These honey mustard pork chops are beyond delicious and couldn’t be easier to make!
This is probably one of the easiest sauces to make for pork chops, and it completely brings them to life. You only need minimal ingredients too! Follow me…
Honey Mustard Pork Chop Ingredients
Not only does this recipe require minimal ingredients, but you should hopefully have some of them knocking around in your cupboards too. The full quantities are down in the recipe card below, but just to quickly break down the ingredients:
- Pork – I actually used pork loin steaks to film this, which work just as well as pork chops.
- S&P – A generous helping of salt and pepper is all you need to season the pork.
- Oil – This is to fry the pork.
- Stock – This is the backbone of the sauce. I use 1x Oxo cube + hot water.
- Garlic – This adds an extra layer of flavour.
- Mustard – I actually like to use a combination of Dijon (for the main flavour) and Wholegrain (for texture).
- Honey – I like the sauce very slightly skewed towards the honey, but you can add a little less if you’d like.
- Thyme – This pairs beautifully with both the sauce and the pork.
- Butter – This adds a richness to the sauce and helps create a glossy sauce.
Pan-Fried Pork Chops
Pork chops don’t need to be tough and dry! The key is preparing them similarly to how you would prepare a steak. Here are a few tips to help you along the way:
Preparing pork chops
- Room temp – I recommend getting the pork out of the fridge 30 minutes or so before needed, just to take the chill out of the meat and help it cook through evenly.
- Pat dry – removing excess moisture will help the meat caramelise in the pan more efficiently without steaming.
- Slice fat – if there’s a thick strip of fat, consider trimming/scoring it to prevent the pork curling in the pan.
- Season – a generous seasoning of salt and pepper on each side is all you need to bring out the best in the meat.
Cooking pork chops
- High heat – frying over a higher heat will allow the pork to build up a nice crust (i.e. develop more flavour).
- Fat – I recommend flipping the chops and rendering out the fat. Just so that liquid gold doesn’t go to waste.
- Cooking times – In general, the pork probably won’t need as long as you think. Remember it’ll carry on cooking as it rests and when added back to the pan.
- Rest – It’s important to let the meat rest once it has cooked, just so it can retain its juices.
Process shots: pat pork dry (photo 1), season (photo 2), add to pan (photo 3), fry then remove (photo 4).
Honey Mustard Sauce for Pork
The sauce is really simple and comes together very quickly. You can start it from the excess fat in the pan, just so you don’t waste any flavour.
When you add the pork back to the pan, don’t leave it in there too long; otherwise, it’ll overcook. This is merely just to baste in the sauce and lightly warm it back through.
Process shots: fry garlic (photo 1), add stock, mustards, honey and thyme (photo 2), simmer then stir through butter (photo 3), coat pork in sauce (photo 4).
Honey Mustard Pork Chops FAQ
In general, you don’t need to fry pork chops for as long as you think you do. Pork can have a blush of pink in the centre given it reaches 63C/145F. So only fry it until just cooked, as it will continue cooking as it rests and when added back to the pan. Bringing the pork to room temp and resting once cooked will also help.
This sauce is slightly on the sweeter side. However, you can very easily alter the ratios of mustard and honey to suit your tastebuds.
Both the mustard and honey will act as thickening agents, so all you need to do is simmer the sauce and it’ll naturally thicken – no cornflour/cornstarch needed!
How to serve Honey Mustard Pork Chops
There should be plenty of sauce, so you can serve with a range of different things. Below I’ve served with Roasted Baby Potatoes and Green Beans. However, Mashed Potato, Rice, Asparagus or just Crusty Bread and a Side Salad would nicely!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these honey mustard pork chops shall we?!
How to make Honey Mustard Pork Chops (Full Recipe & Video)
Honey Mustard Pork Chops
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Kitchen Roll/Paper Towels (for patting pork dry)
- Large Pan & Tongs
- Wooden Spoon
- Jug (for stock)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 4x 5oz/150g boneless Pork Loin Chops, brought close to room temp (see notes)
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 180ml / 3/4 cup Chicken Stock
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon Mustard, or to taste (see notes)
- 1 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
- 4 single sprigs of Thyme
- 2 tbsp / 30g Unsalted Butter, cubed & kept in the fridge
- Salt & Black Pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Pat the pork chops dry to remove excess moisture, then generously season both sides with salt and pepper. Trim or score the strip of fat if it is notably thick.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat add the oil. Once hot, add the chops and fry for around 3 minutes on each side, or until they've built up a crust on both sides and are just about cooked through the centre. Stack them on top of each other with the strips of fat aligning, then sear for a couple of minutes to crisp up and render down the fat. Rest the chops on a plate to one side and lower the heat to medium.
- Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds or so (be careful it doesn't burn) then add the stock. Swiftly stir in the honey, mustards and sprigs of thyme and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for around 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. It will thicken; just keep simmering and stirring away.
- Stir in the resting juices from the pork then swiftly stir in the butter until it blends into the sauce. At this point the sauce should be a thin syrupy consistency. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed.
- Add the chops and baste them in the sauce then serve up and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
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