Smothered Pork Chops Recipe

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

45 mins

Servings:

4

Jump to Nutrition Facts

Nothing elicits more dread than the age old question of what's for dinner. It's a seemingly never-ending cycle of cooking and cleaning. This easy smothered pork chop recipe is here to save the day. You can whip up this comforting one-pan meal in under 45 minutes. It's a crowd-pleasing combination of juicy pork chops and creamy buttermilk gravy.

What Are Smothered Pork Chops?

Smothered pork chops are pork chops that have been pan-fried and covered with a creamy gravy. Here, we're making the gravy with tangy buttermilk and the drippings from the pan after cooking the chops. You can flavor the gravy with garlic, onions, herbs, spices, and more. Smothered pork chops are easy to customize and go well with a variety of side dishes.

How to Make Smothered Pork Chops

Our recipe testers raved about how easy this recipe is. Here's a quick look at how to make smothered pork chops.

Prep the Chops: Season the pork chops with spices and dredge with flour.
Fry: Add butter to a skillet and fry the chops on both sides. Remove the chops and leave the drippings in the pan.
Make the Gravy: Add onions to the pan and cook until tender. Add garlic and herbs. Stir in flour and finish with broth, buttermilk, and mustard.
Finish: Return the chops the pan with the gravy and cook until the chops are done.

How to Ensure Your Smothered Pork Chops Are Tender

There are a few things you can do to ensure your recipe for smothered pork chops comes out juicy and tender.

Opt for bone-in cuts. A thick-cut, bone-in chop will stay juicier when cooking. Our Test Kitchen recommends choosing chops that are about 3/4-inch thick.
Sear the chops first. Cooking the chops first before adding them to the gravy gives them a nice golden-brown crust and helps them retain moisture as they cook.
Let the chops rest before slicing. This step happens while you make the gravy.
When in doubt, spoon on the sauce. The rich, creamy gravy goes a long way to help potentially dried-out pork chops.

What Pairs Well with Smothered Pork Chops?

Smothered pork chops make a great weeknight meal because you can mix and match what you serve with them. Serve the chops themselves over rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta. They're also delicious with crusty bread for soaking up all the gravy. As for a vegetable side dish, we like to serve this pork chop recipe with roasted vegetables or a bright salad, like this Spinach and Pear Salad.

Ingredients

4 3/4-inch thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 1/4 pounds)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 3 tablespoons butter
1 sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced (2 cups)
4 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped italian parsley

Directions

Season pork chops with paprika, seasoned salt, and cayenne pepper.
Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chops in flour, shaking off excess. Reserve 2 Tbsp. of the flour.
In a 12-inch skillet heat oil and 1 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add chops to skillet. Cook until well browned, 6 to 10 minutes, turning once. Remove chops from skillet; cover with foil to keep warm. Add additional butter to skillet to equal about 2 Tbsp. drippings.
Add onion to skillet. Stir to coat in drippings. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 12 to 14 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally, and scraping any browned bits up from the bottom of the skillet. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook and stir until onions are golden brown. Stir in garlic and thyme. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Reduce heat to medium. Add flour. Cook and stir 1 minute. Add broth, buttermilk, and mustard. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, then cook 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
Return chops to skillet and coat in gravy. Cover and simmer until heated through and chops are done (145°F when tested with an instant-read thermometer), 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

776	Calories
44g	Fat
21g	Carbs
70g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 776.2
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 44.3g	57%
Saturated Fat 15.6g	78%
Cholesterol 238.4mg	79%
Sodium 637.6mg	28%
Total Carbohydrate 21.3g	8%
Dietary Fiber 1.6g	6%
Total Sugars 5.8g
Protein 69.9g	140%
Vitamin D 2mcg	10%
Vitamin C 7mg	8%
Calcium 134.2mg	10%
Iron 3.5mg	20%
Potassium 1126.9mg	24%
Fatty acids, total trans 0.6g
Vitamin D 76.8IU
Alanine 3.9g
Arginine 4.6g
Ash 4.7g
Aspartic acid 6.6g
Caffeine 0mg
Carotene, alpha 3.4mcg
Choline, total 203.6mg
Copper, Cu 0.3mg
Cystine 0.8g
Energy 3249.3kJ
Fluoride, F 1.6mcg
Folate, total 53mcg
Glutamic acid 11.4g
Glycine 3.1g
Histidine 2.9g
Isoleucine 3.4g
Leucine 5.8g
Lysine 6.2g
Methionine 1.9g
Magnesium, Mg 82.3mg
Manganese, Mn 0.3mg
Niacin 22.4mg
Phosphorus, P 649.5mg
Pantothenic acid 2mg
Phenylalanine 2.9g
Phytosterols 16.2mg
Proline 3g
Retinol 80.5mcg
Selenium, Se 118.6mcg
Serine 3g
Starch 0g
Theobromine 0mg
Threonine 3.1g
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1.8mg
Tryptophan 0.7g
Tyrosine 2.6g
Valine 3.6g
Vitamin A, IU 726.4IU
Vitamin A, RAE 103.7mcg
Vitamin B-12 1.6mcg
Vitamin B-6 1.9mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 21.9mcg
Water 325.3g
Zinc, Zn 5.9mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.