This smothered pork chops recipe is super flavorful, juicy, and easy to make. This recipe is perfect for anyone wanting to indulge in a meaty, creamy, and cheesy delightfulness if you're looking for healthy comfort food.
Need more tasty and tender pork chop recipes? Try my parmesan crusted pork chops, ranch pork chops, and pan-seared pork chops for your next family dinner.
Contents
🐖 Pork chops in gravy
So today, I'm going to share with you my mom's gravy for smothered pork chops. Of course, I tweaked her recipe a little to make it satisfyingly guilt-free.
Gravy has a superpower we often overlook when cooking pork, chicken, and beef dishes. GRAVY is the secret to perfectly tender and juicy meat!
I love combining fresh parmesan with pork. This gravy brings everything together easily and deliciously. Every bite is filled with a yummy experience. My family devours this dish. And I'm pretty sure you'll LOVE it as well.
🍽 What you need
These pork chops are so delicious and make a relatively quick and easy dinner. To make pan-fried pork chops with a creamy parmesan gravy sauce, you'll need:
Equipment
- Large cast-iron skillet
- Foil
- Plates
- Wooden spatula or spoon
When it comes to pan-searing, a cast-iron skillet is ideal because its heat retention is excellent. But you if don't have one, a copper, heavy-bottomed, or any other uncoated pan that retains heat well would work.
Ingredients
- 1½ - 2lbs. thin boneless pork chops
- 2 tbsp. salted butter
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic ( 4-5 cloves garlic)
- 1½ cups, heavy cream
- 1 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 2 tbsp. arrowroot powder
- 3-4 tbsp. water
- Salt and black pepper to taste
I went for boneless instead of bone-in pork chops or rib chop in this recipe, but the two work just fine. However, it would be best if you cooked the bone-in pork chops 2 minutes more per side.
Also, keep in mind when I say thin-sliced, I don't mean too thin. Your cuts should be at least 1 inch thick to 1½ inches thick. I find ½ inch thick cuts a bit too thin. And if you didn't know, these types of cuts are prone to overcooking. And trust me, you don't want an overcooked pork chop. You can as well use thick boneless cuts if that's what you've got on hand. You don't need to slice them up, but you'll cook them a bit longer.
🔪 How to make
- Start by melting butter in the skillet over medium heat. As the pan gets hot, season the pork chops generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Once the skillet gets hot, add the pork chops and cook for about 4 minutes until they're nicely browned. Flip the chops and cook for another 3 minutes. Do not move the chops around the pan if you wish to get those lovely golden crusts on the outside. For bone-in and thick boneless pork chops, cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until the thickest part of the chops reach an internal temperature of 145°. It's really important to ensure your pork chops are cooked all the way through.
- Remove the skillet from heat and cover. Let the chops sit in the pan for 8-10 minutes to finish cooking.
- Transfer the chops to a plate and cover them loosely with foil to keep them moist.
- While your pork chops rest, prepare the slurry. Mix the arrowroot powder and water. Whisk until smooth. You don't want lumps, and the mixture should be thick enough, not too thick or thin.
- Return the skillet and melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. This should roughly take 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the arrowroot slurry, heavy cream, and stir until well combined. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the parmesan cheese and parsley, stirring continuously until smooth. Add the pork chops back to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy your meal.
💭 Quick tips
- Always season pork chops with salt and pepper before cooking. This not only enhances the flavor of the chops but also the texture of the meat. You can also do a quick brine for about 30 minutes for maximum flavor. Or, if you have the time, you can go full-blown for 6 hours or more. But don't exceed the 24-hour mark; otherwise, the chops might be too salty. Brining works well for thick-cut pork chops. So if that's what you're using, I'd recommend it.
- To avoid overcooking or undercooking your chops, it's best to use a meat thermometer.
- Do not overcrowd your skillet. Your chops will never sear to a nice golden brown crust. If the chops don't fit, cook them in batches instead.
- Let the pork chops rest before tossing them in the gravy. This allows the pork to cook more evenly.
- Never cook pork chop straight from the refrigerator. You might end up with unevenly cooked meat. There's nothing more disappointing than overcooked or undercooked pork chops.
📋 Variations
This recipe is super easy to modify and I often use it as a base recipe. I've used this to make mushroom, onion, paprika, lemon garlic, and rosemary flavored gravy.
Mushroom Gravy
If you like mushrooms, smothered pork chops with mushroom gravy are great. Saute about 8 medium to large mushrooms in oil until cooked, remove, and continue with the recipe. (combine in step 7).
Onion Gravy
Like the mushroom gravy, saute 1 large onion prior to cooking the pork chops, Remove and continue with the recipe. (combine in step 7).
Paprika Gravy
My preference for paprika gravy is 50% (½ tbsp) paprika combined with 50% (½ tbsp) smoked paprika. (combine in step 7).
🌮 Taco Gravy
If you love tacos, pork chop tacos is definitely a treat. Grab my authentic taco seasoning and add 1-2 Tbps at step 7. Start with 1 Tbps, taste, and add more. This is entirely based on your preference.
Rosemary Thyme Gravy
Rosemary and thyme combine to make the perfect meat enhancer. Not only will this gravy taste amazing, the aromas are incredible and your entire home will smell divine. Combine 1 teaspoon rosemary and 1 teaspoon thyme at Step 7.
Ranch Gravy
This one is surprising! If you haven't tried ranch pork chops, grab my homemade ranch seasoning and give this a try. This is a delicious dish that even my kids love.
⭐ Pork chops in slow cooker
If you have time and pork chops, you can opt to make smothered pork chops in a slow cooker. While I prefer bone-in for this recipe cause it imparts a lot of added flavor to the gravy. But if you like boneless chops, no problem.
The best thing about slow cooker recipes is that you can go about your daily routine while your chops cook. It takes about 3 hours on high and 6 hours on low.
When making this recipe, add everything to the slow cooker except the arrowroot and water. Save this for the last 30 minutes, combine arrowroot and water. Add to your slow cooker, combine.
I hope you enjoy this fantastic smothered pork chop in a slower cooker.
🥫 Storage
Let your smothered pork chops cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container. Expect it to last up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I don't recommend freezing because creams don't freeze well.
🥗 What to serve with
The best thing about smothered pork chops is that you can serve them with just about anything, from rice to mashed potatoes, egg noodles, veggies like green beans, cornbread, and so much more. These side dishes also pair well with pork chop recipe;
- Cilantro lime cauliflower rice - cilantro cauliflower rice and pork are a classic pairing. Your whole family will love this.
- Steam vegetables - sneaking more veggies into meals has never been a bad idea.
- Whole roasted cauliflower - is another perfect side dish for pork recipes. Crispy and creamy all in one bite always hit the spot.
Related Pork Recipes
- Thin cut pan-Seared Pork Chops with creamy mustard sauce
- One-pan creamy ranch pork chops
- Oven baked parmesan crusted pork chops
👪 Serving size
This recipe makes 6 servings. Whether you're planning to impress your guests or looking for a dinner recipe that's both delicious and easy to make, you can never go wrong with smothered pork chops.
There's so much to love about this recipe; perfectly pan-seared pork chop with fantastic gravy all in one skillet! What's more, you can swap out and add ingredients to make it your own.
📋 Recipe
Smothered Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1-½ to 2 lbs thin boneless pork chops
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1-½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 3-4 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add salt and pepper to taste to both sides of each chop.
- Add chops to skillet and cook on each side until browned. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 8-10 minutes to finish cooking.
- Transfer chops to a plate and cover with foil.
- Make a slurry with the arrowroot powder and water - add the arrowroot to the water and whisk until smooth.
- Heat the pan again over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).
- Add the arrowroot slurry and heavy cream and stir until combined then bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the Parmesan cheese and parsley, stirring continuously until smooth.
- Add the chops back to the pan and serve.
Notes
- Always season pork chops with salt and pepper before cooking. This not only enhances the flavor of the chops but also the texture of the meat. You can also do a quick brine for about 30 minutes for maximum flavor. Or, if you have the time, you can go full-blown for 6 hours or more. But don't exceed the 24-hour mark; otherwise, the chops might be too salty. Brining really works well for thick-cut pork chops. So if that's what you're using, I'd recommend it.
- To avoid overcooking or undercooking your chops, it's best to use a meat thermometer.
- Do not overcrowd your skillet. Your chops will never sear to a nice golden brown crust. If the chops don't fit, cook them in batches instead.
- Let the pork chops rest before tossing them in the gravy. This allows the pork to cook more evenly.
- Never cook pork chop straight from the refrigerator. You might end up with unevenly cooked meat. There's nothing more disappointing than an overcooked or undercooked pork chops.
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