These moist honey mustard pork chops cook in under 30 minutes and still have a perfect golden brown crust! Serve them with your favorite simple side dishes for a meal that everyone loves!
Why This Recipe Works
Honey mustard works well as an accent flavor, but as a sauce it is often too sweet.
This pork chop recipe uses simple household ingredients to add a bit of flair and tang to the honey mustard sauce. This way it has a better-balanced umami flavor that isn't overly sweet.
Also, with my pro tips for making pork chops, even the fat cap gets crispy.
What's Goes Into the Recipe?
- Pork Chops. I recommend a thick-cut boneless chop for this recipe because you get better meat to sauce ratio. You can swap for another preferred pork chop, but try to keep it thick cut. (About 1 ½ inches thick.)
- Mustard. Don't skip using both types of mustard because the balance makes the sauce just right. If you use only dijon the mustard loses some of its oomph. If you use only whole grain, the sauce is a bit too spicy and sharp.
- Honey. Simple clover honey is all you need, but you can substitute it with any other honey you have around.
- Lemon juice. If you don't have a lemon lying around, swap it out for apple cider vinegar.
- Fat. Adding the butter before putting in the pork chops helps give an extra flavor oomph. You can make this dairy-free though by eliminating it and using only the oil.
How To Make This Recipe
In a bowl, stir together the mustard, lemon juice, paprika, and honey. Set aside.
Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper and heat the oil in the cast iron pan over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, place the seasoned pork chops into the pan. Cook until the outside is golden brown and the chops easily pull away from the pan (about 4-5 minutes.)
Flip and repeat on the other side.
Once cooked, transfer the pork chops to a plate to rest.
Pour out any excess fat from the pan and place it back on the burner.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the honey mustard sauce ingredients. Let it come to a simmer.
Return the pork chops to the sauce and allow them to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Serve hot with a generous pouring of sauce.
Expert Tips
- If you have the time, let the pork chops come to room temperature before cooking. This prevents sticking and cuts down on how much oil you need.
- Before cooking the meat side, get a crispy fat cap by cooking it first. Do this by placing the pork upright against the side of the pan until crispy. You may need to use tongs to help steady them. This not only renders the fat for more flavorful cooking but also gets the whole pork chop crispy.
- Cook the pork chops to an internal temperature of 145°F. This should have a little blush of pink and still be very moist.
- To keep the top of the pork chops from drying out, flip them in the sauce before leaving them to simmer.
FAQ's
That can be all it is, however the texture and flavor don't always match that way. Some brands and recipes use extra ingredients like mayonnaise, garlic, vinegar, corn startch and more.
Thick cut pork chops are more forgiving because they don't dry out as quickly. To keep the pork chops tender remove them from the heat at 140°F and let the residual cooking finish them while they rest for five minutes.
Avoiding bone, put a thermomter in the thickest part of the pork chop. Remove the pork chops at 140°F and allow it to rest for five minutes. During this, the chops will continue cooking to get to a perfect medium rare.
Related Recipes
For some excellent side dishes to serve with this crispy honey mustard pork chops, I recommend:
Crispy Pork Chops with Honey Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 3-4 Tablespoon honey
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon neutral cooking oil, plus more as needed
- 1 Tablespoon butter, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the mustards, honey, lemon juice, and paprika. Set aside. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper.
- In a cast iron pan over medium high, heat the oil until it is shimmering. Add in the butter and then place the pork chops into the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the pork is golden brown and easily releases from the pan. Flip and repeat on the other side.
- Transfer the pork to a plate and drain off any excess oil. Reduce the heat to medium low and pour the honey mustard sauce into the pan. Bring to a simmer and return the cooked pork chops to the sauce.
- Let cook for another 1-2 minutes and serve with a generous serving of sauce.
Notes
- If you have the time, let the pork chops come to room temperature before cooking. This prevents sticking and cuts down on how much oil you need.
- Before cooking the meat side, get a crispy fat cap by cooking it first. Do this by placing the pork upright against the side of the pan until crispy. You may need to use tongs to help steady them. This not only renders the fat for more flavorful cooking but also gets the whole pork chop crispy.
- Cook the pork chops to an internal temperature of 145°F. This should have a little blush of pink and still be very moist.
- To keep the top of the pork chops from drying out, flip them in the sauce before leaving them to simmer.
Mary says
How much honey did you use? It is not listed in the ingredients?
Mackenzie Ryan says
Well, that's an extremely embarrassing oversight. Thank you for catching that, Mary. I updated the recipe to reflect that it should be 3-4 Tablespoons of honey depending on how sweet you like it.