Pork Chops with Mustard Shallot Gravy
Everyone loves a quick weeknight dinner that tastes restaurant-worthy. These thinly sliced pork chops cook up in just minutes, leaving you time to make a pan gravy with shallots and Dijon mustard, and still have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. It all happens in one pan, so cleanup is as quick as dinner.
A 30-Minute Pork Chop Dinner Made in One Pan
Thin-sliced pork chops are what make this a true weeknight dinner. At 90 seconds per side, they’re pan seared and resting in about three minutes, and the gravy is made in that same hot pan right away. By the time the gravy has thickened, the chops are rested and ready, and everything hits the plate hot.
My favorite thing about this recipe is that the same shortcut that makes it fast is also the reason it tastes so good. I’m talking about the browned bits left behind by cooking the chops. These bits, known as the fond, pack an intense, savory flavor and are the base of the gravy. Since we reuse the pan without washing it first, this one-pan method becomes a flavor amplifier instead of just a way to cut corners.
What You’ll Need
The main ingredient for this dinner is thinly sliced pork chops. Look for chops that are about 1/2″ thick, or you can buy thicker chops and slice them in half at home. We are going to pan fry the chops in a small amount of your go-to cooking oil — mine is avocado oil. You’ll also need shallots, butter, vegetable stock, all purpose flour, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and salt and pepper.
How to Sear Thin-Sliced Pork Chops
Once done, place the chops on a plate and cover to keep warm. My favorite places to stash them are an airfryer on warm or in a microwave with the power off.
How to Make the Mustard Shallot Pan Gravy
Returning to your still sizzling hot pan, you should have little bits of pork and some oil left in the bottom of it. Drop the heat to medium, pulling your pan away from the heat to help cool it down a bit. It should only take about 30 seconds off the flame to let it cool.
Add the shallots and the butter to the pan, then give it a stir. The butter will melt and the shallots will start to sizzle. As the butter starts to foam and brown, you may notice the nutty aroma of brown butter. Cook the shallots for about 5 minutes, until they become tender and translucent, then add in the flour and start whisking. Over the next 3 minutes this butter flour mixture, called a roux, will start to brown and deepen in color. It’s important to stir continuously at this point, to prevent the roux from burning. Once the roux starts to darken, slowly add in the vegetable stock while continuing to stir. As the gravy cooks, it will bubble and thicken. When it has a noticeably thicker texture, as seen above, add the dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper, then remove it from the heat.
Tips for Success
While making pork chops and gravy can seem like a fairly basic recipe, there are always ways it can go wrong. These are the main issues I ran into while developing this recipe.
- Dry, overcooked chops: The biggest reason your pork chops get dried out is because they are overcooked, and for this recipe it often leads back to not letting your pan get hot enough. When the pan is too cold, the sizzle and sear don’t happen, and for most people, the inclination is to leave the chops in the pan longer to get that sear, which in turn over cooks the chops. The solution: if you don’t hear a sizzle when you add the first chop to the pan, pull it back out and give the pan another minute or two to heat before trying again.
- Thick, lumpy gravy: Gravy can be temperamental. While it can feel like it gets lumpy if you look at it the wrong way, there are two main reasons for it to happen: it was cooked too long, or left to get cold. The fix is easy. Put the gravy back over the flame, whisking it occasionally while heating it back up. Once hot, if it’s still too thick, add an extra tablespoon or two of water or stock to thin it out.
Serving Suggestions
When the gravy is done, it’s ready to serve. Grab those still warm chops, add them to the plate and generously cover with the gravy. This recipe is enough for 2 gravy lovers, or 4 not so gravy lovers.
I paired mine with screaming skillet green beans and creamy mashed potatoes because who can resist the call of mashed potatoes and gravy?! They also match nicely with balsamic Brussels sprouts or honey garlic carrots if you are looking to add a bit more color to your plate.
Pork Chops with Mustard Shallot Gravy
Ingredients
For the Pork Chops
- 4 thin sliced pork chops (about 1 pound)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil (divided)
- salt
- pepper
For the Mustard Shallot Gravy
- 1/2 shallot (minced)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Grab all of your ingredients and necessary measuring cups and spoons. Mince the shallot.
- Prep the chops by patting them dry with paper towels. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oil to each chop, then rub to coat the entire chop. Sprinkle both sides of each chop with salt and pepper.
- Heat a frying over a medium-high flame. When hot, add a drizzle of olive oil (just under 1 tablespoon) to the pan and allow to heat for 30 seconds or so.
- Add the pork chops to the pan, being careful no to crowd them. They should sizzle immediately.
- Cook the chops for 90 seconds, then flip the chops over and cook the other side for 90 seconds. Place cooked chops on a plate and place them in a warm spot to rest.
- Return to your now empty pork chop pan and lower the heat on the burner to medium. Add the shallots and butter, stirring to ensure they don't burn.
- Cook the shallots for about 5 minutes, until they become tender and translucent, then add in the flour and start whisking. After the flour begins to brown, about 3 minutes, add the vegetable stock and whisk to incorporate.
- Allow the mixture to cook for about 3 – 5 minutes or until it bubbles and starts to thicken. Remove the gravy from the heat and season with the mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper, stirring to combine.
- Pour over the pork chops and serve immediately.
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Nutrition
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Like this recipe?
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My family loved this! The sauce was amazing
Hi Roberta! So glad you and your family liked it! That sauce really is great.
-Renee
This recipe sounds delicious. I don’t have the maple syrup on hand, is there a substitution I could use?
Hi Lynda,
In my experience you can swap in honey or even molasses for this recipe. The flavors will be slightly different but still quite tasty! Best of luck!
Renee
I love this gravy. I will make this soon.
This looks delicious!
Thanks Jenny!! It tastes even better than the pictures look!
YUM! I love this! I’m pinning this for later!