• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Chef Billy Parisi logo

  • Recipes
    • Courses
      • Beverages
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Salads
        • Salad Dressings
      • Soups
      • Main Dish
      • Pasta
      • Sauces
      • Side Dishes
      • Bread Recipes
      • Dessert
    • Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Lamb
      • Chicken & Poultry
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
    • Occasion
      • Grilling and BBQ
      • Holiday
      • Entertaining
  • Video
  • Cooking Tips
  • About
  • The Studio
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Recipes » Courses » Main Dish » Smothered Pork Chops Recipe

Smothered Pork Chops Recipe

Posted on October 2, 2020 By Chef Billy Parisi

  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

These smothered pork chops are pan-roasted to perfection and then simmered in a delicious caramelized onion gravy and finished with fresh herbs.

There are some days where all I want is comfort food in less than 1 hour, which can sometimes be hard to do.  If you are the same then absolutely check out my pasta primavera or beef stroganoff.

roasted bone in pork chops with gravy in a cast iron skillet

Smothered Pork Chops

This classic southern dish is the epitome of comfort food.  It’s an incredibly easy to make one-pan meal consisting of pork chops, caramelized onions, and a homemade gravy that makes for the perfect weeknight meal.  In addition, you can also add mushrooms to the dish to make it similar to a chopped steak.

Ways to Tenderize Pork

Pork can often come off as dry or chewy if is cooked incorrectly.  Here are a few ways to ensure that it is tender and flavorful:

  • Brine – A salty-vinegar solution that seasons the pork by marinating it overnight.
  • Marinade – There are several delicious marinades that will allow the acid, seasonings, and herbs to penetrate the pork. I always recommend marinating overnight for the most flavor.
  • Pounding – Using a meat mallet to break down the meat to help tenderize it.
  • Braising – This happens when you sear meat and then slowly cook it in a flavorful broth to help break it down.
  • Not Over Cooking – The easiest way to make sure pork is delicious is by not overcooking it. Anything past 155° internally it will begin to become chewy.

The Gravy

One of the most important aspects of flavorful smothered pork chops is the gravy.  It’s incredibly easy to prepare and only has 5 ingredients.  Here is how you make it:

  1. Add the onions to a large frying or cast-iron pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons of rendered fat or oil and cook for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned.

caramelized onions in a cast iron skillet

  1. Mix in the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

cooking chopped garlic with caramelized onions

  1. Sprinkle in the flour and mix it in completely with the onions and garlic.

adding flour to cooked onions to a pan

  1. Pour in the stock and bring to a low boil and cook until thick, which only takes 3-4 minutes.

spoonful of onion gravy in a pan

How to Make Smothered Pork Chops

Follow these easy procedures to make this tasty recipe:

Season the pork chops well on both sides with salt and pepper.

seasoning bone in thick cut pork chops with salt

In a small amount of oil in a large frying or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat cook the pork chops until very browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.

cooking bone in pork chops in a pan

Next, remove the pork chops and prepare the gravy, and then place the pre-cooked pork chops in the gravy to heat up.

cooking pork chops in an onion gravy

Finish the pork chops and gravy with a touch of heavy cream and fresh herbs.

adding cream to smothered pork chops in a cast iron skillet

Recipe Chef Notes + Tips

Make-Ahead: While these are meant to be eaten right away, you can make these up to 1 hour ahead of time, just keep the pork chops in the gravy over very low heat.

How to Store: Cover and keep in the gravy in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  These will freeze covered in the gravy for up to 3 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pork and gravy to a medium size pan and cook over medium-low heat until warmed, which takes about 10 minutes.  You can also reheat in a microwave.

You can use chicken stock, or beef stock, or a combination of both like I did.

I prefer to use double thick-cut bone-in pork chops for the most flavor.  You can easily substitute with thin cut pork chops, pork loin, or pork tenderloin.

These pork chops go perfectly with mashed potatoes and green beans.

onion gravy pork chops and mashed potatoes

More Amazing Pork Recipes

  • Pork Tenderloin
  • Croque Monsieur
  • Pork Chops with Apples
  • Ham and Green Beans Stew
  • Smoked Pork

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest, and if you’ve had a chance to make this, then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

Video

roasted bone in pork chops with gravy in a cast iron skillet
Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes

Smothered Pork Chops Recipe

These smothered pork chops are pan-roasted to perfection & then simmered in a delicious caramelized onion gravy & finished with fresh herbs.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: entree, Main
Cuisine: American, southern
Servings: 4
Calories: 469kcal
Author: Chef Billy Parisi

Ingredients

  • 4 thick-cut bone-in pork chops
  • 1 ½ tablespoons oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into chunks
  • 3 peeled and thickly sliced medium-size yellow onions
  • 3 finely minced cloves of garlic
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 32 ounces chicken stock beef stock, or combination of both
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • sea salt and pepper taste

Instructions

  • Season the pork chops well on each side with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
  • Add the oil into a large frying or cast-iron pan over high heat until it begins to lightly smoke.
  • Next add in the pork chops and butter and turn the heat down to medium-high and cook for 3-4 minutes or until very browned.
  • Turn the pork over, baste, and cook for another 3-4 minutes and set aside.
  • In the same pan turn the heat down to medium and add in the onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or until lightly browned.
  • Next, stir in the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Stir in the flour until completely mixed in and then add in the stock and turn the heat up slightly to medium-high and cook until it becomes thick like gravy, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the pork chops back in the pan to heat them up and finish by stirring in the heavy cream.
  • Garnish with optional finely minced fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme.

Notes

Chef Notes:
  • Make-Ahead: While these are meant to be eaten right away, you can make these up to 1 hour ahead of time, just keep the pork chops in the gravy over very low heat.
 
  • How to Store: Cover and keep in the gravy in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. These will freeze covered in the gravy for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
 
  • How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pork and gravy to a medium size pan and cook over medium-low heat until warmed, which takes about 10 minutes. You can also reheat in a microwave.
 
  • You can use chicken stock, or beef stock, or a combination of both like I did.
 
  • I prefer to use double thick-cut bone-in pork chops for the most flavor. You can easily substitute with thin cut pork chops, pork loin, or pork tenderloin.
 
  • These pork chops go perfectly with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Nutrition

Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 398mg | Potassium: 879mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 306IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg
Smothered Pork Chops Recipe was last modified: September 29th, 2020 by Chef Billy Parisi

FREE EMAIL SERIES

5 Secrets to Make Homemade Taste Better

Chef Billy's go-to tips that transform “blah” into “brilliant”!

Previous Post: « The Ultimate Ham and Cheese Sliders Recipe
Next Post: Honey Butter Recipe »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. G says

    January 06, 2021 at 8:47 am

    5 stars
    Delish! the pork chops and gravy went perfectly with garlic mashed and roasted vegetables. the house smells soooo good.

    Reply
  2. Deepa says

    January 01, 2021 at 8:10 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today for New year’s day lunch and it turned out delicious! I love mushrooms, so couldn’t help adding some. 🙂 Thanks for another fantastic recipe.

    Reply
  3. Kathy says

    November 16, 2020 at 8:52 pm

    5 stars
    You’re my hero!
    Never before could I cook pork chops!
    What can I do with so much left over gravy???

    Reply
    • Chef Billy Parisi says

      November 17, 2020 at 6:45 am

      Definitely freeze it or you can use it in a beef stew or soup?

      Reply
  4. Ken says

    October 17, 2020 at 7:50 pm

    5 stars
    Another fabulous, classic recipe! I followed your instructions exactly. Adding the herbs (thyme, rosemarey) and fresh pepper is the kicker (and can be done at serving by the individuals to taste). Most satisfying I’ve had pork chop in a long time… I served with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

    Reply
  5. Patricia says

    October 09, 2020 at 1:32 pm

    5 stars
    You are an amazing chef and I enjoy your recipes so much. I have made your shrimp scampi, which Was to die for! I am from Southeast Louisiana, near New
    Orleans, and cook lots of creole shrimp
    dishes.
    Your Scampi is right on, my friend!!
    I already have my beautiful thick pork chops and onions for next dish.

    Reply
  6. Cassandra says

    October 04, 2020 at 7:38 pm

    5 stars
    I really enjoyed this! I ate my whole pork chop tonight and I don’t typically. Thank you! One sub I made was I used better than bullion instead of the bullion cubes. It was fantastic!!!

    Reply
  7. Rehab says

    October 02, 2020 at 9:34 am

    5 stars
    👍

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

ABOUT ME

I’m Billy Parisi and thanks for checking out my site! I’m a culinary school grad that spent 15 years in the restaurant industry as a line cook, sous chef and executive chef. Now I write recipes, take pictures of’em, shoot some video, occasionally hosting on TV, checking out the latest fashion, hangin with my wife and daughter and watching a whole bunch of college sports. Hope you enjoy my twists on classics as well as new innovations! Read More…

free email series

5 Secrets to Make Homemade Taste Better

Chef Billy's go-to tips that transform “blah” into “brilliant”!

FEATURED IN

IT’S SOUP SEASON

bowl of beef and barley soup with herbs

Traditional Beef and Barley Soup Recipe

bowl of ham and bean soup

Amazing Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

bowl of ribollita soup with kale and carrots

Tuscan Ribollita Soup Recipe

bowl of summer corn chowder with bacon

Easy Corn Chowder Recipe

bowl of chicken noodle soup with vegetables

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

bowl of stew with vegetables

Mulligan Stew Recipe

POPULAR POSTS

  • Slow Cooked Brisket Chili Recipe
  • Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder Recipe
  • Perfectly Cooked Boneless Chicken Breast Recipe
  • vinegar based coleslaw recipe with apple cider vinegar Vinegar Based Coleslaw Recipe
  • Beef Braciole Recipe (Involtini)
  • how to boil green beans Boiled Green Beans Recipe with Butter Glaze

Footer

As Seen On:

Copyright © 2021 Chef Billy Parisi | Privacy Policy