Braised Pork Chops in Milk and Dijon Mustard Sauce

Braised Pork Chops in Milk and Dijon Mustard Sauce

from whiteonricecouple.com
60 min
4 servings

Inspired from our Baked Milk Chicken Thighs Recipe, we applied the same idea to pork chops. This time, with the popular addition of dijon mustard, these pork chops are super tender and delicious. You can use bone-in or boneless pork loin chops or pound them down to make them thinner. What ever you decide to do, make sure to adjust cooking times based on the thickness of your pork chops. We didn't pound ours down and just baked them for longer. We like the thicker cut and they came out just as tender when cooked in the milk. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds pork loin chops ((bone-in or boneless))
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • kosher salt ( or sea salt, to taste)
  • fresh ground black pepper (, to taste)
  • 2 Tablespoons butter (, divided)
  • 3 cloves garlic (, minced)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves ((or fresh thyme))
  • 1/4 cup dijon mustard ((this might sound like a lot, but it's not. The flavors are great))
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • additional fresh cracked black pepper and salt (, to taste)
  • 1-2 Tablespoons butter (, to thicken sauce)
  • 1-2 Tablespoons flour (, to thicken sauce)

Directions

  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 400° F (205°C).

  2. 2

    Wash and pat dry pork chops. Season both sides of pork chops with ground cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.

  3. 3

    In a large oven proof skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium high heat. Sear both sides of the pork chops until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove pork chops from pan and set aside.

  4. 4

    In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bay leaf, milk, thyme, dijon mustard, and lemon zest. Stir to combine all ingredients. Bring liquid to a low simmer. Taste the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.

  5. 5

    Place pork chops back into the skillet and cover with a lid or aluminum foil. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake the pork chops for about 15-30 minutes or until fully cooked and to your desired tenderness. (Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your pork chops).

  6. 6

    After pork chops are cooked, serve with the milk-mustard sauce. Garnish with extra thyme to make it pretty.

  7. 7

    (Optional) If you want to make a delicious and thicker gravy out of the sauce, then remove the pork from the pan. Heat up the pan of milk sauce again to a low simmer. Whisk in a tablespoon or two butter and flour until all flour clumps are removed. Sauce will get thicker as it cooks. Once gravy is thick and creamy, remove from heat and serve immediately.