Description
Succulent pork chops with creamy bacon pan sauce elevate home cooking to gourmet heights. Rich, savory flavors blend seamlessly, promising a luxurious meal that satisfies deep culinary cravings you’ll want to savor again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein:
- 4 pork chops (bone-in or boneless, about 1 inch thick)
- 4 slices bacon, diced
Seasoning and Spices:
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Sauce and Cooking Ingredients:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) chicken broth
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Meticulously dry the pork chops using clean kitchen towels, then generously coat both surfaces with a harmonious blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Warm olive oil in a spacious skillet over robust medium-high temperature, carefully positioning the seasoned pork chops to achieve a golden-brown exterior through precise searing, approximately 3-4 minutes per side until reaching an internal temperature of 145°F. Transfer the perfectly cooked chops to a waiting plate.
- Utilize the same skillet to render the diced bacon, cooking until achieving a delightful crispy texture. Extract the bacon fragments using a slotted utensil, preserving the rendered flavorful fat within the pan.
- Introduce minced garlic to the residual bacon fat, allowing it to release its aromatic essence for roughly 30 seconds. Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth, thoroughly scraping the caramelized remnants from the pan’s surface.
- Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, incorporating heavy cream, grated Parmesan, Dijon mustard, and fresh thyme. Allow the mixture to harmonize and thicken over 3-4 minutes, creating a luxurious sauce.
- Reintroduce the seared pork chops and crispy bacon into the creamy sauce, allowing them to warm through and absorb the rich flavors for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Perform a final seasoning assessment, adjusting salt and pepper as needed. Elegantly plate the pork chops, generously drizzling the decadent sauce and optionally garnishing with delicate thyme sprigs.
Notes
- Achieve perfectly seared pork chops by patting them completely dry before seasoning, which helps develop a golden-brown crust and prevents steaming.
- Prevent dry meat by monitoring internal temperature closely, using a meat thermometer to ensure pork reaches exactly 145°F for juicy, tender results.
- Customize the sauce’s richness by adjusting cream and cheese quantities, creating a lighter version with half-and-half or a more decadent sauce with extra Parmesan.
- Transform this dish into a low-carb or keto-friendly meal by replacing Dijon mustard with whole-grain mustard and ensuring all ingredients are sugar-free.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 680
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 860 mg
- Fat: 48 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 49 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg