Braising is the best method to ensure your pork chops will be fork-tender and delicious. After a quick sear, these Skillet Braised Pork Chops are cooked low and slow in a balsamic pan sauce to create an incredibly savory meal.
More of our favorite pork recipes include Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze and Pork Loin Roast with Gravy.
Pork chops can be a tough bugger – literally. Without the correct cooking method, they can end up as tough as shoe leather. But with the proper technique, you can turn this inexpensive cut into a tender, flavorful, family-pleasing meal.
Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops were on regular rotation on our dinner menu when I was a kid. My mom cooked them frequently and only one way – pan fried with mashed potatoes and creamy mushroom gravy. You know, the kind of gravy made with good old-fashioned Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. I still love those pork chops dearly to this day.
I’ve branched out from my pork chop beginnings with these Skillet Braised Pork Chops. This delicious recipe is a significant departure from Mom’s 1970s-style chops and has earned loads of 5-star reviews since I first published it back in 2015.
I always plan to eat these incredibly tasty pork chops with the manners my mama taught me – lady-like and with a knife and fork – but in the end, I’m compelled to pick the thing up and go after it until I’ve had every last bit of meat off that bone.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Pork chops: You’ll need four bone-in pork loin chops. The bone provides more even heat distribution during cooking, which helps the meat stay moist and juicier when compared to boneless chops. This cut is easy to find and exceptionally budget-friendly. For a great resource on this cut of meat, including a comparison of alternate cooking methods, be sure to check out The Food Lab’s Guide to Pan Seared Pork Chops on Serious Eats.
- Fresh produce: Yellow onion, minced garlic, and fresh thyme.
- Braising liquid: The flavorful pan sauce consists of low-sodium beef broth, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and a little brown sugar.
How to Make Skillet Braised Pork Chops
- In a large heavy skillet, quickly sear the chops in olive oil. As they cook, season both sides of the chops with some salt, fresh ground pepper, and fresh thyme. We aren’t concerned with cooking the chops through at this point, we just want to get a nice sear on them. Remove the chops from the pan, pour off any excess grease, and quickly wipe the pan down with a paper towel. This will help prevent the braising liquid from being too greasy. It’s not a required step but I recommend it.
- Add a little additional oil, if needed. Reduce the heat and the onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the broth, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook and stir for about a minute until the sauce is combined.
- Add the browned chops back to the pan, nestling them down into that flavor-packed sauce. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes to an hour, until fork-tender. This part can happen in the oven if you’d like. See the printable recipe below for the oven-braising directions.
And that, my friends, is that. Plate them up, spoon some of the sauce and onions over the top, and serve them with your choice of side dishes.
Serving Suggestions
I think it’s pretty much required to serve Skillet Braised Pork Chops with potatoes of some sort. This time I went with my Lemon and Garlic Roasted Potatoes. You could also do them with my Greek Potatoes or Parsley Potatoes. Pork is absolutely delicious with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Bourbon Glazed Carrots too.
A green veggie is a great way to round out this meal. Try my simply Sautéed Green Beans, Green Beans Almondine, or Sautéed Broccolini.
Storage Tips
Store any leftover pork chops along with the sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 to 3 days for the best quality.
Gently reheat the chops and sauce in a covered pan on the stovetop with a bit of added liquid like broth or water, if needed. To reheat in the microwave, use a microwave-safe cover or lid to prevent the pork from drying out.
More Pork Recipes You’ll Love
- Southwestern Pork Tenderloin
- Pork Chops with Apples and Onions
- Juiciest Baked Pork Tenderloin
- Tender Baked Pork Chops
- BBQ Country Style Ribs
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Skillet Braised Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided ( or as needed)
- 4 bone-in pork loin chops
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, add the pork chops. Cook the chops for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned, seasoning both sides with salt, fresh ground pepper, and fresh thyme. Transfer browned chops to a plate and set aside.
- Drain grease from pan and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Reduce heat to MEDIUM and add onions to pan. Cook and stir for about a minute and then add garlic. Cook until onions are softened and lightly browned, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the broth, brown sugar, balsamic viengar, Dijon, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and cook, stirring for about a minute. Add the chops back to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and cook over LOW heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the pork chops are fork-tender.
Notes
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Follow the recipe as directed, using an oven-proof skillet with a lid. After adding the pork chops back to skillet with the sauce, cover the skillet and transfer it to the oven. If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet with a lid, you can transfer the pork chops and braising liquid to a baking pan and cover it tightly with foil.
- Braise the pork chops in the oven for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until tender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on February 10, 2015. It has been updated with new text and images.
Tried this recipe today. There was a fantastic sale on pork sirloin chops that I couldn’t pass up. We don’t eat a lot of meat or pork in our home so I looked up some recipes . I landed on this one and gave it a try. OMG, it was tender, moist and the sauce was delicious. I coupled them up with mashed potatoes and green beans. My husband, who does really care for pork, loved it. I will use this recipe again. AMAZINGLY good!
Made this last night. Only difference, is that I had two thick bone-in pork chops instead of the four recommended. Otherwise I made it just like the recipe. Can I just say, YUMMM! They were so tender and delicious. I only plated one between my granddaughter (age 12) and I, but we both wanted more, so we ate the second one as well! Easy and delicious, just like I like to cook!
Made Thise tonight for supper and let me tell you my husband ate 2 pork chops!!! My kids demolished their plates!!! It was a huge hit in our house. Will most definitely be saving and reusing this recipe!!! AMAZING!!!
These were terrific. I usually avoid braised dishes, but this recipe dealt with tough chops and was very flavorful. Will definitely do it again.
Wow! Just wow! Especially the sauce. No talking at the table tonight. Everyone was too busy eating. There was a lot of moaning and grunting going on from the men folk. It was like eating dinner with a baboon? However, that is when I know dinner turned out really good.
This is wonderful to hear, Tammie! So glad you all enjoyed the chops 🙂
This pork chop recipe is sooo good. I made it almost exactly the way you said. The only thing I didn’t do is drain the grease from the pork chops!!! That is where all the flavor is and it’s crazy to drain it out only to put more oil in the pan!! I left the grease and cooked my onions right in it. Definitely a great recipe.
Made your chops they were a hit
Will be making them again.
May I say… WOW! I made this last night for dinner with some modifications. I added tater and carrot chunks with the onion and used whole cloves of garlic, because…. GARLIC! I sprinkled rosemary on the veggies and steak, doubled the broth and fixin’s and added a splash of liquid smoke. We ate until we were bursting and I still wanted MORE!
I think this would be awesome with chicken as well and I will try it with a tough cut of beef without my rosemary addition too. Very good, thank you for sharing!
I’m scared to cook pork chops because I always mess them up. This recipe was easy and the pork chops came out delicious! Hubby and I had enjoyed and will make again. Thank you! 5 stars from me ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved this recipe! Usually my pork chops come out really dry so I rarely make them but they were tender and moist using this cooking method. The sauce was really good too. I did make a few changes. I only used 2 TBS of brown sugar and added 2 Tbs of red wine. I also added a cup of chopped mushrooms and half a shallot. It was excellent! Will totally make this again.
I made this for my picky-eater husband and he absolutely loved it. The meat was tender and moist and well-flavored. I also added sliced mushrooms with the onions. This recipe is a keeper—and it was easy enough to make. 5⭐️‘s. Thanks!
Sorry, Valerie, but this was not a winner for me. Too sweet. Even though I reduced the amount of brown sugar by half, it tasted more like a dessert than an entree! I guess I’m just a “savory” person. The basics were there and the pork was very tender. I’m going to try it again, leaving out the brown sugar and adding more herbs – rosemary & sage. BTW, love you, just not a fan of this recipe. xxoo Donna
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you, Donna. I love what brown sugar does to balance the balsamic in this recipe and feel it works really well with pork but you could definitely reduce the amount to suit your taste. It really shouldn’t seem very sweet at all if you reduced the brown sugar down to 1-1/2 tablespoons but maybe this flavor combo is just not for you. I hope your next attempt is more successful 🙂