My mom clipped this from a magazine in nineteen seventy two. Still the most impressive Sunday dinner you can make with almost no effort.

 

Mom's 1972 Slow Cooker Stuffed Pork Chops: The Easiest Impressive Sunday Dinner You'll Ever Make

Some recipes earn a permanent spot in the family cookbook, and this is one of them. Thick, bone-in pork chops seared to a beautiful golden crust, topped with savory herb stuffing, and slow-cooked until they're fall-off-the-bone tender — all sitting in a pool of rich, buttery pan juices. This is the kind of Sunday dinner that makes the whole house smell incredible and has everyone at the table asking what you did differently.

The beauty of this recipe is that it looks and tastes like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen, but the slow cooker does almost every bit of the heavy lifting. Whether this is your first time making stuffed pork chops or you're revisiting a dish your own mother used to make, this one is a keeper.

Ingredients

• 4 thick-cut bone-in pork chops (at least 1 inch thick)
• 1 box (6 oz) herb-seasoned stuffing mix (such as Stove Top)
• 1 cup chicken broth, divided
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil (for searing)
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup (optional, for extra richness)

Method

1. Start by preparing your stuffing. In a medium bowl, combine the stuffing mix, melted butter, diced onion, diced celery, minced garlic, and about half a cup of chicken broth. Stir until the stuffing is just moistened and holds together when pressed. Set aside.
2. Pat your pork chops completely dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried thyme. Don't be shy here — this is where your flavor foundation comes from.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sear the pork chops for about 2 to 3 minutes per side until they develop a deep, golden-brown crust. You are not cooking them through at this stage — you are just building color and flavor. Remove from the pan and let them rest for a moment.
4. If using cream of mushroom soup, whisk it together with the remaining half cup of chicken broth and pour it into the bottom of your slow cooker. If skipping the soup, just pour the broth directly into the bottom of the crock.
5. Arrange the seared pork chops in the slow cooker, nestling them in snugly side by side.
6. Spoon a generous mound of the prepared stuffing directly on top of each pork chop, pressing it down slightly so it sits nicely and doesn't fall off during cooking.
7. Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 2.5 hours. The pork chops are ready when they are completely tender and cooked through, and the stuffing has absorbed all of those gorgeous juices from below.
8. Serve directly from the slow cooker, spooning the pan juices from the bottom over the chops before plating. A side of mashed potatoes or roasted green beans makes this a complete Sunday meal.

Tips for Getting It Just Right

Do not skip the searing step. It might seem like an unnecessary extra effort when you're using a slow cooker, but those caramelized bits on the outside of the chop add a depth of flavor that simply cannot be replicated any other way. Two or three minutes per side in a hot pan makes an enormous difference in the final dish.

Use thick-cut chops whenever possible. Thin pork chops tend to dry out even in a slow cooker. Look for chops that are at least an inch thick, and bone-in versions will stay juicier and more flavorful throughout the long cook time.

If your stuffing looks a little dry before it goes on top, add a small splash more of broth. It will continue to absorb moisture from the steam inside the slow cooker, but starting slightly moist ensures it stays soft and fluffy rather than dense and crumbly.

Why This Recipe Has Stood the Test of Time

There's a reason recipes like this one got clipped from magazines and tucked into kitchen drawers for decades. They work every single time. The slow cooker keeps the pork impossibly moist, the stuffing soaks up all the savory drippings, and the whole dish comes together with very little active cooking time. It's the kind of meal that feels special without demanding your entire Sunday afternoon — and that, more than anything, is why it's still worth making today