Peppercorn Sauce Pork Chops
This 30-minute peppercorn sauce pork chops recipe has a sumptuous brandy cream sauce with a peppery finish! It's easy to get this elegant dish on the table fast.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops see note
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons peppercorns see note
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 shallot chopped finely
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1/2 cup beef broth or stock
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Take the pork chops out of the fridge 15-30 minutes prior to starting the recipe if possible. Pat them dry and season them with some salt & pepper.
- Crush the peppercorns either by placing them in a ZipLoc bag and then using a rolling pin, heavy skillet, or meat mallet to smack them, or use a pestle and mortar. You want them to be somewhat intact vs. totally obliterated. The larger the pieces, the more peppery they will taste.
- Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes, and once it's hot, cook the pork chops for 3-5 minutes/side or until golden (3 minutes for thinner chops and 5 minutes for pork chops up to 1" thick). Once the pork chops are done searing, transfer them to a plate.
- Take the skillet off the heat for about a minute to let it cool down a bit.
- Over medium heat, add the remaining butter and shallots to the skillet and sauté for about 4-5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
- Add the brandy to the skillet and let it bubble for about 1-2 minutes (it should reduce a lot).
- Add the beef broth and peppercorns to the skillet and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make a cornstarch slurry by combining the cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of cold water in a small bowl.
- Pour in the cream and cornstarch slurry and give it a stir.
- Add the pork chops (and any plate juices) back in and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up a bit more and the pork chops are cooked through (145F minimum).
- Sprinkle the parsley over top, season with salt as needed, and enjoy.
Notes
- I prefer using boneless pork chops for ease. You can swap with bone-in, but you may need to cook them in batches as they're typically larger.
- I like to use mixed peppercorns for taste and color, but you can use black peppercorns if you want them to be more potent. If you don't want the sauce to be super peppery, stick with 1 tablespoon of them or even less!
- Some brands of beef broth are super salty, so make sure you taste the sauce at the end before giving it any extra salt.
- Pork is safe to eat at 145F (a little pink is ok!). It can go from undercooked to overcooked fast, so I recommend using a digital instant read thermometer to test doneness.
Nutrition
Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 621mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1022IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
