Crockpot Pork Chops and Stuffing

Crockpot pork chops and stuffing is four boneless chops cooked under a layer of boxed stuffing and a cream of chicken sauce, all in one slow cooker.

The difference here is that the stuffing gets hydrated in a bowl with a measured amount of broth before it goes in, then sits on top of the chops instead of under the soup, so it steams fluffy rather than dissolving into paste.

Plan on about 3 hours on low plus 15 minutes of prep.

Why You’ll Love It

• Pork, stuffing, and gravy from one pot
• 15 minutes of prep, 3 hours on low
• One 6-ounce box of stuffing and one can of soup
• Chops pulled at 145°F stay juicy
• Serves 4 with leftovers that reheat well
• No separate stuffing pan to wash

Ingredients

This serves 4.

For the pork

4 boneless center-cut pork loin chops, about 1 inch thick (6 to 8 ounces each)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the sauce

1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

For the stuffing

1 (6 oz) box chicken-flavor stuffing mix

1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

½ cup finely diced celery

½ cup finely diced yellow onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Steps

1. Pat the chops dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme.

2. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch stainless skillet over medium-high until it shimmers, then sear the chops 2 minutes per side until browned but not cooked through.

3. Move the chops to a 6-quart slow cooker in a single layer; a 4-quart crock forces them to overlap and the bottom chops overcook.

4. Whisk the soup, ½ cup of broth, and Dijon in a bowl until smooth and pour it over the chops.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the stuffing mix, the 1¼ cups of broth, melted butter, celery, and onion and toss with a fork for about a minute until the bread is evenly damp.

6. It will look slightly under-moistened, which is correct; it picks up steam from the sauce below it in the pot.

7. Spoon the stuffing over the chops in an even layer, and do not press it down or stir it into the sauce, because the loose layer on top is what keeps the texture.

8. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours or HIGH for 2 to 2½ hours, and keep the lid on, since every peek adds about 15 minutes.

9. At the low end of the time, slide an instant-read thermometer through the stuffing into the thickest chop; you want 145°F (63°C).

10. Pork at 145°F is faintly pink in the center and juicy, and that temperature has been the USDA’s safe number for whole cuts since 2011; boneless loin at 165°F and above goes dry and stringy, so the thermometer matters more than the clock.

11. Turn the cooker off and let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes so the stuffing firms up and the sauce thickens.

12. Lift out the chops, spoon the stuffing over or beside them, and scrape the sauce from the bottom of the crock over everything, then add the parsley.

Helpful Tips & Substitutions

Chop thickness is the margin of safety; ½-inch thin-cut chops hit 145°F in about 90 minutes on low and are dry by the 3-hour mark, while bone-in chops take 30 to 45 minutes longer and stay juicier.

The sear adds browned flavor and 5 minutes of work; without it the chops come out paler and the sauce slightly thinner, and the recipe still works for a dump-and-go night.

This is built around a 6-ounce box; if you have a 14-ounce bag of cubed stuffing, use half of it (about 3½ cups) with the same liquid, or you end up with a crock of bread and a little pork.

Cream of mushroom or cream of celery swap in for the cream of chicken.

To skip canned soup, whisk 1 cup of chicken broth with ½ cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and use it in place of the soup and the ½ cup of broth; it looks thin going in and tightens as it cooks.

Raw celery and onion soften fully in 3 hours because the dice is small; cut them bigger than ¼ inch and they stay crunchy.

If your cooker runs hot and the top of the stuffing looks dry at the 3-hour check, drizzle ¼ cup of broth over it and put the lid back on for 10 minutes.

Slow cooker liners are worth it here, since the cream sauce bakes onto the sides of the crock.

Serving Ideas

Green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts on the side, plus something with acid like a quick cucumber and vinegar salad, cuts the richness of the cream sauce.

A spoon of cranberry sauce on the plate makes sense, since this is turkey-dinner flavor on pork.

If you want stuffing on its own for a holiday table, the Herbed Slow Cooker Stuffing is the standalone version.

For another one-pot slow cooker dinner in the same format, Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken with Potatoes rotates in well.

For a sweeter take on slow cooker pork chops, the Apple Butter Pork Chops go in a different direction with the same cut.

Leftover stuffing and sauce reheated in a skillet with a fried egg on top is a decent breakfast.

Make-Ahead & Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in airtight glass containers for up to 4 days, and store the chops and stuffing together, because the stuffing soaks up the sauce overnight and reheats better for it.

Reheat covered in a 325°F (165°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes with 2 tablespoons of broth splashed over the top, or in the microwave in 1-minute intervals.

It freezes for up to 2 months; the pork holds up fine, the stuffing comes back softer, and both thaw overnight in the fridge.

The night before, you can season the chops, dice the celery and onion, and whisk the sauce, but do not hydrate the stuffing until the morning or it turns gluey.

For a freezer meal, freeze the raw seasoned chops with the sauce in a bag, thaw it overnight, then add fresh stuffing when it goes into the cooker.

The sauce under the stuffing looks thin when you first lift the lid and thickens in the 5 minutes it sits.

That rest is also when the stuffing stops looking wet and starts holding a spoon shape, so the wait is worth it.