed with 1/4 cup of melted butter, and bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, so the topping stays crisp.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Cream sauces don’t freeze well, so the sauce may separate after thawing. Thaw frozen casserole in the refrigerator, then reheat it covered in the microwave or oven until it reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
The noodles are already in the dish, so all you need is something green: a simple salad, roasted broccoli, smothered green beans or roasted asparagus and carrots. Dinner rolls or garlic bread are good for scooping up the last of the sauce. If you like the Mississippi seasoning, try it on slow cooker Mississippi meatballs. For more ranch chicken, make slow cooker creamy ranch chicken or a chicken bacon ranch casserole with potatoes, and for a buttery cracker crunch, a Ritz cracker chicken casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients and baking instructions for Mississippi chicken casserole?
Chicken breasts, egg noodles, a ranch packet, garlic powder, pepper, broth, sour cream, cream cheese, butter, pepperoncini and their juice, mozzarella and cheddar. It bakes uncovered in a 9×13 at 375°F for 40 to 45 minutes, then rests for 5 minutes.
What do you need to make Mississippi chicken?
The name comes from Mississippi pot roast, which is seasoned with ranch dressing mix, au jus gravy mix, butter and pepperoncini peppers. This casserole keeps the ranch, butter and pepperoncini and adds a creamy sauce, noodles and cheese; the rice and cracker-topped variations add the au jus too.
Can I make Mississippi chicken casserole ahead of time?
Yes. Cook the chicken all the way through, make the sauce and mix everything except the noodles, then cover and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. Noodles left sitting in the sauce turn soggy, so boil them and stir them in right before baking.
Can I use rotisserie chicken or chicken thighs?
Yes. Boneless, skinless thighs work in place of the breasts. With rotisserie or other cooked chicken, skip the skillet: shred the meat and whisk the ranch, garlic powder and pepper into the sauce instead.
Final Notes
A sprinkle of chopped parsley right before serving adds a little fresh green to all that melted cheese. If you have a question or make this, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Mississippi Chicken Casserole
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 12 ounces egg noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ounce ranch seasoning mix 1 packet
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth low-sodium or no salt added
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup pepperoncini peppers sliced
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini juice from the jar
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- parsley chopped, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Cook the egg noodles in salted water until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and season them with the ranch seasoning, garlic powder and black pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until lightly browned. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked yet; it finishes in the oven.
- In a large bowl, whisk the chicken broth, sour cream, cream cheese, melted butter and pepperoncini juice until smooth.
- Add the noodles, chicken and sliced pepperoncini to the sauce and stir until everything is well coated. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the cheddar.
- Spread the mixture in the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of cheddar over the top. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly golden and the center reaches 165°F.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if you like and serve hot.
