These mouthwatering French Onion Pork Chops are slathered in a savory onion gravy, then topped with gruyère cheese for comfort food perfection!

Cheesy pork chops smothered in onion gravy and topped with chives in a cast iron skillet.

French Onion Soup Takes on Pork Chops and I Am Here for It

Ever since making my chicken piccata last week, I’ve been determined to think of more ways to smother golden-fried meats in delicious pan gravies.

These French onion pork chops bring the essence of French onion soup to the pan and it is heavenly. It’s true comfort food, and it’s the perfect Sunday night dinner when served with creamy mashed potatoes and a side of greens.

I wanted to stay true to French onion soup, so I didn’t stop at the beefy onion-rich gravy. I went ahead and topped these bad boys with gruyère, popped them under the broiler for a stint, then finished them off with toasted breadcrumbs.

No regrets.

Bowl of sliced onions, butter, sauces, grated cheese, garlic, olive oil, breadcrumbs, and fresh thyme laid out on a counter.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Boneless pork chops (I use top loin)
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • All purpose flour
  • Onion powder (optional)
  • Dried thyme (optional)
  • Fresh thyme
  • Unsalted butter
  • Olive oil
  • Onions
  • Shallot
  • Garlic
  • Dry white wine
  • Beef stock
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Gryuère cheese
  • Panko breadcrumbs
  • Fresh chives

Here’s the Rundown on How to Make French Onion Pork Chops

Preparing the pork:

  1. Mix the flour, onion powder, and dried thyme together in a shallow baking dish; set aside.
  2. Pop the pork chops, two at a time, into a large freezer bag. With a meat mallet, pound them down to a thickness of about 1/2 an inch. Remove them from the freezer bag and repeat this process with the remaining two chops; when done, season the chops with salt and pepper.
  3. One by one, dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture, then put them onto a plate or cutting board.

Cooking the pork chops:

  1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Melt half of the butter into it and, once the butter is mostly melted, add half of the olive oil.
  2. When the butter and oil are lightly sizzling, pop two chops into the skillet and cook them for 3 minutes. Carefully flip them over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Both sides should have a nice golden crust.
  3. Transfer the cooked chops to a paper-towel lined plate or cutting board, then transfer the other two chops to the skillet and repeat the process.

Preparing the sauce:

  1. Add the remaining butter and oil to the pan. Once the butter melts, add all of the onions into the pan. Stir them well to coat with the butter and oil. Salt them lightly, then stir in the fresh thyme.
  2. Once the onions are tender and golden in color, add the garlic and sauté for about a minute.
  3. Pour the white wine into the pan and deglaze it by scraping up any pan bits. This gives the sauce extra flavor!
  4. Whisk the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and flour together in a small bowl or cup, then add it to the skillet. Let it simmer until the mixture thickens, stirring frequently. This should only take about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Nestle the chops back into the pan, and spoon some of that onion-y gravy goodness over each one.
  6. Top each pork chop with shredded gruyère and pop them under the broiler for just a few minutes—until the cheese melts and is bubbling and slightly golden.
  7. Remove them from the oven, garnish with toasted breadcrumbs and freshly chopped chives, and serve!

Cheesy pork chops smothered in onion gravy and topped with chives in a cast iron skillet.

Useful Tools for This Recipe:

Cheesy pork chops smothered in onion gravy and topped with chives in a cast iron skillet.

Recipe Tips + Tricks:

  • If you want to save time and use thinner pork cutlets, go for it. Skip the tenderizing process with the meat mallet and be sure to cook them for less time, about 1.5-2 minutes a side.
  • With a sharp knife, score the fat along the side of the pork chop so that the chop doesn’t seize up and curl when it hits the hot pan.
  • The ideal internal temperature for pork is 145º F. Keep in mind that you’ll be popping the chops under the broiler briefly, so if they come in at a bit under beforehand, that’s fine.
  • If you can’t find gryuère, mozzarella or provolone cheese will work just fine. I think brie would also make for a nice and tasty twist!

Cheese-topped pork chop with gravy on top of mashed potatoes in a bowl with broccolini.

Have You Made This Recipe?

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What to Serve With French Onion Pork Chops

  • Potatoes! Mashed potatoes are my favorite thing to have with these chops because, hello, GRAVY. But these roasted mini potatoes would be a great pairing as well.
  • If potatoes aren’t your thing, rice is always nice :)
  • You can’t go wrong with broccoli or green beans. Asparagus is also a fantastic choice, and this grilled asparagus is top notch.
Cheesy pork chops smothered in onion gravy and topped with chives and toasted breadcrumbs in a cast iron skillet.

Get the Recipe:

French Onion Pork Chops

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
These mouthwatering French Onion Pork Chops are slathered in a savory onion gravy, then topped with gruyère cheese for comfort food perfection!
5 from 26 votes
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Ingredients

  • 4 boneless pork chops, I like to use top loin
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour, + 1 TBSP
  • 2 tsp onion powder (optional)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme (optional)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 cups thinly sliced onions, Preferably sliced with a mandolin on the thinnest setting
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 2 TBSP fresh thyme
  • 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
  • 1/2 cup beef stock/broth
  • 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon beef base (optional), I like adding this for a little extra oumph!
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup grated gruyère cheese
  • 2 TBSP panko breadcrumbs, toasted, *See notes
  • Fresh chopped chives, for garnish

Instructions 

Preparing the pork:

  • In a shallow baking dish, mix the flour, onion powder, and dried thyme together; set aside.
  • Place the pork chops, two at a time, into a large freezer bag and pound them down to a thickness of about 1/2 an inch with a meat mallet. Remove the chops from the bag and repeat this process with the other two chops. When done, season the chops with salt and pepper.
  • Dredge the pork chops, one by one, in the flour mixture. Put them onto a plate or cutting board.

Cooking the pork chops:

  • Melt half of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is mostly melted, add half of the olive oil.
  • When the butter and oil are lightly sizzling, transfer two pork chops to the skillet. Cook them for 3 minutes, then carefully flip them over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Both sides should achieve a nice golden crust.
  • When done cooking, transfer the chops to a paper-towel lined plate or cutting board, and repeat the process with the two other chops. (If your skillet is large enough to fit all four without overcrowding, do it all in one shot.)

Preparing the sauce:

  • Preheat your oven broiler and position the oven rack just above the middle.
  • Heat the remaining butter and oil in the pan. When the butter melts, add all of the onions into the pan and stir them to coat with the butter and oil. Lightly salt them, and stir in the fresh thyme.
  • When the onions have softened and are golden in color (this should take about 5 minutes), add the garlic and sauté for about a minute.
  • Pour white wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping up any pan bits. This will give the sauce extra flavor! Let it simmer for about a minute.
  • While the wine simmers, whisk the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and flour together in a small bowl or cup. Add it to the skillet, and let it simmer until the mixture thickens, stirring often. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
  • Nestle the pork chops into the pan and spoon some of the onion gravy over each one.
  • Top the pork chops with shredded gruyère, then pop them under the broiler for just a few minutes—until the cheese melts and is bubbling and slightly golden. Keep a close eye on them, because every broiler is different and you don't want them to burn. Mine were done under my broiler in about 2-3 minutes.
  • Remove the skillet from the oven, garnish the chops with toasted breadcrumbs and freshly chopped chives, and serve!

Notes

To toast your breadcrumbs, simply heat a dry pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the breadcrumbs into the pan and bring the heat down to medium-low. Heat them until they are golden in color, shaking the pan periodically to avoid burning. This usually takes about 5 minutes, but keep a close eye on them.
Serving: 1piece, Calories: 530kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 438mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g
Author: Dana Sandonato
Course: Main Course