Hidden Valley Ranch pork chops are a creamy, comforting slow cooker dinner made with bone-in pork chops, a packet of ranch seasoning, sliced apples, and onion, all simmered together into a rich gravy. The pork chops come out fork-tender after cooking low and slow all day, and the apples soften right into the sauce as they cook. It’s the kind of dinner you can start in the morning and forget about until you’re ready to eat, which is exactly what you want on the nights you don’t have the energy to think about dinner at all.
On one busy school morning, I spotted a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch sitting in the pantry and got to wondering if it might do for pork chops what it always did for broccoli and carrots around here, which was to talk my kids into eating something they’d normally push around the plate. I layered the pork chops in with some sliced apples and onion, sprinkled that ranch packet over the top, and crossed my fingers the whole day. By dinnertime, the house smelled so good my pickiest eater came running to the table without being called twice, and that was the day I stopped thinking of ranch as just a broccoli trick and started keeping a packet on hand for dinner in my slow cooker.
Main Ingredients Needed For Hidden Valley Ranch Pork Chops
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
- Bone-in pork chops: To me, these come out a touch juicier than boneless, since the bone helps the meat hold onto moisture through the long cook. Boneless is easier if you’d rather not deal with a bone at the table, but keep an eye on the time since they can cook a little faster.
- Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix: This is what gives the whole dish its signature ranch flavor, both coating the chops and flavoring the gravy.
- All-purpose flour: This helps the ranch seasoning stick to the pork chops and gives you that little bit of coating on the outside.
- Onion: Sliced thin, it melts down into the gravy as it cooks and adds a mellow sweetness.
- Apples: Granny Smith or another tart apple works best here, since the tartness balances out the creamy ranch gravy. They soften beautifully after hours in the slow cooker.
- Chicken broth: This thins the cream soup just enough to create that smooth, pourable gravy.
- Cream of chicken soup: This is the base of the creamy gravy that coats everything in the slow cooker, the same kind of gravy trick I use in my hamburger steaks with onion gravy.
How To Make Hidden Valley Ranch Pork Chops
This Hidden Valley Ranch pork chops recipe comes together in just a few easy steps before the slow cooker does the rest of the work.
Tip: Start checking the temperature right at the 4-hour mark. Pork chops can dry out fast if they go even a little too long, so a meat thermometer is worth having on hand. If you’re short on time and want pork chops without pulling out the slow cooker, my oven pork chops with potatoes recipe is a good option that’s much quicker.
Kitchen Essentials I Use In This Recipe
I reach for the same slow cooker every time I make this, one with a temperature probe so I’m not guessing whether the chops have hit a safe internal temperature. I also always use slow cooker liners, which make cleanup so much easier when the gravy cooks down thick around the edges. If this one becomes a regular in your rotation, my slow cooker honey mustard chicken uses the same kind of creamy set-it-and-forget-it method.
My Favorite Slow Cooker Tools
Questions About Hidden Valley Ranch Pork Chops
For pork chops, slow is the better call if you want them to fall apart tender. This recipe cooks bone-in chops on low for about 4 hours, which gives the meat time to break down instead of tightening up the way it can with a quick, high-heat cook. Just keep an eye on internal temperature once you hit the 4-hour mark so they don’t overcook.
Not indefinitely, no. Pork chops get more tender up to a point, but once they pass done, they can actually dry out and turn tough, even in a slow cooker. That’s why this recipe calls for checking the internal temperature starting around 4 hours rather than just setting it and forgetting it all day.
Low and slow is the answer here. What I’ve noticed is that a thinner cut does better on low, since it comes out juicier and more tender than a thick chop cooked the same way. Dredging the chops in flour and ranch seasoning before they go in helps hold in moisture too, and checking with a meat thermometer once they hit 145 degrees is what keeps them tender instead of overdone.
Yes, and it matters for this recipe. This recipe is built around Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix specifically, which is thicker and creamier than a plain ranch seasoning packet meant for shaking onto meat. Grabbing the wrong one can throw off both the coating on the pork chops and the texture of the gravy, so check the package before you buy to make sure you’re getting the Dressing and Dip Mix.
Hidden Valley Ranch Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons seasoning, Hidden Valley Ranch, Dressing & Dip Mix (pork chop coating)
- 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick
- 1 onion, small, sliced thin, about 2/3 cup of sliced onion
- 2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/2 inch thick pieces, granny smith or any other tart apple
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 14 ounce cream of chicken soup, canned
Instructions
- You will need a 6-quart slow cooker for this recipe.
Coat the Pork Chops
- On a shallow plate, mix the flour and ranch seasoning. Dredge each pork chop in the mixture, coating both sides and shaking off any extra.1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons seasoning, 4 bone-in pork chops
Layer in the Slow Cooker
- Place the pork chops in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Spread the sliced onions and apples on top of the pork chops.1 onion, 2 apples
- In a bowl whisk the chicken broth and cream of chicken soup together until creamy and smooth.1/3 cup chicken broth, 14 ounce cream of chicken soup
- Pour the soup mixture over the pork chops.
Cook
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit and are fork tender.
Serve
- Serve the pork chops with the apple onion gravy spooned over the top.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add a splash of broth if you need to loosen the sauce.
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Slow Cooker Time — Low: 4 hours (recommended and tested)
- Slow Cooker Time — High: Not recommended — cooking on low gives the pork chops a more tender result.
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Hospitality with Ranch Pork Chops From the Slow Cooker
A Slow Cooker Dinner Night is one of my favorite ways to have people over on a weeknight, since the whole point is that nobody, including me, has to be tied to the stove while everyone is here. These pork chops go in the crock at lunchtime, and by the time your guests walk in, dinner is basically done, so you get to actually sit down and visit instead of checking on something in the oven every ten minutes. Set the chops out family style with the gravy poured right over the top, put a bowl of mashed potatoes or noodles beside it, and let people build their own plates so the table feels relaxed instead of formal. Honestly, I think that is such a picture of what hospitality is supposed to feel like, since we make room at our table the same easy way God made room for us, without conditions attached. Invite another family over, let the kids be loud, and just enjoy having a full house. Another good option for a Slow Cooker Dinner Night is my slow cooker lemonade chicken, since it’s just as hands-off.