Smothered Pork Chops

Name: Smothered Pork Chops
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Southern American
Ingredients: 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 cups chicken broth; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 4 fresh thyme sprigs; 2 tbsp unsalted butter

A Southern classic of thick bone-in pork chops seasoned, pan-seared until golden, then braised in a rich caramelized onion and cream gravy until fork-tender.

60 minMediumServes 4560 cal/serving

Southern AmericanDinnerStovetopHigh ProteinHigh FiberNut-FreeAlcohol-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

1

Pat 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick dry. In a small bowl, mix 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika. Rub the seasoning all over the chops.
2

Spread 1/2 cup all-purpose flour on a plate. Dredge each pork chop in flour, shaking off excess. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the remaining flour.
3

Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick for 3-4 minutes per side until deep golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
4

Reduce heat to medium. Add 2 tbsp unsalted butter to the same pan. Add 2 large thinly sliced yellow onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes until golden and caramelized. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook 1 minute more.
5

Sprinkle the reserved flour over the onions and stir to coat. Cook 1 minute, then gradually pour in 2 cups chicken broth while stirring, scraping up all browned bits. Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream.
6

Return the pork chops and any juices to the pan. Add 4 fresh thyme sprigs sprigs. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes until pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F and is tender.
7

Remove thyme sprigs. Taste gravy and adjust seasoning. Serve pork chops smothered in the onion gravy.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Southern American Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

What internal temperature should Smothered Pork Chops reach?

For Smothered Pork Chops, the target internal temperature is 145 F (about 65 C), given in step 6. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork.

Can I speed up the caramelized onions in Smothered Pork Chops?

Step 4 reads: "Add 2 large thinly sliced yellow onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes until golden and caramelized." Not by much. Step 4 needs steady medium-low heat; turning it up burns the outside before the sugars inside have browned. A splash of water rescues a pan that starts to catch.

What can I use instead of smoked paprika in Smothered Pork Chops?

The entry for Smothered Pork Chops calls for 1/2 tsp smoked paprika. In its place: Sweet paprika with a small pinch of cumin, or a few drops of liquid smoke. Chipotle powder works if you want heat as well.

Can I make Smothered Pork Chops dairy-free?

Yes. The dairy in Smothered Pork Chops is 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 tbsp unsalted butter. Swap the cream for full-fat coconut milk or an oat cooking cream; the butter for olive oil where it melts, or a plant-based block butter where it is creamed. The richness shifts slightly, but the method does not change.

Can I make Smothered Pork Chops gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Smothered Pork Chops is 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

How much protein is in Smothered Pork Chops?

One serving (the recipe makes 4) has 40 g of protein in about 560 calories, alongside 73 g carbohydrate and 39 g fat, plus 5 g fiber and 653 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list. More like it: the high-protein dinner collection.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.