Are you craving a big piece of pan seared meat? Try these pan seared pork chops for dinner tonight. It's super quick, healthy and restaurant quality.
If you love pan seared pork, you'll want to check out our pulled pork and our pork carnitas.
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Ingredients
The ingredients for our pan seared pork chops are pantry staples and are easy to find at your grocery store. Let's talk about some of the key ingredients.
- Meat: We used bone-in pork chops that were 1 to 1 ½ inches thick.
- Fat: We used both butter and olive oil.
- Spices: We used fresh thyme sprigs, fresh parsley, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Aromatics: We used fresh garlic cloves that were peeled and smashed.
- Liquids: We used white wine and chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients for the pan seared pork. Peel the garlic cloves and smash them with the bottom of a glass.
- Let the pork chops warm up to room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, then pat both sides dry with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle both sides heavily with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Press or rub the seasonings into the meat on both sides.
3. Add the olive oil and butter to the pan and set over medium high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the chops to the skillet with tongs. Sear the first side for 5 minutes, turn the heat down to medium.
Carefully flip the chops over and sear the other side for 6 minutes. To check the temperature, insert a thermometer in the thickest part. It should read 135 F.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat. Place the chops on a large plate and tent with foil. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes.
During this time, the juices will redistribute through the meat and the meat will continue to cook. The temperature should read 145 F after the resting time.
5. To make the pan sauce, melt the butter over medium high heat in the same cast iron skillet. Add the smashed garlic cloves and the black pepper. Cook for two minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden turner.
Add the four fresh thyme sprigs.
6. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden turner. Pour in the chicken stock and the Worcestershire sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and let the pan sauce cook for 5 minutes. If you want the pan sauce thicker, you can add 1 tablespoon of a cornstarch and water slurry.
7. Remove the skillet from the heat and swirl in a pat of butter. Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir it in. Remove the thyme and garlic cloves. Ladle the sauce over the pork chops.
8. To serve the pan seared pork, slice the meat thinly against the grain. Drizzle on the pan sauce and the garlic. Serve with broccoli florets and baby potato wedges.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, when chops are cooked to 135 F they can have a little pink in them. Remove the meat from the heat. Place on a plate and tent with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes. This will increase the internal temperature to 145F.
If the pork chop is ½ inch thick, sear for 3 minutes per side. If they are 1 inch thick, sear for 5 minutes per side.
The surface temperature of the pan should be in the 400 to 450 F range. The best pan to use is a cast iron.
When you poke a hole with a knife or fork, the juices that come out should be clear or very faintly pink.
Serve
To round out your meal of pan seared pork, consider serving: broccoli florets, oven roasted baby potatoes, green beans, a crisp garden salad, or fried apples with onions.
Store
Leftovers: Allow the pan seared pork to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
Freeze: If you choose to freeze any leftovers, put them in an airtight container or a freezer zip top bag for 2 to 3 months. Remember, reheating this meat will cause the pieces to dry out, so it is best to eat them when fresh or repurpose the leftovers into another recipe.
Expert Tips
- Let the meat warm up to room temperature before cooking, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Use thick slices of chops, as they dry out less when cooking.
- Use bone in meat with more fat. It will have more juice and more flavor.
- Pat the chops dry to remove the excess moisture.
- Don't poke or stab the meat; it will release the juices trapped inside.
- Let it rest after it is cooked, as the temperature will continue to rise and the juices will redistribute.
Interested in other pork recipes? Give these ones a try.
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Recipe
Pan Seared Pork Chops
Ingredients
For the Pork Chops
- 4 bone-in pork chops, 1 to 1 ½ inches thick
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
For the Pan Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon salted butter
- sprinkle of salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
Equipment
Instructions
Cooking the Pork Chops
- Bring the chops to room temperature; it should take 20-30 minutes.
- Pat them dry on both sides with a paper towel then rub the seasonings onto both sides.
- Place the oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet. Set over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the chops and sear the first side for 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium and flip over the meat with kitchen tongs. Sear the other side for 6 minutes, then check the temperature by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part. The temperature should read 135°F.
- Remove the chops from the skillet and place them on a large plate and tent with foil. Let them rest for 10 minutes. During this time, they will continue cooking and the temperature should rise to 145°F.
Making the Pan Sauce
- Melt one tablespoon of butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and black pepper, then saute for 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden turner.
- Reduce the heat to medium, then add ¼ cup of white wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom of the cast iron skillet with the wooden turner to free up any brown bits from the meat.
- Add the chicken stock, fresh thyme leaves, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir with wooden turner and let the pan sauce cook for 5 minutes. (For a thicker sauce, add one tablespoon of a cornstarch and water slurry.)
- Remove the cast iron skillet from the heat. Add ½ tablespoon of butter, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and the lemon juice. Stir until well combined.
- Slice the meat thinly across the grain. Drizzle on the pan sauce, with the garlic, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- 20 to 30 minutes is all that is needed to let the meat warm up to room temperature.
- Want your chops to be less dry? Use thicker ones.
- Want more juice and more flavor? Use bone in with some fat.
- To remove excess moisture, pat the chops dry.
- Tent with foil and let it rest. The temperature will continue to rise inside the meat and the juices will redistribute.
Nutrition
This pan seared pork chop recipe was originally posted on May 10, 2019 and then updated on May 27, 2020. It was updated again on May 20, 2022 with resized photos and updated content.
Bill
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Emma
You're very welcome, Bill!
Leslie
Do you serve the garlic or discard it ?
Emma
Yes, the garlic should be served along with the pork chops. Enjoy!
Beth
I like the pictures in this post! The pork chops look very juicy and the sauce looks delicious.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! The sauce adds a lot of flavor to the pork.