Smothered Pork Chops

4 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Smothered Pork Chops are tender braised pork chops served with a creamy, seasoned, onion gravy make this homemade pork chop recipe worthy of a Sunday dinner.

Pork Chops (like these Brown Sugar Garlic Oven Baked Pork Chops) are among my favorite foods ever. Here are some our our most popular Southern dishes that we think your family will love! Try Southern Fried OkraSausage Balls, and Southern Chicken Fried Steak.

Smothered Pork Chops Smothered Pork Chops

These Smothered Pork Chops will become a go-to dinner night pork classic (like our Ultimate Garlic Pork Loin Roast). Heavy cream, flour, garlic, and more combine together to form a flavorful gravy. Add the seasoned and cooked pork to obtain the perfect Southern meal. Smothered pork chops are thick, 1-inch, bone-in pork loin chops that are seasoned with salt and pepper, seared then braised in a chicken broth and cream sauce loaded with caramelized onions.

Essentially the pork chops are “smothered” in their own juices and a well seasoned sauce. As the pork chops cook in a cast iron skillet, the onion sauce reduces and creates a luscious gravy with hints of garlic and thyme. Don’t use pork cutlets in this recipe as they have a tendency to dry out quickly. Bone-in pork chops yield moist, juicy, and tender pork in each bite.

How to Make Smothered Pork Chops

  1. Season the chops with salt and pepper then sear in a cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Set the pork aside.
  2. Add the sliced onions to the skillet and let them caramelize.
  3. Make the sauce by adding the garlic, thyme, and flour to the caramelized onions. Add the chicken broth and cream.
  4. Place the seared chops back into the skillet and simmer on medium low for 15 minutes or until the pork is tender and the sauce has reduced by half.

Roasted, Pan-Fried or Slow Cooked Pork chop Recipes

There are many ways to cook bone-in pork chops. You can roast them, pan-fry them or even use a slow cooker on them. If you are looking for the most straightforward and least “involved” cooking option, then a slow cooker will have your solution. For the most part, you will need to dump in everything required for your pork chop. Some people will add mushroom gravy or onion soup mix right into the slow cooker so that the pork shop will be able to gain the most flavor while it cooks.

If you have time, opening yourself up to other options can leave you ready for a great new dining experience. Sautéed pork chops in a skillet or a smothered and pan-fried pork chop will allow for infinite flavor combinations. Most of the time, the average cook will have everything they need to make a great meal right in the kitchen.

How do I know when pork is done?

The National Pork Board recommends that pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145° then given a three minute rest before serving.

Southern Smothered Pork Chops

How Long Can Smothered Pork Chops be Stored?

While pork can be frozen for up to six months when frozen fresh, a cooked chop cannot be stored for that long. Once cooked, you should keep your pork chops refrigerated for no longer than three to four days.

Tips for Picking the Best Pork Chops

  • Aim for 6 ounces of uncooked pork per person to result in the correct amount of meat.
  • Look for pork chops that are pinkish-red in color. This will provide a better cooking and eating experience. Don’t choose chops that are pale or have liquid in the package.
  • Make sure the pock chops you choose are marbled with small flecks of fat. However, that fat should be white with no flecks of black for the best flavor. Getting the meatiest pork chops will result in a bland Smothered Pork Chops recipe.
  • Calculate the cost per serving to help stay in budget.
  • Avoid getting boneless pork chops for better cost as well as a more flavor-filled sauce.

Helpful Fixes for Making the Best Gravy

  • If your gravy is lumpy, then pour your gravy into a blender! Make sure to blend it for a total time no longer than thirty to sixty seconds.
  • If your gravy is too salty, then you should add a pinch of brown sugar. Don’t forget to add slowly so that you do not go too far in the other direction.
  • If your gravy is bland, then you might not have gotten enough drippings from the meat. However, you can fix this by adding some bouillion granules.
  • If your gravy is too thin, then simple thicken it by creating a roux in another pan and adding your thin gravy. If you cook this mixture on low heat, it should thicken nicely.

What to Serve with Smothered Pork Chops

Potatoes are a must– Easy Mashed PotatoesUltimate Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes or Loaded Mashed Potatoes will soak up that rich gravy.

Corn: Cornbread, White Southern Cornbread, Corn Succotash or Creamed Corn.

Green Beans: Roasted, Sautéed or Green Beans with Bacon are a quick and easy side dish made in under 15 minutes.

More Pork Recipes:

Smothered Pork Chops and Onions

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Smothered Pork Chops

Smothered Pork Chops are tender braised pork chops served with a creamy, seasoned, onion gravy make this homemade pork chop recipe worthy of a Sunday dinner.
Yield 4 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 4 bone-in pork loin chops (1" inch thick)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 yellow onion , sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  • Season the pork with the salt and pepper and add the vegetable oil to a cast iron skillet on medium high heat, searing on both sides until browned, about 4-5 minutes on each side.
  • Remove the pork from the pan and add in the butter and onions, cooking well until caramelized, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add in the garlic and thyme stirring for 1 minute until fragrant then add in the flour and stir until it is fully absorbed before adding in the chicken broth and heavy cream and whisk well.
  • Add the pork back into the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the pork chops are tender and cooked through and the sauce has thickened and reduced by half.

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 1124mg | Potassium: 156mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 785IU | Vitamin C: 10.7mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Pork Chops Smothered with Onions and Cream Gravy

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. This recipe took me back in time to my youth. A friend of the family made a recipe similar to this when I visited with her. I liked the recipe so much, I asked her to write it down for me, which she did. Life journey took place, a few moves, a flood in the basement where I kept my cookbooks and handwritten notes of recipes between certain pages and I lost her recipe. She is no longer with us that I could pick up the phone and call her to re-write the recipe, so I haven’t made her pork chop recipe in years. I have cravings some times for comforting foods such as this one and thanks to Pinterest and chefs like you, I found this recipe that is similar to hers. I made your recipe over the weekend and I my state of mind went back in time to the my youth at my family-friend’s house. The only additional ingredient I remembered to include is Mrs. Dash (original) but not too much or too salty. (lol). I also cut up about 6-small potatoes and simmered them until soft in the gravy after taking the pork chops out. I am extremely pleased and have saved this recipe to make many times more for my family. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with the rest of the world. This is my “Go-To” pork chop recipe with the comforts of home when I need a quick “pick-me-up” during a rough week of work.

  2. This was delicious! I used 1” thick bone-in chops, they were very tender and so good! I just had sautéed fresh veggies on the side and my husband loved dinner. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Excellent dish. I used boneless thick porkchops. We could only eat half a porkchop each which makes for good leftovers. I also added fresh spinach to the dish.

  4. First try on this recipe, we loved it immediately. My husband even asked me to have it in rotation of our dinner menus. Thanks so much for sharing. I’m so glad I came across this recipe when I was searching for an easy pork chop recipe.

  5. Yet another winner! I had some mushrooms laying in the fridge, so I added those in with the onions. Delicious. Thank you for your fabulous recipes.

    1. Fantastic! Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it. Love the addition of mushrooms too.

    1. I am so sorry, I am just seeing this tonight. I am sure the recipe has long been cooked/or not but I still want to try to help.

      Sure you could, it would taste thinner and not quite as rich, but it would work!

  6. This is our 3rd time making this recipe and I plan to put it in regular rotation. It is absolutely delicious and very easy to make. Thank you so much!! It is not often we all agree 100% on a meal.

  7. My teenage boys enjoyed this dish, which is a big compliment. I used two huge, thick bone in pork chops and they ended up juicy and fairly tender. I think thickness is the key. While I cooked the gravy, I let the pork chops cook in the oven at 300 (after I seared them). After adding the chops back to the pan, I cooked them about 30 minutes on low. I had to thicken up the gravy with a little cornstarch mixed heavy cream. I wanted to try this in the crock pot, but I was not sure how the gravy would turn out. Served the chops with mashed potatoes. I will definitely make this again. Time consuming but worth it!

  8. Yum yum! I made a video on youtube for this recipe but forgot to give you credit, oops lol! Check it out on the Cooking with Jack show. Delicious, but small portion size. Consider increasing portion sizes for all your recipes, I CANNOT get enough meat. Thanks doll.

  9. Made this tonight and it was delicious! Had some half and half I had to use up so used that instead of heavy cream, but it was still great!

  10. I didn’t have pork chops so I made burgers. Seared them just long enough so they wouldn’t fall apart. Otherwise, followed the recipe. My husband and I both really liked it.

    1. I haven’t tested it so I’m not sure. You might be able to find another recipe online with similar ingredients and follow that as a guideline. Good luck!

    1. So sorry to hear that! It sounds like your pork probably released a lot of liquid, which happens when there is too much saline in it. If that happens again, add a little cornstarch slurry to thicken it up 🙂

  11. I made this and the gravy was to die for. I would have made twice the gravy. Got to have some on your mashed potatoes. Also, due to the thick cut of pork chop, mine were not tender. I think they should have cooked longer. Maybe next time I will use a thinner cut of pork chop. I had left overs of the thick cut chop and put them in the crock pot for a few hours the next day with another round of gravy. Awesome on mashed potatoes. I will make this again for sure.

  12. This is a fantastic pork chop recipe! I did not have bone in pork chops so I used 1/2 “ center cut pork chops. I cooked them in my crock pot after searing them and they were so tender you could cut them with a fork. I will share this recipe whenever I can.??

  13. This is an excellent recipe. Looking for a new recipe for pork chops it was spur of the moment decision. I have to be honest and say I didn’t have any cream on hand so I substituted cream cheese, it melted down and made a creamy sauce. Next time I make this recipe I will use cream. Yes I will be making it again my family loved it and the sauce is great over rice.

  14. I kept reading the instructions over and over at what point do I add the butter but the one thing I won’t have to clean

    1. Oops, looks like I needed more coffee before hitting the publish button. Haha! You’ll want to add it in with the onions. Thanks for pointing that out.

  15. Pork chops are my dad’s favorite and he comes to dinner once a week. Putting this on my list for sure. That sauce looks absolutely divine!

  16. My husband can’t eat red meat so I am always on the lookout for pork recipes. This looks delicious, thanks so much!

  17. The flavor in this recipe is out of this world! Pork chops are a favorite with my family so this recipe was a hit.

  18. I’m usually not a huge pork chop fan but my husband is so I made these and let me tell you, they were amazing! So delicious!