Braised Pork Chops and Fennel Recipe
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One pan is all you need to make this fast braise of juicy pork chops and tender fennel. Bonus: The braising liquid turns into a delicious sauce that you’ll want to sop up with a piece of crusty bread.
This recipe was featured as part of our Fall Ingredients photo gallery.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium fennel bulb (about 12 ounces), stalks removed and discarded
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
- 3/4 teaspoon hot paprika
- 3 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork loin chops
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup dry vermouth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Trim the top and bottom of the fennel bulb and cut it in half through the core. Cut each half lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; set aside.
- Place the measured salt and pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the paprika in a small bowl and stir to combine. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels, then sprinkle on all sides with the paprika mixture; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan with a tightfitting lid over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the pork chops and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 6 to 7 minutes total. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the reserved fennel, onion, garlic, thyme, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon paprika to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the fennel begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and vermouth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Return the pork chops and any accumulated juices to the pan, nestling the chops in the fennel. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the chops are firm and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 140°F, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pork chops to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and let rest.
- Increase the heat to medium and simmer the sauce, uncovered, until reduced by about a third and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add the mustard, zest, and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve the sauce alongside the pork chops and fennel.
this was great..i bought insanely expensive pork chops at the farmer's market, grass fed, free of all the usual suspects ($20/lb)..the were quite thick, a couple inches..and had a substantial layer of fat around the perimeter that i trimmed. they were succulent and juicy..i used 3 fennel bulbs, and added some fresh rosemary instead of thyme because i had none..served with the large grained cous cous..this was a lovely dish but i think it depends on getting well marbled pork chops. lately ever time i buy pork at the market or at trader joe's it's a huge disappointment -dry and close to inedible.
I made this tonight and it was incredible. Best meal I have had all year, seriously. Served with mashed potatoes.
I have a pork chop aversion because it is hard for them not to turn out like hockey pucks without undercooking them. how does the texture turn out in this recipe? does one need the special heritage pork that doesn't have all of the fat bred out of it?
How in the world can you read the recipe with all the unremovable advertising covering the right side of the recipes? Give us a break. At least allow the ads to be removed or deleted. Are you that money hungry?
I made this recipe today as I was looking to use up some fennel left over from another recipe to avoid food wastage.
I substituted the vermouth (as I didn't have any) for white wine and reduced the salt as I thought there was a bit too much. I served it with cous cous and it was delicious. All the flavours really worked well together and I'll definitely use this again!!
One thing that I would like to see added to this recipe is the nutritional information for those of us watching what we eat.
wooleybare -
I think subbing the vermouth with chicken broth probably contributed to the saltiness, as vermouth and fennel do not contain salt and the chicken broth reduced.
If you don't have vermouth, white wine or water will be a good substitute. Let us know if you make it again!
Christine Gallary, CHOW Test Kitchen
I was so looking forward to making this recipe. as it turned out, i had all the ingredients, except the vermouth, which i subbed with more broth. also used dried thyme in place of fresh, making the necessary amount substitution. the sauce was waaaay too salty. could it be i also used more fennel? i didnt think it would lend that much saltiness.
This is OK, but I think it would be better as a braise with a fattier cut of pork, such as cubed shoulder. I had 1-in. bone-in loin chops, and they were done after searing. Overall, the sauce was tasty but didn't blow me away. It also wasn't much to look at, and even over brined, seared chops, it lacked that "gotta make this again" quality.
I prefer a similar recipe that uses fennel, shallot, white wine, and mild Italian sausage.
Tried this last weekend. Used end chops, one inch thick, bone in from a local source (Vancouver Island). Stuck to the recipe. Worked like a charm. Moist, tender meat, savory sauce and a happy Mrs. Spit Jr. Went very well with another recent Chow recipe - butternut squash couscous.
seems it is way too long to cook pork chops....especially if they are thin cut.
Pork dries up too fast and meat becomes tough and chewy even with the addition of the sauce....
Tasty- might add a bit more liquid if you like sauce. Some apple might go well in here. I'd give it 8.5 stars out 10.
Bone chicken thighs... Sure, but I'd drain that fat after you browned them off.
Sammismith-
We never tested with chicken thighs, but I'm sure they would be delicious. They will probably take longer to cook through when you place then back in the pan. If you try the recipe with chicken, please let us know how it turns out!
Christine Gallary, CHOW Test Kitchen
could you make this with bone in chicken thighs?