These pork chops are drenched in an irresistible garlic butter sauce that only requires 4 ingredients!
If you’re after a quick, simple and absolutely delicious way to serve pork chops, you’ve come to the right place. Follow me…
Preparing Pork Chops
If you take a little care in the preparation and cooking of the mighty chop, you’ll find it really does come out beautifully and takes on an array of delicious flavours. For this recipe we’ll be using boneless chops – these are loin chops, but steaks will work just as well.
Two things you can do right off the bat to get the pork ready to rock and roll is to bring it to room temp and score the fat. Although people do dispute it, I do find that bringing the meat close to room temp helps relax it, which in turn helps prevent it from seizing up and going chewy in the pan. Scoring the fat will help prevent it from curling up in the pan, which in turn helps the pork keep better contact with the pan and develop flavour more easily.
Dredging through flour
I dredge the chops through seasoned flour for a few different reasons:
- Crust – The flour helps build up a nice crust on the meat.
- Absorb – This crust absorbs the butter sauce and helps it cling to the meat.
- Curling – I tested with and without flour and the chops that were dredged in flour curled in the pan a lot less than those that weren’t. Can’t tell you the science behind that, just an observation!
To cook the chops, we’ll be pan-frying them in a little oil until golden brown on each side. You can also flip the chops and render down the fat if it’s quite thick.
Process shots: add pork to seasoned flour (photo 1), coat both sides (photo 2), add to hot pan with oil (photo 3), fry both sides (photo 4).
Rosemary Garlic Butter Sauce
The sauce comes together with ease and only requires 4 ingredients:
- Garlic – Must be fresh. Don’t use the jarred stuff, it comes in a brine which will throw off the flavour of the sauce.
- Rosemary – Again, make sure it’s fresh. Dried rosemary is not suitable for this recipe.
- Chicken Stock – Creates the base of the sauce.
- Butter – You’ll want to use unsalted butter to gain more control over the saltiness of the sauce.
Another bonus ingredient is the resting juices from the pork. Don’t waste this – it adds loads of ‘free’ flavour to the sauce!
Sauce consistency
It’ll be pretty thin at the start, but after a short simmer, it’ll begin to thicken. Plus, when you add the pork back in the excess flour will help thicken the sauce up a little more right at the end.
Process shots: add rosemary and garlic to pan (photo 1), fry (photo 2), add stock and butter (photo 3), stir and simmer (photo 4).
Garlic Butter Pork Chops FAQ
How do I make sure the pork doesn’t come out dry?
In general, you probably won’t need to fry pork chops for as long as you think. Pork can have a blush of pink in the centre given it reaches 63C/145F. So only fry it until just cooked, as it will continue cooking as it rests and when added back to the pan. Bringing the pork to room temp and resting once cooked will also help.
How garlicky is this dish?
It’s apparent, but certainly not overbearing. Even if you love garlic, give it a go with the quantities below and adjust if you’d like next time.
Can I use a different meat?
Yes! Check out my Garlic Butter Chicken and Garlic Butter Salmon. Both have almost identical ingredients, with slightly different methods.
Serving Garlic Butter Pork Chops
When it comes to serving, you’ll want to add a lemon wedge to each plate. A squeeze of lemon juice will cut through the richness of the sauce and finish everything off nicely.
Here I’ve served with Green Beans and Baby Potatoes, but check out my Side Dishes for more inspo!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these garlic butter pork chops shall we?!
How to make Garlic Butter Pork Chops (Full Recipe & Video)
Rosemary Garlic Butter Pork Chops
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Shallow Dish (for dredging chops)
- Large Pan, Tongs & Wooden Spoon
- Jug (for stock)
Ingredients
- 4x 150g/5oz boneless Pork Loin Chops, brought to room temp (score the fat if it's fairly thick – see notes)
- 35g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 1 tsp EACH: Salt, Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tsp finely diced Fresh Rosemary
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced (see notes)
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
- 6 tbsp / 90g Unsalted Butter, diced into small cubes
- 1 Lemon, sliced into 4 wedges (to serve)
Instructions
- In a large shallow dish combine the flour with salt, garlic powder and black pepper. One by one, coat both sides of the chops, then place to one side.
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chops and fry each side for around 3 minutes, or until golden on the outside and only just about cooked through the centre. If they've got strips of fat, stack the chops on top of each other with the fat aligning, then sear them fat-side-down to render it. Place the chops on a plate to one side and lower the heat to medium. You want about 1 tbsp fat left in the pan, so discard some if there's excess.
- Add the rosemary and garlic and fry in the leftover fat until the garlic just begins to take on colour (be careful it doesn't burn or it'll turn bitter). Pour in the stock, then whisk in the butter until it melts and binds into a sauce. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce turns cloudy and begins to thicken. Stir in the resting juices from the pork and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
- Lower the heat and add the chops back in. Baste them in the sauce for just a minute (the excess flour will thicken the sauce a little more) then serve up with a lemon wedge per person.
Video
Notes
b) Cooking the chops – Timings will be depend on how thick the chops are. In general, they probably don’t need as long as you think. They’ll carry on cooking slightly as they rest and when added back to the pan, so take them out the pan slightly before your preference. The safe internal temp for pork is 63C/145F which is a blush of pink inside (completely fine).
c) Garlic – Make sure you’re using fresh garlic (not the pickled jarred stuff). Jarred/pickled garlic will throw off the flavour. You only want to fry the garlic until it just begins to colour. If the pan is still pretty hot this can happen within 10 seconds or so!
d) Lemon – A squeeze of lemon juice at the end is great to cut through the rich, buttery sauce. Plus lemon pairs so beautifully with garlic, rosemary and butter!
e) Serving – Here I’ve served with Green Beans and Baby Potatoes, but check out my Side Dishes for more inspo!
f) Calories – Just the pork chops and sauce assuming half the flour/seasoning is picked up.
Nutrition
For another similar recipe check out my Creamy Garlic Pork Chops!
For more pork chop recipes check out these beauties:
- French Onion Pork Chops
- Honey Garlic Pork Chops
- Brown Sugar Pork Chops
- Creamy Tarragon Pork Chops
- Creamy Lemon Pork Chops
The post Rosemary Garlic Butter Pork Chops appeared first on Don't Go Bacon My Heart.