Braised Pork Chops with Fennel Sauce Recipe

Looking For A Quick & Easy Mid-Week Meal

Braised pork chops with fennel sauce combine rich, savory flavors with the fresh, slightly sweet, and anise-like taste of fennel. This recipe is perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner or a special weekend meal, offering a sophisticated twist on a classic pork chop.

By braising the pork, you achieve tender, juicy meat that soaks up the aromatic sauce, creating layers of flavor that will delight any palate. Fennel is often underutilized in home cooking, but its versatility makes it a fantastic ingredient to complement the richness of pork.

This dish's fennel is sautéed and softened, adding a delicate depth to the sauce. Then, it is simmered with a splash of white wine and broth, enhancing the overall complexity.

Whether you're new to braising or a seasoned home cook, this recipe is approachable yet impressive. It combines the ease of braising with the vibrant flavors of fennel. Serve these tender pork chops with creamy mashed potatoes or a crisp salad for a well-rounded meal that will become a favorite in your home.

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.

📖 Recipe

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Braised Pork Chops with Fennel Sauce Recipe

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

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

I used center cut but you could also substitute pork blade chops that comes from the loin or the pork blade steaks that come from the shoulder.

Some of My Favorite Pork Recipes