Easy Smothered Pork Chops and Gravy

close-up of easy smothered pork chops with gravy

5 from 18 votes

Easy Smothered Pork Chops and Gravy

These smothered pork chops are pan fried to perfection and coated in a delicious, rich homemade gravy that has a touch of cream. They're so comforting, tender, and juicy every time!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pork chops with gravy, smothered pork chops recipe, smothered pork chops with gravy

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

4 pork chops see note
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy/whipping cream
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch cayenne pepper optional
Fresh chopped parsley optional, to taste

Instructions

Take the pork chops out of the fridge at least 15-30 minutes prior to starting the recipe. Prep the other recipe ingredients.
Add the oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the pan for a few minutes (I heated my cast iron for 5 min). It needs to be HOT for the pork chops to get a good sear and cook through fast.
Meanwhile, pat the pork chops dry with paper towel. Season each pork chop with salt & pepper on both sides.
Add the pork to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes/side (3 minutes for thinner chops and 5 minutes for pork chops that are up to 1" thick). Pork should be golden brown and cooked through. Test for doneness at this point. It's safe to eat at 145F (a bit pink inside), and the temperature will rise a bit as it rests. If the pork chops aren't quite cooked through yet, sear them for a little longer (don't overcook). Transfer the pork to a plate and set aside.
If the pork chops are particularly large, sear them in two batches (don't crowd the pan or they'll steam).
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the skillet, and once it's melted, stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.
Whisk in the broth until the flour has been incorporated/dissolved, and then stir in the cream, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper. The gravy should thicken up quite quickly (within a few minutes).
Pour the juices from the plate the pork has been resting on back into the skillet and stir them into the gravy, then take the pan off the heat. Gravy too thick? Add in a splash more broth or cream.
You can add the pork back to the pan and spoon some sauce over top and then serve, or just add each pork chop to a plate and spoon the sauce over top that way. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed and serve with fresh parsley sprinkled over top if you wish.

Notes

Use bone-in or boneless pork chops. I used bone-in pork chops that were about 3/4" thick and cooked them for 5 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second side.
Pork is easy to overcook. It's safe to eat at 145F. I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer to test doneness. The pork's temperature will continue to rise once you stop cooking it, so if it's close, take it out of the skillet.
Troubleshooting tips: the skillet needs to be very hot to get a good sear on the pork (I preheated my cast iron skillet until it was lightly smoking and the oil was shimmering). If you're finding it isn't cooked after the suggested time, your pan probably isn't hot enough. You will need to work quite quickly when making the gravy because the pan will still be very hot, so I suggest having all the ingredients measured out and ready to go. The blog post contains more success tips, so I recommend reading through if you haven't.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition