Name: Creamy Skillet Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3 pounds boneless pork chops; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 1/4 tsp salt; pepper; 2 tbsp all-purpose flour; 1 tbsp cooking oil; 1 ½ cups heavy cream; 2 tsp minced garlic; ½ tsp paprika; 1 tsp dried thyme

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Pork chops can be a tricky meat to prepare. In the past, pork was bred selectively for excellent marbling throughout each muscle. This made the pork very tender and moist. The downside is that pork from that time period was very fatty. As people began to become more conscious of the health effects of consuming fatty meats, breeders began to breed their pigs to have leaner carcasses.

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Creamy Skillet Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce Recipe

April Freeman

Do your pork chops typically turn out too dry and rather tasteless? If you have a hard time fully cooking your pork chops without drying them out, this recipe is just the one for you. Our recipe for Creamy Skillet Pork Chops with Mushrooms walks you through the process of cooking your pork chops fully and uses a tasty, creamy sauce to ensure that they don’t get too dry in the cooking.

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Prep Time 35 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings people

Equipment

Oven
Skillet
Pan

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless pork chops
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

Turn your oven on to preheat to 350 degrees.
Wash the mushrooms, taking care to remove all bits of soil, especially from the underside of the caps. Slice the mushrooms and pat them dry. Let the mushrooms sit on a layer of paper towels to absorb any excess water as you prepare the pork chops.
Put the flour, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper onto a dinner plate and use a fork to stir them together. Roll the pork chops in the flour mixture, coating them fully all over them.
In a heavy-bottomed large skillet, preheat the oil over medium-high heat. Be sure that the skillet and the oil are quite hot. The oil will get very runny and begin to shimmer. Flick a drop of water into the skillet and if it bubbles, you have the right temperature for the oil.
Put the pork chops into the hot oil and let them cook for about five minutes without turning them. You want them to have a nice sear and a light crusting on the outside. Do not touch or move the pork chops during this initial searing.
After the bottom is seared, flip the pork chops with tongs. Sear the other side in the same way that you seared the first.
When the pork chops are seared, place them on a baking sheet and put them into the oven. Bake the pork chops as you prepare the rest of the meal. If you have very thick pork chops, it may take longer for the center to be done. Use a meat thermometer to test the chops for doneness. It is fully cooked when the temperature of the chops reaches 145 degrees. Test the pork chops every five to ten minutes to avoid overcooking them.
As the pork chops bake, you can prepare the mushrooms. Add the other tablespoon of cooking oil to the same pan and heat it, turning the heat down to medium. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and saute them without stirring them for about 3 minutes. Begin to stir them, flipping them over to brown them for about a minute more. Set about a third of the mushrooms onto a plate and set them aside.
To the skillet containing part of the mushrooms, add the heavy cream, the garlic, and the paprika. Bring the sauce to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the sauce simmer for five minutes or until it begins to thicken slightly. Stir the sauce from time to time as it is simmering to keep it from scorching.
Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the thyme. When your pork chops are fully cooked, add them to the skillet. Place the reserved mushrooms on top of the pork chops as a garnish and sprinkle with a bit of thyme if desired.
Serve.

Notes

While this selective breeding did improve the nutritional profile of pork, it also had another unintended consequence. Pork became less tender and drier. Cooking pork so that it was completely cooked but not dry became a bit tricky.

If you avoid cooking pork chops because yours always turn out too dry, this recipe is a good one for you. The chops are seared to create a deep brown crust on the outside. Then they are baked in the oven. This can help you avoid overcooking the chops and drying them out. You will definitely want to use a meat thermometer to hit the sweet spot of where the chops are done but not overcooked.

Even if you accidentally overcook the pork chops a little, you can still have a tasty dinner entree. Because this recipe features a creamy mushroom sauce, some of the moisture can be restored to the meat.

Keyword mushroom sauce, Pork Chop, Pork Chops Recipe