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Smothered Pork Chops with Onion Gravy

Name: Smothered Pork Chops with Onion Gravy
Prep time: 59 min
Total time: 59 min
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: lean pork chops — 907 g; salt — 5 g; black pepper — 3 g; all-purpose flour — 60 g; vegetable oil — 27 g; unsalted butter — 27 g; yellow onions — 220 g; garlic — 9 g; low-salt chicken broth — 473 g; worcestershire sauce — 5 g; thyme — 1 g; heavy cream — 30 g; parsley — 7 g

Smothered Pork Chops with Onion Gravy reads richness 7.5, umami 6.9 and allium 4.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Southern main, about 59 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.5 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.6 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.2 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.2 / 10
Rich & Fat — 7.8 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 7.5 · Umami 6.9 · Allium 4.2 · Salinity 3.7 · Sweetness 3.5 · Herbaceous 2.6 · Funk & Ferment 2.1 · Sourness 2.0 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Earthy 1.1 · Nutty 1.0 · Bitterness 0.9 · Heat 0.9 · Floral 0.8 · Citrus 0.7

What's in it (13)

lean pork chops — 907 g
salt — 5 g
black pepper — 3 g
all-purpose flour — 60 g
vegetable oil — 27 g
unsalted butter — 27 g
yellow onions — 220 g
garlic — 9 g
low-salt chicken broth — 473 g
worcestershire sauce — 5 g
thyme — 1 g
heavy cream — 30 g
parsley — 7 g

Time & effort: about 59 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 141.9 kcal, 11.1 g protein, 9.9 g fat, 4.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

Pat the pork chops dry and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Dredge in 1/4 cup of the flour (reserve the rest), shaking off the excess.
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chops until deeply golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate — they will finish cooking later.
Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet. Add the onions and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits, until deep amber and jammy, 30-35 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the remaining flour and stir to coat the onions; cook 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
Gradually whisk in the chicken broth until smooth, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Bring to a simmer.
Nestle the chops and any accumulated juices back into the skillet. Cover partially, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the chops are fork-tender and register 145 F on an instant-read thermometer, 12-15 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Transfer the chops to a plate. Stir the heavy cream into the gravy and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the onion gravy generously over the chops, scatter with parsley, and serve.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Baeckeoffe — French · Alsace
Shepherd's Pie — British
Irish Lamb Stew with Root Vegetables — Irish
Palócleves (Palóc Soup with Lamb, Green Beans and Dill) — Hungarian
Chicken and Sausage Rigatoni Bake — Italian-American

Keep reading: what richness, umami, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.