Dutch Oven Pork Chops

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Made with simple ingredients, this creamy Dutch oven pork chops recipe is an easy and hearty dinner your whole family will love. Juicy, flavorful chops smothered in a peppercorn sauce and mushrooms, this is the perfect weeknight recipe that will leave you feeling so satisfied.

I love a quick cooking protein on a busy weeknight. These Dutch oven pork chops always hit the spot, and when paired with mushrooms and a creamy sauce all in one pot... it makes for the perfect dinner!

Overhead view of dutch oven pork chops smothered in sauce. Garnished with fresh thyme.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

These smothered pork chops are an easy and delicious dinner that your whole family will love. The pork chops and sauce are so flavorful that your family will want to lick their plate clean.
It's so easy to make. I use a shallow Dutch oven, and I love the sear you get with a Dutch oven. You can also transfer the entire pot into the oven on low heat to keep the pork chops warm while you finish up your side dish to go with it. I like to whip up some mashed potatoes, but rice and baked potatoes are great as well.
These pork chops are literally so simple to make with kitchen staples. Most of the ingredients are likely to be in your kitchen already.

Ingredients You'll Need

Ingredients needed to make dutch oven pork chops.

oil — you can use any oil like olive oil or avocado oil.
pork chops — I use boneless pork chops that are around an inch thick. If you get the thick Costco ones, you'll have to slice them in half!
seasoning — you'll need salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. You'll also need coarsely crushed or freshly cracked peppercorns for the sauce.
butter — I use unsalted butter.
onion — you can use half a large onion or a small onion. It's up to you on how much onion you'd like in your sauce!
garlic — I highly recommend freshly minced garlic over bottled minced garlic.
mushrooms — sliced cremini mushroom is preferred over white mushrooms as they have a more meaty texture and more umami flavor.
flour — to help the sauce thicken.
thyme — I love adding fresh thyme, but if you're more of a fan of rosemary or tarragon, feel free to swap.
beef broth — I recommend using low-sodium beef broth and adding salt to taste.
Worcestershire — a dash adds extra umami flavor to the peppery sauce.
cream — you can also use half-and-half, but I like the rich creaminess of heavy cream.

How To Make This Dutch Oven Pork Chop Recipe

Set of two photos showing pork chops seasoned and added to the shallow dutch oven.

If there is moisture on the pork chops, pat dry with a paper towel. Season the pork chops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a shallow Dutch oven (or large cast iron skillet) over medium heat. Once hot, add the pork chops and pan-sear until golden brown, around 3 to 4 minutes.

Set of two photos showing pork chops seared and then onions, mushrooms, and garlic added to the skillet.

Flip the pork chops and cook until the other side is golden brown as well, also 3 to 4 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork chops are 145F/63C. Set the pork chops aside on a plate.
Lower the temperature to medium-low and add another 1 tablespoon of oil along with butter. Add the diced onions, mushrooms, and garlic and saute for 4 to 6 minutes. Deglaze the pot with a splash or two of beef broth as needed throughout.

Set of two photos showing pepper and flour added to the skillet over the mushrooms.

Add salt and pepper and saute for 30 seconds.
Sprinkle flour and fresh thyme over top and saute for a minute.

Set of two photos showing broth and cream added to the dutch oven.

Add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce to the Dutch oven and bring it up to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring throughout.
Add the cream and any juices that were released from the pork chops on the plate you set them aside on. Stir to combine, and once the liquid comes up to a simmer again, turn off the heat.

Set of two photos showing pork chops added back to the skillet and plated.

Add the pork chops back to the Dutch oven and coat with the sauce if desired.
Garnish with more thyme before serving.

Close up view of dutch oven pork chops with sauce.

Recipes Variations

You can add some extra vegetables to this Dutch oven pork chop, such as spinach or kale when you add the beef broth to the pot.
You can slice the onions instead of dicing them if you want the onions to be more noticeable in the dish. When diced finely, they practically melt into the creamy pepper sauce.

Tips and Notes

Deglazing is adding liquid (beef broth in this case) to a hot pan, which allows all of the caramelized bits stuck to the bottom to release. Scrape the bottom of your pan with a wooden spoon, and it'll get all the goodness off the bottom of your pan and into your sauce. Do not skip this step as you get so much flavor in the sauce when deglazing.
The liquid released from the pork chops while they rest adds a ton of flavor, so don't discard it, and make sure to add it to the sauce!
Patting dry the pork chops will make sure you get a nice sear on your pork chops.
A meat thermometer is so handy in a recipe like this smothered pork dish. Pork chops are easy to overcook which leads to dryness. To make sure your pork stays moist, keep a close eye on it and don't overcook.
The amount of pork chops used in this recipe really depends on the size of your Dutch oven. I use this Dutch oven from Staub and it fits 6 pork chops.

A plate of mashed potatoes with a dutch oven pork chop, sauce, mushrooms, and thyme.

How do I store leftovers?

I like to store the pork chops and sauce separately. This ensures when I reheat the sauce and pork chops, I don't overheat the pork chops and dry them out.

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