The best easy baked ranch pork chops – perfect tender skillet baked pork with a tangy zippy ranch flavor the whole family will love – with just five ingredients! 

This baked pork chops recipe is naturally low carb, and works in a keto or paleo diet. Be sure to check your ranch seasoning if sticking to a keto diet, or if you are avoiding gluten.

This post is sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. All opinions are my own. 

These easy baked ranch pork chops are loaded with flavor – and use just five ingredients! 

If you love delicious tender, juicy pork and tons of ranch flavor, this recipe is going to be a huge hit! 

We’re using simple techniques and equipment – no advanced skills or cooking experience needed. 

Fresh, American raised Iowa pork is a healthy addition to our family’s dinner table – I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

When you’re buying pork in the United States, chances are you’re eating fresh pork from local Iowa hogs! 

Choosing pork is a great way to choose to feed your family a safe, American raised product that also helps employ thousands of American families.

If you’re curious about some of the commitments America’s pork farmers have taken to preserve animal, economical, and environmental wellbeing, please read about the We Care Initiative here. 

I was able to tour a pork farm in Iowa last fall and learn more about Iowa Pork’s dedication to safety and health for consumers and animals and I was really impressed – to hear more about my trip, please check out this post featuring Iowa Pork and Iowa Corn Growers – I learned so much about their impact on America’s economy and dinner tables. 

This recipe is so easy, even beginner cooks can master a delicious pork chop dinner!

-Heavy Pan or Skillet

-Oven

-Quick Read Digital Thermometer

-Ranch Seasoning Packet (or 2 tbsp homemade ranch seasoning)

-Lemon juice

-Olive oil

-Pepper

-Thin cut boneless pork chops

For this recipe, I am recommending 1/2-1” thick pork chops – too thick chops need to cook longer to be sure the middle has reached a high enough temperature in the middle. 

When removing pork chops from packaging, I always pat dry with a paper towel. 

Removing any excess moisture from the pork chop helps to cook evenly and allows the pork to crisp in the pan – since we’re not breading the pork chop, we really want to be sure to get a lovely sear on the chops for the best flavor and texture. 

Mix ranch packet with oil and lemon juice to create a marinade/sauce. 

Add pork chops to a plastic bag and add half of the marinade. Reserve other half in a bag or small jar until cook time. 

Marinate at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with a heavy ovenproof skillet or cast iron pan in the oven to preheat. 

Preheating the pan will help you sear your pork chop while it bakes, so it gets a lovely browned crunch on the outside. 

While you can pre-sear in a pan before baking, I prefer to sear this way to prevent the pork from overcooking and drying when baking since it is so thin. 

This way you sear and bake all in one step – making this recipe extra easy! 

Normally, I pre-sear pork chops on the stove before baking. 

Pork is a very tender, delicious meat – but can dry out easily when overcooked. 

By browning while baking, we’re letting the pork bake to a safe temperature while getting that delicious sear on the pork chops, so that we can keep pork from drying out.

This means less work for you, too! 

Remove pork from marinade (if refrigerated overnight, let pork come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before cooking as the oven preheats) and add to scorching hot pan when ready to cook.

Flip pork and continue baking until middle of pork chop has reached 145 degrees internal temp, about 8 minutes – four on each side. 

After the first four minutes, flip pork. Carefully spoon reserved ranch sauce on top of pork chops. 

Continue to cook for another four minutes. Check the internal temperature of your pork chops after 8 minutes – if your chops are very thin, they should be done – but as ovens and pork thickness can vary wildly, it is best to cook using a thermometer than by watching the clock. 

Rely on thermometer – NOT time – to tell when pork has been cooked fully.

If you don’t have a quick-read digital meat thermometer, it is one of the best investments you can make for perfectly cooked pork, every time. 

I cook pork to the FDA guidelines, which does include a bit of pink in the middle.

This is NOT underdone if you’re going by temperature – pork is safe to eat at 145 degrees, and trust me, it is the best flavor and texture! 

Tender, juicy, and flavorful pork is best when not overcooked – so watch your thermometer!

For more information on cooking pork chops, please visit my guide to pork chops, or visit the Iowa Pork site. 

Looking for a quick and easy side dish to perfectly pair with these ranch pork chops? Try one of my favorites below: 

Pork is one of our top categories on Sweet C’s – we love eating pork in our house, and are so glad you do too! 

If you’re looking for some knockout pork recipes, start with our insanely popular garlic baked pork tenderloin. It’s been reviewed five stars by hundreds of readers, and is always a huge hit! 

For a deliciously easy pork chop that isn’t ranch flavored, be sure to try my Easy Baked Pork Chops recipe – and be sure to save my slow cooker pork steaks recipe for a knockout set and forget meal that always gets rave reviews from even the pickiest eaters. 

If you love this recipe, be sure to give it a five star review below and help me share on facebook and pinterest!

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