My aunt has been making this for Sunday dinners since 1985 and nobody leaves without asking for the recipe.

This oven baked 3-ingredient Mississippi chicken is pure Sunday comfort food with almost zero effort. My aunt has been making a version of this for Sunday dinners since 1985, long before anyone was calling it “Mississippi” anything, and nobody leaves her house without asking how she did it. It’s just chicken, pepperoncini peppers, and butter, baked low and slow until the meat is fall-apart tender and soaking in a tangy, buttery jus. It’s the kind of recipe you throw together in five minutes before church or soccer practice, then pull out of the oven to a house that smells like you’ve been cooking all day.

Serve this shredded Mississippi chicken right in its buttery pepperoncini juices over fluffy mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or steamed white rice so all that tangy sauce has something to soak into. On busy weeknights, I’ll pile it onto toasted sandwich rolls with a slice of provolone for easy hot sandwiches. It’s also great with simple sides like roasted green beans, a crisp salad, or buttered corn. If you’re feeding a crowd, set the casserole dish in the center of the table and let everyone scoop their own, family-style.

Servings: 6

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch white ceramic casserole dish or similar baking dish.

Lay the chicken in an even layer in the casserole dish. It’s fine if the pieces overlap a little, but try not to stack them too high so they cook evenly and shred easily.

Scatter the sliced pepperoncini peppers evenly over the chicken, then pour 1/2 cup of the pepperoncini brine over the top. This is what gives the chicken its tangy, slightly spicy flavor and helps keep it moist while it bakes.

Arrange the slices of butter evenly over the chicken and peppers. As the chicken bakes, the butter will melt and combine with the pepper brine and chicken juices to make a rich, flavorful sauce.

Cover the dish tightly with foil to trap in the moisture. Place the dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls apart with two forks.

Remove the foil and carefully shred the chicken right in the dish using two forks, mixing it into the buttery pepperoncini juices. Taste and adjust with a little extra pepperoncini brine if you like it tangier, or a pinch of salt if needed.

Return the shredded chicken to the oven, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes so it can soak up more of the sauce and the top can get just a bit of color around the edges.

Serve the chicken hot, spooning plenty of the tangy, buttery pepperoncini sauce over each portion. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of extra pepper brine or water if needed.

If you like dark meat, swap some or all of the chicken breasts for boneless skinless thighs; they stay incredibly juicy and are even easier to shred. For extra richness, use 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, then remove the skin and bones before shredding (you may need to add 10–15 minutes to the bake time). If you want a bit more heat, add a few whole pepperoncini on top or stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes when you shred the chicken. For a slightly lighter version, reduce the butter to 6 tablespoons and add an extra splash of pepperoncini brine or a few tablespoons of chicken broth. To turn this into a full one-pan meal, tuck baby potatoes or thick carrot chunks around the chicken before baking, making sure they’re mostly submerged in the liquid so they cook through. For meal prep, make a batch on Sunday, then use it three ways during the week: over mashed potatoes one night, stuffed into quesadillas or tacos with shredded cheese another, and piled onto toasted buns with a slice of provolone or mozzarella for quick sandwiches. If you prefer a creamier sauce, stir in a few tablespoons of softened cream cheese after shredding the chicken and let it melt in the hot juices before serving.