Chef John's Smothered Pork Chops

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(888)

These smothered pork chops are cooked in a dark, rich onion gravy for an easy dinner that's sure to impress. And you know that when a dish has "smothered" in the name, it's going to be delicious. Serve over mashed potatoes or hot cooked rice.

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A plate with a pork chop smothered in sauce, served with mashed potatoes and green beans
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Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
55 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 10 mins
Servings:
4

These smothered pork chops, featuring a rich onion gravy, will be a hit on your dinner table. You’ll be shocked by how easy it is to make this Southern comfort food. 

How to Make Smothered Pork Chops

You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make smothered pork chops: 

Smothered Pork Chops Ingredients

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this top-rated smothered pork chops recipe: 

  • For the chops: large bone-in pork chops, poultry seasoning (store-bought or homemade), salt, and black pepper
  • For the sauce: oil, butter, yellow onion, garlic, all-purpose flour, chicken broth (store-bought or homemade), buttermilk, and water

How to Cook Smothered Pork Chops

Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make these homemade smothered pork chops: 

  1. Season and brown the pork chops. Set aside and discard the excess grease. 
  2. Caramelize the onion in butter, stir in the garlic, then stir in the flour. 
  3. Add the broth and the juices from the pork. 
  4. Mix in the buttermilk and water. Simmer until thickened.
  5. Return the pork chops to the pan and coat in sauce. 
  6. Cook until the pork chops are cooked through (145 degrees F). 

What Goes With Smothered Pork Chops? 

Smothered pork chops pair perfectly with starchy comfort foods, like mashed potatoes. Other great options include plain rice or risotto. Homemade rolls or cornbread would be great for soaking up all the delicious gravy. If you want to balance this dish out with something a little lighter, consider roasted broccoli or cauliflower rice

Allrecipes Community Tips and Community 

“The entire family loved it,” according to mom2cook. “Sauce was so buttery and creamy. I didn’t have buttermilk, but went online to make buttermilk at home by adding white vinegar to milk. I also added mushrooms to the sauce.”

“It is surprisingly delicious for being such a simple and easy recipe,” raves Chris Simons.

“Everyone loved it,” says one Allrecipes community member. “Easy to make and would work well with pretty much any white meat. Adding this to my favorites list.”

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings

  • 4 large bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick

  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth

  • ¼ cup buttermilk

  • ¼ cup water

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

    Ingredients to make smothered pork chops

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  2. Sprinkle pork chops with poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper on both sides.

    A cutting board with four pork chops seasoned with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add pork chops and brown well on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

    A pan with four browned pork chops

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  4. Discard excess grease from the pan and melt butter in the same skillet. Reduce heat to medium; stir in onion with a pinch of salt and cook until onion is very browned and caramelized, about 15 minutes.

    A large pan with caramelized onions being stirred with a wooden spoon

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  5. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes.

    A pan with caramelized onions, garlic, and flour being stirred with a wooden spoon

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  6. Pour chicken broth into the skillet and stir, dissolving browned bits of food in the bottom of the skillet.

    A large pan with brown onion sauce being stirred with a wooden spoon

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  7. Pour juices that have accumulated on the plate containing pork chops into the sauce.

    Liquid from a plate of browned pork chops being poured into a large pan with brown onion sauce

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  8. Mix in buttermilk until smooth.

    A measuring glass with buttermilk being poured into a pan of brown onion gravy

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  9. Add water. Bring sauce to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until onions begin to break down and sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

    A pan of simmering brown gravy

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  10. Place pork chops into sauce, spooning sauce over meat to coat.

    A pan with four pork chops in brown gravy, with a spoon putting cooked onions on top of a pork chop

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  11. Turn heat to low and simmer until chops are tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Adjust levels of salt and pepper and serve chops with gravy on top.

    A plate with a pork chop smothered in sauce, served with mashed potatoes and green beans

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

2,252 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

370 Calories
25g Fat
8g Carbs
28g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 370
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 9g 44%
Cholesterol 80mg 27%
Sodium 79mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 28g 56%
Vitamin C 4mg 5%
Calcium 61mg 5%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 478mg 10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.