Easy Creamy Mustard Pork Chops

The Kitchn Editors
The Kitchn Editors
The Kitchn editors are home cooks living across the country. We obsess over all aspects of life in the kitchen: cooking, snacking, grocery shopping, cleaning and organizing (even renovating).
Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor
After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, I worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW's test kitchens. I've edited and tested recipes for more than 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. My favorite taste testers are my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie.
updated May 15, 2023
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Tender, browned pork chops bathed in a creamy mustard sauce.

Serves4

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Credit: Joe Lingeman

If you have a hankering for pork chops on a weeknight, these skillet pork chops are calling your name. Bathed in a creamy pan sauce fragrant with apple cider, fresh thyme, and the sharp notes of two kinds of mustard, they feel just a bit indulgent and they need just about 30 minutes of cooking time.

Serve them on a bed of egg noodles or with a heel of crusty bread because you’ll want to use up every drop of the amazing sauce, and thank your skillet for producing such tasty results.

I love the combination of pork, mustard, and apples — it always reminds me of Germany in the winter and how cozy it is to tuck into something rich and delicious when it’s cold outside. But with flavors this good, you’ll love them year-round.

How To Make Creamy Mustard Pork Chops

Start with searing just one side of the pork to get some color and flavor going, then add the sauce ingredients and finish everything in the oven until the pork is just cooked through before it gets tough. The apple cider adds just the right sweet note to the sauce to cut through the acidity of the mustards, and just a few tablespoons of cream at the end to bring it all together. You’ll probably want to dip every bite of juicy pork into the sauce, and I won’t blame you one bit.

Credit: Joe Lingeman

Easy Creamy Mustard Pork Chops

Tender, browned pork chops bathed in a creamy mustard sauce.

Serves 4

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons

    olive oil

  • 4

    medium boneless center-cut pork chops (about 1-inch thick, 1 3/4 pounds total)

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 cup

    diced yellow onion

  • 1 teaspoon

    fresh thyme leaves

  • 1/4 cup

    dry white wine

  • 3/4 cup

    unfiltered apple juice or apple cider

  • 2 tablespoons

    whole-grain Dijon mustard

  • 2 tablespoons

    Dijon mustard

  • 3 tablespoons

    heavy cream

Instructions

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  1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F.

  2. Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet or oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat until very hot and almost smoking. Meanwhile, pat the pork chops dry with paper towels. Generously season all over with salt and pepper. Add the pork to the pan and sear undisturbed until golden-brown on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.

  3. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and thyme, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes.

  4. Add the wine, scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and cook until almost evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cider or juice and whole-grain mustard and bring to a simmer. Return the pork browned-side up, and add any juices accumulated on the plate to the pan.

  5. Roast until the pork registers 145°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each chop, 6 to 12 minutes depending on the thickness of the chops. Transfer the pork chops to serving plates.

  6. Place the pan over medium-high heat, whisk the smooth Dijon mustard into the sauce, and simmer until reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper as needed. Serve the sauce with the pork chops.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.