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.
More Meaty Main Dish Recipes
This post was originally published on February 10, 2015. It has been updated with new text and images.
I followed the recipe to the letter on my first go-round and it was good, and the meat was exceptionally tender and juicy, although I don’t care for worcestershire and brown sugar all that much and next time I think I’ll leave out the sugar and use soy instead of worcestershire. I may even experiment with a different flavor profile altogether and sub half vermouth and half chicken broth for the beef broth, and tarragon for the herbs, and add a second dollop of dijon. The method is a good one for tender pork chops and I’m eager to try new variations. I moved my cast iron braising dish to the back burner and set it on low, freeing up my oven for the Greek potatoes linked above, which by the way were excellent.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the post!
You’re so welcome! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and review – it is much appreciated!
Didn’t alter this recipe at all and it was great! My husband just raved about it. I didn’t have fresh thyme so used a small amount of dried but will use fresh next time. This is nice enough to serve company.
Infinitely grateful! 💯
I’m not really very good with chops, they usually come out a bit on the hard side. These came out beautifully. I served them with an Etthiopian Cabbage recipe that I found online and the whole family loved the meal. It’s now gone straight on to the ‘favourites’ list!!