Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops is a simple and comforting dish with fork tender meat and a succulent savory Mushroom Gravy. This recipe is oven braised Pork Chops, with an unthickened Mushroom Gravy used to braise and thickened right before serving. Although there are different ways this dish can be made, from simmering stove top, to just quick seared pork chops with either Mushroom Sauce or Mushroom Gravy mentioned at the end of this post.

Sauté some sliced Mushrooms, diced or slivered Onions & minced Garlic and add them in for a boost of Umami or as a garnish. Maybe a bit of Leek too, which is really nice. Add additional Herbs if you’d like to add a herbal note to the Sauce.

Pork Chops

Either Bone in or Boneless Pork can be used with a good amount and marbling of Fat. The Fat can be trimmed off and rendered out to sear the Pork Chops. This will add more flavor to the overall dish.

The Sear times in general is about 3 minutes per side. Doneness doesn’t really matter here since the Pork Chops are simmered or braised for 45 minutes or until Fork Tender.

Go with Fattier cuts of Pork like the Rib, Sirloin or Shoulder which are excellent for the longer cook times. Leaner cuts like Pork Loin don’t do so well and come out dry. Although with Pork Loin, they can be seared to the desired internal temperature and served with a Mushroom Sauce or Gravy instead of Braising.

Salt & Pepper Blend

The Salt & Pepper Blend is for seasoning the Mushroom Gravy. This recipe is meant for 2-8 Pork Chops with an already well seasoned Mushroom Gravy.

Because of that, if doing more than 2 Pork Chops, then only use the Salt & Pepper Blend for the Mushroom Gravy. Since seasoning the Pork Chops themselves will add too much Salt & Pepper for the Sauce with the amount of Pork Chops used. With Just 2 Pork Chops, you are fine to season the Pork Chops lightly before searing.

When ready to serve, taste the Sauce/Gravy and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Rendered Fat

Trimming the Fat from the Pork Chops and rendering that out to sear the Pork Chops will add more flavor. Check out my post on Rendered Fat to learn more. You will need about 2 Tbl of Fat, if you have more, pour it out. If you don’t have enough, top it up with a Neutral Oil or Lard.

This step can be skipped entirely, substituting the Rendered Fat with a Neutral Oil or Lard.

Mushroom Gravy

This is excellent for braising in the oven or simmering the Pork Chops on the stove top for tender meat.

The Mushroom Gravy recipe itself contains 2 Tbl of Starch & 1 Tbl of Flour. Everything is thrown into a pot and brought to a boil to thicken. However, since this sauce is used to braise or simmer the Pork Chops, these are omitted. Instead, the Mushroom Gravy is thickened with a Starch Slurry (2 Tbl each of Starch & Water with the flour omitted) after the Pork Chops have been cooked fork tender and right before serving.

Combine all the ingredients for the Mushroom Gravy into a bowl and the Starch Slurry into another small bowl to add at the end to thicken before serving.

Starch Slurry

Used for thickening the Mushroom Gravy after simmering or braising. Mix together and whisk into the Mushroom Gravy while simmering to thicken right before serving.

Mushroom Pork Chop Vegetables

This is optional and can be prepared after searing the Pork Chops. After the Pork Chops have been seared, and you are left with the remaining rendered fat in the pan. If there isn’t quite enough fat, add some more and wait until it’s hot before adding in the sliced or quartered Mushrooms. If there is too much, drain it off so that you have about 2 Tbl of Fat.

Sear the Mushrooms first over medium high heat and then drop the heat to medium. Add the Onions and cook until softened, just a minute or so. Afterward, add the Garlic to cook briefly about 20–30 seconds and then the Mushroom Sauce or Gravy, depending on what style of Cream of Mushroom Pork chops you are making.

Thick Cream of Mushroom Sauce

If you prefer a Thicker Cream of Mushroom Sauce. Plate the Pork Chops and reduce the gravy over medium heat in a pan until the desired consistency.

For a quick way of thickening the sauce, combine an equal amount of Starch & Water and slowly pour in a small amount while heating the sauce and whisking. Repeat until the desired thickness is achieved.

Thin Cream of Mushroom Sauce

If you prefer a Thinner Cream of Mushroom Gravy. Add more liquid using Cream or Water while simmering and mixing to adjust the consistency.

Mushroom Pork Chop Seasoning

Additional Herbs & Spices can be added in such as

• Herbs (Parsley, Thyme, Tarragon, Savory, Sage, Leek, Bay Leaf)
• Spices (Aleppo, Chili Flakes, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder)

Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops Covered or Uncovered

The cooking method for Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops is braising. This is to sear and then stew at a low heat in a thin liquid covered until the meat is tender. Usually used for tougher cuts of meat. In this case, we are making Pork Chops in a Mushroom Gravy without any thickeners. So either way you cook the Pork Chops, on the Stove top or in the oven, cover and cook at a low heat to braise the meat.

A short cook time will result in firmer Pork Chops, while a longer braise time will result in Fork Tender Pork Chops.

Braised Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops

Once the Pork Chops are seared and set aside. As well as the Mushroom Gravy brought to a boil while mixing to pick up the fond from searing the Pork Chops. Empty the Mushroom Gravy over the Pork Chops in a casserole dish. Cover and place into the oven at 350 F for 45 minutes or longer until fork tender. This method is great when making a bunch of Pork Chops and is the method use in the main recipe.

You can also place the Pork Chops back into the Casserole with the thickened Mushroom Gravy and keep warm in the oven while you finish off other side dishes you may want to include.

Stove Top Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops

Stove top Pork Chops can be seared and then simmered in unthickened Mushroom Gravy on low to medium heat anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes or longer for fork tender instead of being braised in the oven.

With a shorter cook time the Pork Chops will be firmer and with a longer cook time the Pork Chops will be tender. This method is best for 2 Pork Chops.

Once fork tender, remove the pork chops and thicken the gravy with the starch slurry to serve over top the Pork Chops, or place the Pork Chops back in and serve.

You can also use the Mushroom Sauce, however the simmer time is really limited to about 10 minutes before it starts to get too thick to simmer. Adjust with water if need be.

Seared Mushroom Pork Chops

A very quick way of preparing this dish is to sear the Pork Chops to the desired internal temperature and use either the Mushroom Sauce or Gravy recipe with the thickeners added in for the Gravy simmered until thick and ladle over the Pork Chops. For this method, Pork Loin or other leaner cuts can be used.

This is the fastest way to serve this dish. With a total sear time of about 6 -12 minutes and a Mushroom Sauce that is reduced in about 5–10 minutes. For a Total Cook time of about 20 minutes.

1. Sear: Sear for the time and thickness given or until the desired internal temperature and set the Pork Chops aside on a plate.
2. Vegetables: Optionally Sear Mushrooms and cook the Onions & Garlic to include with the Mushroom Sauce or to top off the Pork Chops after the Mushroom Sauce is ladled over.
3. Mushroom Sauce: Simmer the Mushroom Sauce down to the desired thickness and ladle over the Pork Chops.

What to serve with Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops

Looking for a Side dish? Try pairing up Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops with one of the side dishes below.