This recipe delivers moist and tender pork chops in a creamy onion gravy. It's an easy-to-make dish perfect for a weeknight meal and is sure to become a family favorite!
We Czechs are known for our love of pork. Whether in the shape of breaded schnitzel, pork meatloaf, or pork roast, Czech cookbooks provide a plethora of delectable pork recipes that appear on the plates of Czech foodies on a daily basis.
In this post, I'd like to introduce a recipe for easy pork chops in rich onion gravy, which you can serve with mashed potatoes. That's how we like it best in our family!
➜ What is this pork chops recipe?
These are pork chops briefly seared in a skillet, then covered with heavy cream blended with yellow mustard and fried onions and smothered in the oven. The pork will become tender and juicy from absorbing the cream sauce. The sauce will be reduced and perfectly thick after being stewed in the oven.
➜ Equipment
I used a cast iron skillet with a diameter of 11–12 inches (28 cm) to prepare the recipe. This pan has two handles on the side, includes a lid, and is designed for baking in the oven, among other things.
➜ Ingredient list
This one-pan simple recipe requires just a few simple ingredients, transformed into a super cozy meal!
- Boneless pork chops; with a nice marbling, about 1 inch thick. Too thin slices of meat will dry out quickly and become tough, so thicker pork chops are always preferable for cooking. If you can only get bone-in pork chops at the store, you can also use them for this recipe. The cooking procedure will not change.
- Salt and ground black pepper; for seasoning
- Pork lard; for the initial searing of pork chops. Lard is a popular ingredient in Czech cuisine. If you don't have this type of fat in your pantry, use sunflower or rapeseed oil.
- Yellow kitchen onions
- Heavy cream; with a fat content of over 30 %
- Yellow mustard; try to find plain mustard made from mustard seeds in shops that offer European food, ideally Polish or German delis.
- Rosemary, a fresh herb for flavoring the dish
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ How to make tender pork chops with homemade gravy
STEP 1: Before cooking, pat the pork chops dry with paper towels. Lightly tenderize the chops with a meat mallet.
Make several short incisions around the perimeter of the meat slice with a knife, about ¼ inch deep. The incisions in the meat will prevent the chops from being twisted and will keep them nice and flat when seared.
STEP 2: Season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides to taste.
STEP 3: Heat the lard in a large enough skillet, suitable for the oven, over medium-high heat. Sear the pork chops in the hot skillet in a single layer. Each side of the meat will take 1-2 minutes.
STEP 4: Use tongs to remove the fried meat from the skillet to a plate and set aside. Lower the heat in the pan and add the finely chopped onion.
At the bottom of the pan, there will be brown bits from cooking the meat. These are real treasures and essential for a tasty gravy!
Add a tablespoon of water and scrape off these meat residues with a flat wooden spoon while frying the onions until golden brown.
STEP 5: Return the meat with all the meat juice to the fried onions and take the pan away from the heat source.
STEP 6: Mix the heavy cream and mustard in a bowl and add the mixture to the pan with the pork chops. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary leaves.
STEP 7: Cover the skillet with a lid and place it in a preheated oven at 340°F (170°C) for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid, raise the oven temperature to 356°F (180°C), and roast uncovered for another 15 minutes.
➜ Best sides pairing well with pork chops
Potato side dishes complement tender pork chops with creamy gravy nicely. Pork chops go well with potato puree or chunky mashed potatoes, so you can drizzle some extra gravy over them. Add French fries to your plate for a filling and pleasant lunch.
As for the vegetables, I recommend adding a bowl of Czech sweet and sour cucumber salad to make a complete meal.
➜ Useful tips
- When preparing the chops, don't remove the fat. Cutting it off right before serving is fine if that's your thing, but the fat adds extra flavor and keeps the meat from drying out if left on.
- Flour or starch isn't necessary to thicken this homemade pan gravy. Gluten-free diets can enjoy this perfect dish too.
More pork recipes:
- Szegedin Goulash – with sauerkraut
- Pork goulash recipe
- Oven-roasted pork shoulder
- Oven-roasted pork belly bites
- Easy pork loin roast (in the oven)
- Pork liver with gravy (onion and bacon included)
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Easy Pork Chops with Gravy (in Oven)
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Ingredients
- 4 pork chops about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, about 7-8 ounces (220 g) each
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 small onions
- 1 Tablespoon pork lard (or sunflower oil/canola)
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt
Instructions
- Lightly tenderize 4 pork chops with a meat mallet. Using a knife, make several short incisions around the perimeter of the meat, about ¼ inch deep.
- Season both sides of the chops with salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper to taste.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon pork lard in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork chops in a single layer in the hot skillet, cooking each side for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the fried pork chops from the skillet and set them aside. Lower the heat, add 2 small onions, peeled and finely chopped, and a tablespoon of water. Scrape off the brown bits with a flat wooden spoon while frying the onions until golden brown.
- Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the fried onions, then remove the pan from the heat.
- Mix 1 cup heavy cream and 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard in a bowl, then add the mixture to the pan with the pork chops. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves.
- Cover the skillet with a lid and place it in a preheated oven at
340 °F for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid, raise the oven temperature to 360 °F, and roast uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes 4 portions.
- SERVING: Pork chops pair well with potato puree or chunky mashed potatoes, allowing you to drizzle some extra gravy over them.
- When preparing the chops, don't remove the fat. You can cut it off right before serving if you prefer, but leaving it on adds extra flavor and helps keep the meat from drying out.
- Flour or starch isn't necessary to thicken this homemade pan gravy, making it perfect for gluten-free diets to enjoy as well.
Susie says
This was not enjoyed by my family and I followed your recipe exactly.
Petra Kupská says
I am sorry to hear. This recipe is one of the family favs, especially because of the lightly sour taste of the gravy.
Thomasina says
I didn't like the sour taste so I added sugar to my liking to the gravy. I also used boneless thin sliced porkchops. My family loved this recipe!
Melanie says
I’ve been making this two or three times a month. So simple and good. Thank you for the recipe.
Petra Kupská says
Thank you, Melanie, for your nice feedback!
Alisa says
This recipe was great! Very quick and easy, but still had lots of flavor. Will definitely be making again!
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
I am happy you liked the recipe, thank you!
Douglas Newton says
Made this last night and it was easy and tasted fantastic..Love the taste of mustard and would maybe add a bit of Dijon to it as well.
Natalia says
Hello Petra, I was searching for the recipe of orechovy zavin that I tried in Bratislava and was so happy to finally found such a fantastic site with so many authentic recipes and tips for a cooking. This one pork in a heavy cream was very tasty also. You are doing a great job, wish you all the best in a New Year, thank you.
Hope also to find your recipes in Instagram soon.