I wasn’t a fan of pork chops growing up, and I’m pretty sure that’s because my mom always overcooked them, but these balsamic pork chops completely changed my mind. They get a deep golden crust in a hot pan, then finish in the oven in a tangy pan sauce loaded with caramelized onions plus honey, Dijon and chicken stock. This whole dish takes just 30 minutes in one pan, and the sauce gets its body from the onions, not cornstarch or a pile of brown sugar.
This was AMAZING!! The sauce was the bomb!
Pork chops are one of the most affordable cuts at the meat counter, which makes this an easy weeknight dinner to justify. I recently retested and updated the recipe by doubling the sauce and the onions so there’s plenty to spoon over any sides. On a weeknight I like serving these pork chops with cauliflower mash (to soak up all of the sauce) plus one-pan green beans, or roasted broccoli when I want something completely hands-off. When there’s more time, it’s my caramelized fennel scalloped potatoes, which are decadent and turn this into a fancy meal worthy of guests.
Key Ingredients You Will Need
- Pork chops: I used bone-in chops approximately 1 1/2 inches in thickness. They’re usually a little cheaper per pound than boneless, and the extra fat around the bone makes for a juicier chop with more room for error, which I appreciate when they’re finishing in the oven. Boneless chops will work too, but they cook faster, so start checking the temperature a couple of minutes early.
- Yellow onions: The original version of this recipe used one onion but after retesting I felt that the sauce could stand to have more substance, so I doubled it. Two onions cook down into a thick, golden layer that covers every chop and gives the sauce real body without any thickener.
- Balsamic vinegar: I love the tang that balsamic vinegar gives to the sauce. I find that aged balsamic vinegar is slightly more sweet, whereas cheaper balsamic vinegar can have quite a sharp taste which may need to be countered with a touch more honey.
How To Make Balsamic Pork Chops
1. Sear the pork chops. You’ll know the crust is ready when the chops release from the pan on their own. If one sticks when you try to flip it, give it another 30 seconds rather than forcing it. They’ll still be pink in the middle when they come out, and that’s what you want, since they finish cooking in the sauce.
2. Cook the onions in the same pan. Don’t wipe the skillet out. Those browned bits left behind by the pork are where a lot of the sauce’s flavour comes from, and the moisture from the onions lifts them off the bottom as they cook. If you see dark spots forming before the onions are golden, turn the heat down a notch.
3. Build the sauce. Pour in the stock, balsamic, honey and Dijon and scrape the bottom of the pan as it comes up to a gentle simmer, with small bubbles around the edges rather than a hard boil. Then nestle the chops back in and spoon some of the onions over the top so the chops stay covered in the oven.
4. Finish in the oven. Start checking the temperature at the 6-minute mark, in the thickest part of the chop, away from the bone, which can throw off the reading. Scatter the thyme over just before serving.
Tips For Making the Best Balsamic Pork Chops
- Dry them and leave them alone. Pat the chops dry with a paper towel before seasoning, and once they hit the pan, don’t move them. Any moisture on the surface or any shuffling around and you’ll get a pale, steamed sear instead of a golden one.
- Sear on high heat. I love a golden crust, and searing the pork chops on high heat creates a noticeably deeper color, which gives them a texture that stands up against the soft onions and sauce. Two minutes per side is all they need before they go into the oven.
- Pull them at 140°F. If there’s one thing I learned from the pork chops of my childhood, it’s that dry pork comes from overcooking, not from the pork. I take these out of the oven at 140–145°F and use a meat thermometer every time. Guessing is how you end up with chops that need a sharp knife and a lot of sauce to get through.
- Give the onions the full 10 minutes. It’s tempting to add the sauce as soon as the onions soften, but those last few minutes are where they turn golden and start to caramelize, and that’s where the sauce gets its depth.
How To Store & Reheat Pork Chops
Storage: Keep leftover pork chops in an airtight container with the onions and sauce, in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Storing them in the sauce helps keep them from drying out.
Reheating: Warm the chops and sauce in a covered skillet over medium-low heat, adding a splash of chicken stock if the sauce has thickened, until heated through. Avoid reheating on high in the microwave, which is the fastest way to dry them out.
Freezing: Freeze the chops and sauce together in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
If you make these balsamic pork chops, let me know in the comments section below. I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram. I love seeing your photos!
Balsamic Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow onions thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius)
- Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and then season them on both sides with ½ tsp salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a cast ion skillet or oven proof pan on high heat and add the pork chops. Leave the pork chops to sear for 2 minutes without touching them so that they form a nice golden crust before flipping and cooking for another 2 minutes on the other side. Remove the cooked pork chops from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium and then add in the onions and garlic. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and leave to cook for 10 minutes. The onions should be golden in colour and begin to caramelize.
- Add to the pan the honey, chicken stock, vinegar and dijon mustard bring to a gentle simmer and then return the pork chops to the pan and spoon some of the sauce overtop.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes until the pork chops have an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit. Garnish with 1 tsp of thyme before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
We have made the is recipe probably a hundred times but I am so bad about leaving comments. I made it tonight and when I was sampling the sauce I thought how delicious it would be as a salad dressing. I plan on whipping up a quadruple batch tonight so I can use it on my salads all week! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe! Also, pro tip: use a pork tenderloin and then you can slice it into chops as think as you want!
This was delicious! Quick and easy and oh so yummy!!! We were tired of our normal meals and decided to make this and wow, it’s getting added to our rotation! Thank you for a yummy nutritious meal!!
We’re on vacation and the BnB only has very few condiments–we made this only with honey, red wine vinegar, and coconut aminos, and the chops and sauce still turned out to be very delicious. We were lazy and just used stove-top, and it was still fine. Thank you, Carmen.
This recipe is a family favourite. I love how quick it is to make and the flavour is 10/10
So delicious! Definitely going in my regular rotation. I doubled the sauce because it was so tasty I wanted to pour it on everything!
Yea!! Thanks for the feedback Emily!
balsamic vinegar is not allowed on scd diet
Aged balsamic vinegar which contains no additives is allowed on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.
Omg! That was delicious! I did use butter when cooking down the onions. I also used homemade bone broth! I cooked the onions down for 30 mins… then removed onions and brown the pork…. I used Imperial dates! Home grown from my sister’s tree! It was fabulous!
This was AMAZING!! Sorry I didn’t take a photo, it was a late dinner. The sauce was the bomb!