I was listening to a podcast this week about a scammer who managed to get millions of dollars out of his marks by pretending to be a Saudi Arabian prince.
In one case, he was found out because he ordered a dish with pancetta in it at a restaurant, and since his dining companion knew a devout Muslim would never eat pork, he started becoming suspicious.
I get it. There are certain dishes I think I would mindlessly order, too, even if I were trying to trick someone with a secret identity—especially if it had to do with chocolate. The temptation is real.
I was thinking about that story while I made this week’s recipe, and I can tell you this should be on your “must try” list, as long as you are able to eat pork products, because it was amazing and super easy to make.
This comes from the blog, “What’s In The Pan?” You can find the original post at https://whatsinthepan.com/pork-chops-in-creamy-white-wine-sauce/. I added a bunch of seasonings and extra garlic to my version.
Pork Chops in Creamy Wine Sauce
Ingredients
Pork Chop Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 boneless pork chops
- 2 tablespoons butter
Sauce Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
- leftover flour mixture from pork chops
- 1/2 cup dry white wine I used pinot grigio
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1/2 heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- On a plate or in a bowl large enough to fit a pork chop, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Dredge each pork chop in the flour mixture, making sure to get a solid coating on both sides and the edges. (Don’t toss the flour. You’re going to use it for the sauce.)
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the pork chops. Cook them on each side for about three or four minutes until they’re nicely browned and the internal temperature reaches at least 145 degrees. Transfer the pork chops to a plate and cover them to keep them warm while you make the sauce.
- For the sauce, melt butter over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute until it’s lightly browned and fragrant and stir in about one tablespoon of the flour mixture from the pork chops, or enough to soak up all the butter. Saute for one to two minutes to cook the flour, and then slowly whisk in the wine, 1/2 cup chicken stock and heavy cream, along with the lemon juice and seasonings. Continue whisking until the sauce thickens to your liking. If it gets too thick, loosen it up with a little more stock.
- When the sauce is how you want it, reduce the heat to low and add the pork chops and any accumulated juices back to the pan, dousing them with the sauce. Once the pork chops are heated back through, serve immediately.
We enjoyed our pork chops along with mashed potatoes, and the wine sauce was amazing poured over the whole dish. I also added fresh basil to my sauce, because I happened to have some on hand, so if you want to kick yours up a notch, I highly recommend that, too.
The sauce was creamy and really flavorful, and I will absolutely make this again—hopefully soon. It’s one of those dinners that feels like it was a lot more effort than it really was. In all, I probably had dinner on the table in 30 to 40 minutes.
If you’re in the mood for something that looks fancy without being a pain to cook, make sure you keep this recipe on hand. Just remember not to make it in the case of certain scams you may be pulling; you don’t want to end up the subject of a podcast.
This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 8, 2024.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
