Using jackfruit and a slow cooker, I’ve recreated Mississippi’s famous chicken dish to be enjoyed by all! Delicious served over rice or inside a gluten-free bun!
I’ve been excited about this recipe ever since I came up with the idea! I’m a California girl, and honestly, I’d never heard of Mississippi Chicken until a few months ago. Let me tell you how it happened.
I use Flipboard to find new recipes to try. I keep telling myself to unfollow everything with omnivorous recipes. I really don’t like seeing pictures of animals turned into food, but I’ve been enjoying veganizing food lately and sometimes, coming across those non-vegan meals is how I get my best ideas.
When I saw the recipe which inspired this dish. I didn’t see chicken, it looked like to me, because that’s what it would be if cooked in my kitchen — and it looked really good! Stuffed inside a bun with pepperoncinis and melted cheese, right away I knew I wanted to recreate the recipe.
Unfortunately, the seasonings to the original dish weren’t plant-based either, being as it contained both ranch and au jus packets. Alhough, that’s why you have me, right? These flavors aren’t difficult to recreate, we just have to know where to start.
Making the seasonings ourselves rather than buying premixed packages, is a little more time consuming, but not by much, and this is still a simple recipe. First, you drain and rinse the jackfruit, remove the seeds, and chop up the hard chunks. Then it gets tossed into the slow cooker with everything else. Easy-peasy, right? After that, we only need to shred the jackfruit, using forks, in the last half hour of cooking
Once ready, the jackfruit can be enjoyed a number of ways. My favorite is inside a toasted, gluten-free bun (or not gluten-free for some of us) with melted vegan cheese (I use Daiya Swiss Style Slices, and they work deliciously well!), lettuce, and tomato. Just be careful about the buns, many, especially those which are gluten-free, can contain egg or sometimes dairy products. I tried these by Ener-G for the first time, and I really enjoyed them.
To keep things simpler and healthier this is also delicious served over rice or riced wer. When doing research on the original dish, I also read that some enjoy it over mashed potatoes or pasta. I bet it’d be super tasty inside a casserole!
How will you enjoy the Mississippi Jackfruit? Let me know by leaving a comment below, or take a pic of yours and tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.
Mississippi Jackfruit
Ingredients
- 3 20 oz cans green/young jackfruit, in WATER, not brine or syrup Drained, rinsed, and seeds removed
- 1 cup chicken-flavored vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, minced
- 1/3 cup pepperoncinis
- 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp vegan butter
- 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp Worcestshire sauce, ensure vegan (and GF if necessary) I’ve been using one by Wan Ja Shan which is both vegan and GF
- 1/4 tsp gluten-free tamari or regular soy sauce if gluten isn’t an issue
- 3/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 3/4 tsp dried parsley
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried dill weed
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Cut off the hard bottom from each piece of jackfruit (the part that doesn’t have a grainy looking texture). Chop the hard chunks into thin, small pieces. Add the jackfruit to a slow cooker.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 1/2 hours (or 7 1/2 on low).
- Remove the lid from your slow cooker. Using two forks shred the pieces of jackfruit. Also, using the backside of a fork, smash down on any pieces that still seems to be hard or in chunks. Stir well and replace lid. Cook for 30 more minutes.