Balsamic Pork Chops with Mushrooms
Tender, pan-fried Balsamic Pork Chops get the five star treatment with mushrooms and a light, tangy cream sauce. This is a 30 minute meal that feels way more exciting than the effort it takes to get on the table!
Pork Chops in Balsamic Cream Sauce
As much as we love a perfect and simple baked boneless pork chop around here, we’re always excited about a new way to enjoy this protein. Variety is the spice of life, after all! Pan-searing chops and serving them with the irresistible balsamic cream sauce used in this chicken skillet is a short-cut to a restaurant-worthy meal you can quickly and easily prepare at home.
This delicious pork chop recipe has a lot to offer. It is:
- Easy to make in one skillet. Fewer dishes make happier cooks.
- Ready in 30 minutes. No fuss and minimal chopping, too.
- Elegant yet flexible. With the sauce and the mushrooms, this tastes very gourmet, but it’s easy to leave off the mushrooms entirely or just for choosy eaters.
Most importantly, it’s extremely delicious! The cream sauce is light yet rich and tangy, and perfectly complements the lightly-seasoned and seared pork chops. Tender browned mushrooms and sprigs of fresh thyme leaves add a satisfying finishing touch.
Serve these pork chops with French bread, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles on the side. We love roasted garlic green beans, a spinach salad, or any simple steamed veggie to round out the meal.
Drizzle the extra balsamic cream sauce over your sides for a simple yet pulled-together plate.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need to make this, as well as possible substitutions. Find full amounts in the print-friendly recipe card below.
- Pork chops. Bone-in pork chops or boneless work well. Many chefs prefer bone-in chops because they can be more flavorful and likely to stay tender; the downside is they may take longer to cook. Whichever you choose, try to be sure your pork chops are not excessively thin or thick: approximately 1″ is ideal.
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Mushrooms. I often buy pre-sliced baby Bellas these days to save time. They work great in this recipe, as would any white or brown button mushroom.
- Broth. Low-sodium preferred so that you can adjust the final saltiness to your taste.
- Heavy or light cream. A little goes a long way to make this sauce shine. You can substitute half and half but the sauce will not come together quite as well.
- Thyme. In an ideal world, you’d have dried thyme to incorporate into the sauce and fresh thyme to use as a garnish, but you can use all of one or the other.
- Olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper.
How To Make Balsamic Pork Chops
Ready for a one skillet meal that lets you feel like a chef? Let’s go! This is a general overview. As always, you will find full instructions with exact ingredients and times in the print-friendly recipe card below.
- Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
- Sear pork chops in a drizzle of olive oil, then cook through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Sauté mushrooms in the same skillet, then remove to the plate with the pork chops.
- Make the sauce in the same skillet, first adding the broth, balsamic vinegar, and thyme, followed by the cream.
- Return pork chops and mushrooms to the pan and warm for 2-3 minutes.
Garnish as desired, serve, and enjoy!
Pro Tip: Searing is a reliable way to lock in moisture while giving pork chops or other cuts of meat a flavorful, seasoned crust.
Variations and Optional Add-ins
- Gluten-Free: This pork chop recipe is naturally gluten-free.
- Add Greens: Wilt 2-3 handfuls of baby spinach into the sauce at the same time as you add the cream. It wilt wilt perfectly into the sauce.
- Add Onions or Shallots: Sauté half of a yellow onion or 1 medium shallot after browning and removing the mushrooms. Continue to let the onions simmer in the sauce as it comes together.
- Change up the Herbs: Instead of thyme, try using rosemary, Herbes de Provence, or an Italian seasoning blend.
Recipe FAQs & Expert Tips
What temperature should pork chops reach?
The USDA recommends cooking pork chops to an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees F, then allowing the meat to rest for at least 3 minutes. To make it easy to know when your pork chops are done but not overdone, use an inexpensive yet informative instant read meat thermometer.
What’s the secret to juicy pork chops?
Pork chops are notoriously prone to drying out and becoming tough, which is a shame because a juicy, tender pork chop is so delicious! A few simple tips to help yours stay moist: choose chops that are at least 3/4″ thick, let them rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes prior to cooking, season them generously with salt and pepper, and remove them very promptly when they reach 145 degrees inside, or even slightly before. Residual heat will bring them to a safe temperature.
Storage & Reheating
Balsamic pork chops are always a popular leftover in my house. I can count on portions disappearing with my husband for a lunch he can reheat and enjoy at work.
- Storage: Place leftovers in any airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. (These are our favorite meal prep boxes for the fridge.)
- Warming: Reheat on 50% power in the microwave until portions are as warm as you like. Using half power reduces the odds that pork will dry out in the microwave; I recommend the same trick with chicken, fish, and shrimp.
Related Recipes
Try my popular recipe for baked boneless pork chops for a year-round go-to. In the fall, we love skillet pork chops with apples, and in the summer, pork pineapple kabobs with mango are a fun and unique treat off the grill. Busy day? Crockpot balsamic pork tenderloin is there for you.
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Balsamic Pork Chops with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 medium pork chops bone-in or boneless
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms baby Bella, cremini, or regular white mushrooms all fine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme plus fresh for an optional garnish
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and sprinkle both sides of the pork chops generously with salt and pepper.
- When oil is hot, add pork chops to the skillet. Let them sizzle without moving or touching them for 3-4 minutes, until seared and golden on one side, then flip and continue cooking until cooked through. (Pork chops should reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.) Remove pork chops from the pan and set aside.
- Add another drizzle of olive oil if the skillet is very dry, then add the mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn down the heat if needed. Transfer mushrooms to the same plate as the pork chops.
- Add broth, balsamic vinegar, and thyme to the pan, scraping the bottom gently to release any browned bits. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook 1-2 minutes, until slightly reduced. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add cream and stir until the sauce is smooth.
- Return pork chops and mushrooms to the pan, spooning a bit of sauce on top. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken sauce more and warm the chops. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme as desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pork Chops: For best results, look for pork chops that are approximately 1” thick. Very thick chops will take considerably longer to cook in the skillet and may dry out. It can also help to let the pork chops sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before cooking if possible—this helps them cook evenly and without curling up on the edges.
- Storage: Place leftovers in any airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. (These are our favorite meal prep boxes for the fridge.)
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