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These creamy garlic pork chops are smothered in a garlic cream sauce with whole garlic cloves! This recipe is quick and easy to make in about 30 minutes.
You may also like my Creamy Garlic Pork Tenderloin or Creamy Pork Tenderloin Medallions.
Why you’ll love it
If you’re fan of my popular Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe and also like pork, you may want to try this recipe. I tweaked the sauce a bit to make it work with pork chops. Garlicky goodness. These pork chops are just so good and really simple to make.
Yes, there’s a whole head of garlic in here as well as garlic powder. The garlic cloves mellow out. You can eat them and they’re not overly garlicky… they taste kinda like roasted garlic. I like building layers of garlic flavor! It’s the perfect weeknight meal.
What you’ll need
- Pork chops – I use 0.75-1″ boneless pork chops seasoned generously with salt & pepper to bring out the flavor
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying and the base of the sauce
- Garlic and garlic powder – there’s absolutely a whole head of garlic in here and garlic powder
- Flour – to thicken the sauce
- Chicken broth – more savory depth of flavor
- Lemon juice – a pop of acidity to balance everything
- Heavy cream – to make the sauce luxurious
Pro tip
I recommend taking the pork chops out of the fridge at least 15-30 minutes prior to starting the recipe. They will cook better this way!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Pork chops can easily dry out (especially boneless ones), so I highly recommend getting an instant read meat thermometer so you can check the temperature and not overcook them. Pork is safe to eat at 145F (and don’t forget the temperature continues to climb for a few minutes after you finish cooking it). It’s ok if pork is a bit pink in the middle.
- You can use either boneless or bone-in pork chops. For larger bone-in chops, you may need to sear them in two batches. If your skillet goes dry, I’d add up to 1 tablespoon extra olive oil for the second batch.
- Measure out the butter easily with this butter dish that has measurement marks right on it.
How to make creamy garlic pork chops
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Season the pork with salt & pepper. Heat up the oil and some of the butter in a skillet, then sear the chops on both sides until golden. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining butter and the garlic cloves, and cook until the garlic is lightly browned.
Push the garlic to one side of the skillet, then stir in the flour to make a roux. Pour in the broth and lemon juice, and cook until thickened. Add the cream and garlic powder, and stir until it’s dissolved in.
Return the pork to the skillet, and cook through until the sauce reduces more and the pork is cooked to 145F. Season with extra salt & pepper if needed, and top with fresh parsley if using.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream for a lower fat alternative as it may curdle and the sauce won’t be as thick.
- You could throw in a handful of spinach at the end before adding the pork back to the pan if you want some greens.
- Looking to make this with chicken? Try my Creamy Garlic Chicken instead.
What to serve with garlic pork chops
- These creamy pork chops are delicious with Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Potatoes, Stick of Butter Rice, or even pasta like my Quick Garlic Butter Noodles.
- For veggie options, try my Easy Roasted Cauliflower or Easy Roasted Green Beans.
- Craving a salad? Make my 10 Minute Easy Caesar Salad Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store any leftover pork chops in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat over a low heat slowly until warmed through so the chops don’t dry out.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one.
More delicious pork chop recipes
Questions about this creamy garlic pork chop recipe? Made it? Talk to me in the comments below! Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you make this.
Creamy Garlic Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops see notes
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 whole head garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- Take the pork chops out of the fridge 15-30 minutes prior to starting the recipe if possible. Season the pork generously with salt & pepper on both sides.
- In a deep skillet, add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes, and once it's hot, cook the pork chops for 3-5 minutes/side or until golden (3 minutes for thinner chops and 5 minutes for pork chops up to 1" thick). Once the pork chops are done searing, transfer them to a plate.
- Add the remaining butter and the garlic cloves to the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium (or medium-low if using cast iron). Cook it, stirring fairly often, for about 3 minutes or until the garlic has somewhat browned on the outside.
- Push the garlic to one side of the pan and sprinkle the flour in (avoiding the garlic). Let it cook for around 30 seconds, and give it a stir so it's incorporated with the butter (we're making a quick roux).
- Add in the chicken broth and lemon juice. Stir and let it cook for about a minute or until the sauce is noticeably thickened.
- Add in the garlic powder and cream. Stir or whisk it until the garlic powder has dissolved.
- Add the pork back in and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up a bit (let the sauce bubble a bit but not furiously boil) and the pork chops are fully cooked through (145F minimum). Keep in mind the pork's temperature will continue to rise once you stop cooking it, so if it's close, I'd take it off the heat and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Season the sauce with extra salt & pepper as needed and parsley if you wish.
Notes
- It’s very easy to overcook pork and turn it into shoe leather. I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer to take the guesswork out. Pork that’s 145F and pink inside is safe to eat.
- You can use boneless pork chops like I did or bone-in. I recommend pork chops that are 0.75-1″ thick. Anything much thicker or thinner is likely to end up under or overcooked with this particular recipe since it’s finished in the cream sauce.
- This recipe is also in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Can you sear the chops and finish the chops with the sauce in the oven? How long to cook, and at what temperature?
Sounds delicious!
Hi Kathy! I’m not sure. I wouldn’t want to guess without testing. You may want to try my baked pork chops instead: https://bit.ly/4hCg2Mn
If you are out of heavy cream, can you just use milk or cottage cheese?
Hi! I don’t recommend milk. It could curdle and the sauce won’t be as thick. Not sure about cottage cheese. I’d probably just wait until you can get the right ingredients so it’s not disappointing if the subs don’t work well.
Really enjoyed this recipe with a side of rice on a fall evening was a big hit. I’ve been following your recipes for a few years I just love the simplicity you make out of every recipe you’ve prepared for us. I’m always waiting on my weekly newsletter. Thank you
Aww you’re very welcome, Wendy!! 😀 Glad you enjoyed it!
I tried this & loved it! What do you think about using chicken bone broth instead of regular chicken broth?
That’s great! I think that will work fine. 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe as directed and loved it. Can’t wait to make it again.
I’m thrilled to hear that, Debbie! 😀
I’m embarrassed to tell you that my son and I were making sounds like you’d hear from a bedroom while eating this🤣 We were trying not to eat like thrashers, but it was so delicious it was hard to slow down! Seriously one of the best meals I think I’ve ever made. I’m a sauce lover and tweaked it a little, just adding a little more broth and heavy cream and adjusting the thickness. Definitely got transferred to a recipe card immediately!
HAHAHA omg your comment made me giggle. I’m so glad you liked it!
Made this last night. I doubled the gravy ingredients so there would be plenty to put on mash potatoes. So so so good. My boyfriend is still talking about how good it was today. I did tweak it a little. I added sautéed onions to the and 1/2TBSP of Worcestershire sauce to the gravy. It gave it a nice little kick in your mouth. So so so so good! We loved it so much that we bought your cookbook too! 😋
That’s awesome! And I’m thrilled you bought the book!! Can’t wait for you to receive it! Thanks for your review, Selina. 😀
Awesome recipe! Super delicious! Will definitely be using in the future. Added sliced shrooms as another comment mentioned and used a brisket seasoning in place of salt and pepper. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
You’re very welcome, Koree!
I made the above recipe and added 5 strips of crumbled bacon to the sauce. It was excellent!
Great idea, Judy!!
This is a staple meal in mine and my partners weekly plan. The major tweak we make is we mash the garlic after sautee so that every bite has an explosion of garlic. I recommend prepping before hand if you don’t usually as it does get a little hectic. It is a delicious choice that we recommend to others when given the opportunity.
Aww thanks, Kelsey!
This was definitely a good meal. The pork chops we used were from Omaha Steaks and probably 2” thick so it took a lot longer to cook. If I could do it again I’d add mushrooms!
Thanks, Matt!