Seared Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Pan Sauce
Thin pork chops seared until golden, then a quick mustard cream sauce built right in the pan from the browned bits. Green beans steam alongside for a fast, high-protein stovetop dinner.
- Total
- 18 min
- Prep 4 · Cook 11 · Rest 3
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Pan sauce
- Savory
- Quick
- Stovetop
Instructions
-
Pat the pork chop dry with paper towels and season both sides with 0.25 tsp salt and 0.125 tsp black pepper. Trim the green beans and set them aside.
~4 min
Drying the surface prevents steam, letting the meat brown instead of gray, while salting early seasons and helps it retain moisture.
-
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Lay in the pork chop and sear undisturbed for 3 minutes, until the underside is deep golden.
~3 min
A shimmering pan means the oil is hot enough to sear fast, creating Maillard browning and flavor before the interior overcooks.
Searing Get the pan hot until the oil shimmers, then leave the chop undisturbed to build a deep golden crust; moving it too early prevents browning.
-
Flip the pork chop with tongs and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the center reaches 63°C/145°F on an instant-read thermometer. Move it to a plate to rest.
~3 min
Pork is safe and juicy at 63°C/145°F; resting lets carryover heat finish cooking and juices redistribute instead of running out.
Thin chops overcook fast, so pull them at 63°C/145°F and let the carryover heat finish them during the rest; the final turn in the warm sauce brings them back up to temperature without drying them out.
Searing Get the pan hot until the oil shimmers, then leave the chop undisturbed to build a deep golden crust; moving it too early prevents browning.
-
While step 3 rests
While the pork chop rests, add 100 g green beans and 2 tbsp water to the same skillet over medium-high. Cover and steam 3 minutes, until the beans are bright and just tender but still snappy.
~3 min
Covering traps steam so the beans cook quickly and stay bright and crisp rather than browning in the dry pan.
-
Push the green beans to one side of the skillet. Stir 1 tsp mustard into the pan drippings, then pour in 60 ml cream and simmer 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.
~1 min
Scraping the browned bits (fond) dissolves them into the cream, and simmering reduces the sauce so it thickens and clings.
If the cream sauce looks thin, simmer it a few seconds longer before adding the pork; the mustard thickens it slightly, but the fond and reduced cream do most of the work.
Pan sauce After searing, add liquid and scrape the browned fond while simmering; this dissolves the flavorful bits and thickens the sauce so it coats a spoon.
-
Return the pork chop and any resting juices to the pan and turn it once in the mustard cream sauce, about 1 minute, until warmed through. Serve the chop with the green beans and spoon the sauce over the top.
~1 min
Turning the chop in the warm sauce gently reheats it without further cooking, keeping it moist and coating it with flavor.
Pan sauce After searing, add liquid and scrape the browned fond while simmering; this dissolves the flavorful bits and thickens the sauce so it coats a spoon.