Looking For A Quick & Easy Mid-Week Meal
Braised pork chops are a comforting, flavorful dish that turns simple pork into a tender, juicy meal. This recipe shows you how to create restaurant-quality chops at home. The key is slow cooking in a savory liquid, which locks in moisture and builds rich flavor. You’ll get perfectly browned pork with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
We use a combination of aromatic vegetables, herbs, and a splash of wine or stock to create a braising liquid that doubles as a delicious sauce. Every bite is infused with deep, savory notes that pair beautifully with mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or rice.
This braised pork chops recipe is easy enough for weeknight dinners but impressive enough for a special occasion. You don’t need fancy ingredients—just fresh pork chops, simple pantry staples, and a little patience. Braising is forgiving, which makes it ideal for home cooks of all levels.
Whether you’re new to cooking or a seasoned home chef, these braised pork chops will become a go-to favorite. Serve them with your favorite sides, and watch your family ask for seconds. Follow our step-by-step instructions, and you’ll have a hearty, flavorful dinner ready with minimal stress.
Braised Pork Chops with Fennel Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops 1¼ to 1½ inch thick
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup of finely chopped onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic finely chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped fennel bulb finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons Pernod or anisette
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup heavy cream optional but I recommend
Instructions
- Start by preheating your sauté (fry) pan over medium-high heat. If your pan isn't big enough to sear all four chops, cook them in two batches. You never want to overcrowd the pan, or the meat will steam.
- Add the oil and let it get hot.
- Add the chops and sear them on each side for a few minutes. When you add the chops, don't try to move them around. They will stick to the pan and stay stuck to the pan until they sear up and release on their own. This is an excellent indicator to flip them to the other side.
- After the meat is browned on both sides, remove it from the pan and reserve it on a plate or bowl—no need to keep it warm since you will finish cooking the chops in the braise. Be sure to save any juices that might bleed out of the chops to add to the pan later.
- Most recipes say to pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of any fat left from the meat or oil in the pan at this point. It's been my experience that no fat is left, and I often have to add a little more to sauté the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the onion, garlic, fennel, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook these ingredients on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Be sure to stir them often so they don't burn.
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the Pernod or anisette, and return the pan to the heat. Shake and cook for about 1 minute. I don't think it will flame up, but if it does, be careful not to burn yourself and have a cover nearby if you need to put out the flame.
- Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and then lower heat to simmer. At this point, add the meat back to the pan and continue to cook until the internal temperature of the meat is about 155°F. Remove the meat from the pan and keep it warm by loosely covering it with foil.
- Add the cream and reduce the sauce until it begins to thicken to your desired consistency. When I first tasted the sauce before adding the cream, I thought it was slightly bitter from too much Pernod or the fennel. The original recipe calls for three tablespoons of Pernod, but I reduced it to two—your choice. Adding the cream got rid of the bitter taste, so I like using it.
- We served the pork on a bed of egg noodles with sauerkraut and applesauce on the side.
- Delicious!
Notes
Cooking Tips For This Dish
Don’t overcrowd the pan – Sear chops in batches if needed. Overcrowding causes steaming instead of browning.
Let meat release naturally – When searing, resist moving the chops. They’ll release from the pan once a crust forms.
Reserve juices – Save any juices from the meat after searing. They add extra flavor to your braise.
Adjust pan fat as needed – If no fat remains after searing, add a little more oil to sauté vegetables properly.
Cook aromatics gently – Onion, garlic, and fennel should be stirred frequently over medium heat for about 5 minutes. This prevents burning and brings out natural sweetness.
Be cautious with alcohol – When adding Pernod or anisette, remove the pan from heat briefly to reduce risk of flare-ups.
Simmer, don’t boil – After adding stock, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer while cooking chops. This keeps meat tender.
Monitor internal temperature – Cook pork until 155°F for juicy, safe meat.
Balance flavors with cream – If the sauce tastes bitter from fennel or Pernod, add cream to mellow it out.
Serve strategically – Plate pork over noodles or a neutral base and pair with tangy sides like sauerkraut or applesauce for contrast.
The Complete Meat Cookbook
This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Complete Meat Cookbook, by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly. I recommend this book if you want to learn about cuts of meat and how to cook them.
It’s one of those cookbooks I enjoy reading to learn meat-cooking techniques, and there are plenty of great recipes to test those techniques, like this recipe for braised pork chops. What I particularly like about the recipes is that they consistently remind the home cook to watch internal temperatures.
Don’t depend on time and external temps, but be aware of the meat’s internal temperatures.
I picked up some nice-looking center-cut pork chops from my friends at Stoltzfus Meats at our local farmers’ market that may have been a little too thin for this recipe, so I had to watch how fast they cooked.
I usually like to grill or pan-fry center-cut pork chops, but if you are careful, braising them for a short time is a great alternative. Plus, you have some delicious sauce for the mashed potatoes or noodles.
Their recipe used Pernod, a brand of liqueur called pastis that has a licorice flavor and goes well with the fennel. You could also go with anisette, another licorice-flavored liquor. Go lightly with either. A little adds a lot of flavor.
Fennel
Fennel is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with a subtle anise or licorice-like taste. The bulb and seeds are commonly used in cooking, offering versatility across various cuisines. The bulb has a crisp texture, often sliced thin in salads or cooked to soften its sweetness, while the seeds are popular in spice blends or as a digestive aid.
Native to the Mediterranean, fennel is a key ingredient in many Italian, French, and Middle Eastern dishes. When roasted, grilled, or sautéed, it becomes tender, releasing its natural sugars and adding depth to soups, sauces, and braised dishes. Fennel also pairs well with seafood, pork, and poultry, making it an excellent choice for adding freshness and complexity to savory meals.
4 Responses
As you recommended — I went with the Center Cut Chops and 2 tblspns of Pernod. Adding the heavy cream made this an absolutely delightful recipe.
I used sour cream because I had it in the house, and it tastes delicious!
Sounds good Bronie, thanks for the suggestion – RG
I used lite sour cream (watching the weight) and you need to be sure to keep stirring in with a whisk as it splits. So, keep stirring until it starts to blend into the braise. Lovely meal!
I am going to try this recipe tonight but as we cannot get thick cream (as we say in the UK) here in France I will be using crème fraîche . Here’s hoping it turns out!!