Juicy and tender pork chops are seared, then smothered in a gloriously creamy and insanely flavorful garlic ranch sauce! Perfect over mashed potatoes or rice, this one pan dinner is ready in about 30 minutes and sure to “wow” the entire family!
This is one of my Pork recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Is there anything better than a quick and easy weeknight-friendly dinner recipe?
By the time the kids get home from school and they work on homework, we’re usually in a rush to get dinner together. Throw in after school activities or a little playtime with neighbors and it’s an absolute madhouse at dinner time.
Recipes like these creamy ranch smothered pork chops are perfect, since they’re ready in 30 minutes or less, everyone loves the flavor, and some of the work can even be done ahead of time!
You can use a super easy homemade ranch seasoning, or pick up a packet of seasoning from the store, and you’ll be amazed at the flavor of this creamy ranch sauce.
How to make ranch smothered pork chops?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Season and dredge pork chops. This doesn’t require much flour, just enough to get a thin coating.
- Sear pork. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to sear the pork in batches.
- Remove pork to plate. Don’t wash out the pan!
- Soften shallots and garlic. This doesn’t take long, and the moisture released will help soften those browned bits in the pan.
- Pour in liquids. This recipe uses half chicken broth, and half heavy cream.
- Season. Add the salt, pepper, ranch seasoning, and Parmesan cheese.
- Thicken. This won’t take too long, and the exact amount of thickness is up to you.
- Return pork to the pan. Nestle the chops in, and spoon some sauce over the top.
- Serve.
Helpful Tip!
The main tip when it comes to cooking pork, is not to overcook it. Pork chops have a bad rap for being dry and chewy, when really, it’s likely because those chops were overcooked! The most efficient and simplest way to tell when pork is finished cooking is to use a meat thermometer. Pork chops are done when their internal temperature is between 140-145° in the center. They’ll continue cooking a bit after they’re out of the oven as well.
Variations of this recipe
- Bone-in – If you prefer bone-in pork chops, you can swap them in here, although there will likely need to be a change to the cooking time. Just check the internal temperature of the pork to be sure (145°F is the sweet spot!).
- Other protein – this creamy ranch sauce is also fabulous on chicken!
- Wine – if you’d like to, reduce the chicken broth by 1/2 cup, and after you cook the shallots and garlic pour in 1/2 cup dry white wine, then proceed as written.
- Ranch – instead of using homemade ranch seasoning, you can use a 1 oz packet of store-bought seasoning.
- Other dairy – while I haven’t tested it, I think using half and half, whole milk, or evaporated milk should work in this recipe.
FAQ’s
We love to serve this recipe alongside some rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, or skillet green beans. But ultimately, this is your dinner, so please these pork chops serve with whatever you’d like.
I prefer to use center-cut boneless loin chops. These are boneless, and generally have little fat and connective tissue (which means the chops won’t be overly chewy). This recipe was developed and tested with chops about 1 inch in thickness.
Making smothered pork chops ahead of time
I don’t recommend cooking pork chops ahead of time, as they will inevitably be less moist and tender, compared to when you make them fresh.
However, you can help yourself out by doing some prep work ahead of time.
How to prep ahead for this recipe:
- Garlic – can be chopped and kept refrigerated.
- Shallot – can be chopped and kept refrigerated.
- Seasoning – if you’re making your own ranch seasoning, it can be made ahead and kept at room temperature.
- Cheese – if you’re grating your own Parmesan, it can be done ahead and kept refrigerated.
Storage
Leftover pork chops should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 4-5 days.
More Pork Chop Recipes:
My Favorite Skillet!
This pan is definitely not cheap, but I wanted to be transparent that this is the pan I most often use in my kitchen. However, you can use any large skillet/pan; I just recommend at least 10-12″ in diameter and/or a 3 quart capacity.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Chops
- 4 boneless center cut pork chops about 1 inch thick
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
Creamy ranch sauce
- 2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil vegetable or avocado oil are great substitutes
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 medium shallots finely minced
- 5 cloves garlic grated or finely minced
- 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 1/2 – 3 Tbsp ranch seasoning mix approximately 1 oz packet
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese freshly grated is best
Instructions
Prepare
- Pat pork chops very dry with a paper towel, then season evenly on both sides with salt, pepper, thyme, and smoked paprika.
Dredge and sear
- Add flour to a shallow dish. Add seasoned pork chops, one at a time, dredging in the flour, then place on a plate.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over MED HIGH heat until very hot. Add flour dredged pork chops, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Depending on the size of the skillet, you may need to cook the pork in batches.
- Cook pork for about 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 145°F. Remove pork chops to a plate and set aside.
Make ranch sauce
- Don’t clean out the skillet, just remove any really blackened bits. Brown bits are perfect to leave in the skillet, since they add a ton of flavor.
- Reduce heat to MED LOW, and add butter to the skillet. Add shallots and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so.
- Carefully pour in chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen any browned bits of flavor. Pour in heavy cream and stir/whisk well to combine.
- Add salt, pepper, and ranch seasoning, stirring well to combine.
- Cook 2-5 minutes, or until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, then stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Return pork to the skillet
- Add pork chops back to the skillet, nestling them in, spooning a bit of the sauce over the top, and moving them around a bit really let the flavor of the sauce settle in.
Serve
- Serve hot, over mashed potatoes if desired.
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Chef Tips
- We love to use my Homemade Ranch Seasoning, but this recipe works just as well with store-bought ranch seasoning.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Leanna says
Oh 1 more thing with trying to make it thicker, I turned the heat to medium, simmered and reduced it, it took a little long but I have patients and it worked out better then put flour in it.
Leanna says
Very good made it today. I’m not into pork but I’m trying so this recipe helped me ease my way in thank you!
Anissa T says
The sauce is everythingggggggg!!!!! I could just eat it by itself. I have two picky eaters at home ages 9 & 6 and they LOVED it! Will definitely make this again 🍽️ Made with white rice on side and I just poured sauce all over it *chefs kiss* magical.
Mathew says
The flavor was phenomenal!! I did have to add flour to thicken the sauce
Stephanie says
GREAT recipe! I made this over some instant mashed potatoes and my god they were amazing. I would definitely reduce the amount of flour I needed. I ended up throwing a lot of it away. I also ended up putting some flour in the sauce to thicken it up toward the end and I ended up having a lot of sauce left over. I used it later for a pasta sauce, but I would also cut the sauce ingredient amounts when I make this in the future.
julie says
great
Linda T says
This was delicious,thank you. I want to try it with chicken next. The sauce was so yummy.
Amy says
Really tasty!! My sauce didn’t thicken up quite enough so I added a little corn starch slurry (I probably put too much water in it) but man the “crust” on the pork chops was delicious! Had over mashed potatoes but rice would definitely work well. Yum!
Beth says
This looks like something my family would devour! I can’t wait to make it. It’s so creamy, and I love the zesty ranch flavor.
Tim Voigt says
Hey Chef! I have a dairy allergy and was wondering if you have a worry around? Can I beef up the chicken broth with white wine?
Kindly,
Tim
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe without dairy, but you could certainly give it a try using chicken broth or stock and white wine, or you could try out some dairy-free cream 🙂