Smothered Pork Chops

This Smothered Pork Chops recipe is easy to make and so delicious! It’s a one-pan dish that’s the perfect comfort food for a cozy night in!

Looking for a delicious, comforting meal? Serve these Smothered Pork Chops for dinner tonight, and watch your family delight in the taste. They’ll love the hearty, home-cooked flavor of this dish. It’s perfect for those cold winter nights when you only want something warm and cozy to eat.

I often serve this dish with mashed potatoes, but they are also delicious served with rice pilaf or roasted Brussels sprouts.

Ingredient Notes

Brine: The brine is optional, but it adds flavor and helps keep the pork chops from drying out during cooking. If you choose not to brine, prepare the pork chops generously with salt before cooking.

Pork Chops: Be sure to use pork chops that are at least 1½ inches/4cm thick. Otherwise, they will dry out during cooking.

Onions: I like to use yellow onions in this recipe, but you can use any type you prefer.

Chicken Stock: You can substitute the chicken stock for pork, beef, or vegetable stock if you prefer.

Cheese: I like to use provolone cheese for this dish, but Gruyere or Swiss would also be delicious.

Mushrooms: I like to use brown mushrooms such as cremini, baby Bella, or chestnut mushrooms, but white button mushrooms would also work.

Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the best flavor. If you need to substitute, you can use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.

Vinegar: The vinegar is optional, but it helps brighten the gravy flavors and create a more complex dish. I like to use white vinegar, but you could also use cider or red wine vinegar.

Step By Step Instructions

Put the water, baking soda, salt, peppercorns, and brown sugar in a big bowl and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the pork chops to cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 to 8 hours.

Remove the pork chops from the brine about a half hour before cooking. They may seem a little slippery. This is from the baking soda in the brine, and it’s completely normal.

Pat them dry with paper towels. If the chops have a layer of fat, score the fat with a sharp knife making cuts that are about 2 inches apart.

Add the oil to an oven-safe pan.

Preheat the pan over high heat until the oil begins to shimmer and smoke slightly.

Once the oil is hot, cook the chops without moving them for two to three minutes (you want them to be golden brown). For more detailed instructions, see my recipe for seared pork chops.

If the fat is thick, pick up the pork chop with some tongs, hold it upright with the fatty layer on the pan, and cook until it browns.

Remove from the heat and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C

Put the butter to the same pan and melt over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions, and cook until golden brown, stirring regularly.

Add the mushrooms to the pan with the onions.

Saute the mushrooms until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Season with salt and pepper and coat the mixture in the flour. Slowly mix in the chicken stock.

Cook for about three minutes to thicken the sauce slightly. Taste for seasoning and season with salt as needed.

Stir in the parsley and vinegar and return the pork chops with the juices to the pan. Add the cheese to the top of each pork chop, and bake until the cheese is melted and the pork chops have an internal temperature of 140°F/60°C.

Let rest and serve once the internal temperature reaches 145°F/63°C.

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Let’s Make Smothered Pork Chops

Succulent pork chops smothered in caramelized onion and mushroom gravy topped off with melted cheese – A delicious plate of comfort!

5 from 6 votes

Prep10 minutes minutes

Total40 minutes minutes

brining:: 30 minutes minutes

Serves: 4

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Ingredients

For the Pork Chops

• ▢ 4 cups water at room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ cup kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• ▢ ¼ cup packed light sugar or dark brown sugar
• ▢ 4 pork chops at least 1½ inches/4cm thick, 8oz/227g each

Mushroom Gravy:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons Butter
• ▢ 1 large onion sliced
• ▢ 1 lb mushrooms sliced
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons flour
• ▢ 2 cups chicken stock
• ▢ 3 tablespoons parsley chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vinegar white wine or cider vinegar

To top:

• ▢ 8 slices provolone cheese or Gruyere

US Customary – Metric

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Instructions

To Brine the Pork:

• Place the water, baking soda, salt, peppercorns, and brown sugar in a large bowl and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.
• Add the pork chops, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 8 hours.

To Sear:

• Remove the pork chops from the brine 20 to 30 minutes before you plan to cook them, and pat the chops dry with paper towels.
• If the pork chops have a layer of fat, score the fat layer with a knife making the cuts about 2 inches apart.
• Add the oil to an oven-safe pan and preheat the pan over high heat until the oil shimmers and starts to smoke slightly.
• Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and add pork chops to the pan. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes (they should be golden brown).
• If the fat is thick, pick up the pork chop with tongs and hold the pork chop upright, with the fatty edge on the pan. Cook until the fatty edge get’s crisp and brown, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C

For the Gravy:

• Add the butter to the same pan and melt over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions, and cook until golden brown, stirring regularly.
• Add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned, and their moisture has evaporated.
• Add the garlic and cook another minute.
• Season with salt and pepper and coat the mixture in the flour.
• Slowly mix in the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly. Taste for seasoning and season with salt as needed.
• Stir in the parsley and vinegar.

To Finish:

• Return the pork chops with the juices to the pan.
• Add the 2 slices of cheese to the top of each pork chop.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the pork chops have an internal temperature of 140°F/60°C.
• Let rest and serve once the internal temperature reaches 145°F/63°C.

Tips + Notes

• If you don’t have an oven-safe pan, you can sear the pork chops in a regular pan and then transfer them to an oven-safe dish before adding the sauce and cheese.
• To ensure the pork chops are cooked through, use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 145°F/63°C.
• Make sure the pan is good and hot for the perfect sear before adding the pork chops.
• Do not overcrowd the pan when searing the pork chops, or they will not brown properly. Cook them in batches if necessary.
• For perfect caramelized onions, cook don’t raise the heat too high. If you rush the process or they may burn.
• The sauce will thicken as it simmers. If it becomes too thick, you can thin it out with a little bit of water or chicken stock.
• If your sauce is too thin, you can cook it down over low heat until it reaches the desired consistency.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 547 (27%)| Carbohydrates: 30g (10%)| Protein: 46g (92%)| Fat: 27g (42%)| Saturated Fat: 14g (88%)| Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g| Monounsaturated Fat: 9g| Trans Fat: 0.3g| Cholesterol: 135mg (45%)| Sodium: 7920mg (344%)| Potassium: 1163mg (33%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 19g (21%)| Vitamin A: 785IU (16%)| Vitamin C: 9mg (11%)| Calcium: 381mg (38%)| Iron: 3mg (17%)

Nutritional Data Disclaimer

Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Author:Erren Hart

Course:Dinner, Main

Cuisine:American

Keyword:pork chops and gravy, Smothered Pork Chops

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