Pork Chops in Lemon-Caper Sauce
Updated Nov. 4, 2020

- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4bone-in pork chops (about 8 ounces each)
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- ½teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1very small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2garlic cloves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 2teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1cup dry white wine
- 1½cups chicken stock, homemade or low-sodium, if store-bought
- 2tablespoons drained capers
- 2tablespoons minced fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons juice
- Hot sauce (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Dry the chops with paper towels, and season aggressively with salt, pepper and the thyme. Swirl the olive oil into a large skillet, and heat over medium until the oil begins to shimmer. Add chops, and cook until well browned on each side and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chops to a plate, and cover to keep warm.
- Step 2
Drain the fat from the skillet, then melt 2 tablespoons of butter in it over medium heat until sizzling. Add the shallot and garlic, and sauté until the aromatics soften, reducing the heat if necessary, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the wine and chicken stock, raise heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half, 7 to 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Stir in the capers, parsley, lemon zest and juice and hot sauce to taste (if you’re using it), and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until it’s melted and the sauce looks smooth. Nestle the pork chops into the sauce, and allow them to warm up for a couple of minutes, then serve, pouring sauce over each pork chop to taste. Garnish with more fresh parsley.
Private Notes
Comments
Searing aggressively for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side, and finishing cooking in the sauce until an internal temperature of 143-145°F is reached is definitely the way to go. Don't go by time; use temperature to determine when cooked through. The interior should be pink and juicy, not grey. Use an accurate, instant-read thermometer for consistent results every time. Clocks are for telling time. Thermometers are for telling when food is cooked properly.
In response to Vanessa: 2 teaspoons create a sauce. 2 tablespoons (in conjunction with 1 1/2 cups of stock and 1 cup of white wine would create more of a gravy.
Wondering if it should be 2 Tablespoons of flour. The sauce is really thin when the directions are followed.
definitely less time searing to avoid over cooking the chops -- 3 min per side more likely to get to 140-145 degrees. And I used more wondra flour to thicken the sauce. End result was great. Pork chop picatta!
Made this per the recipe but used tomahawk pork chops for the presentation factor and served with roasted fingerling potatoes and homemade applesauce. It was delicious!
Liked but didn't love. I found it hard to keep the temperature of the pork chops right.
