Simple homemade sauces (or glazes) are your secret weapon in the kitchen. They’re the easiest way to turn a boring piece of meat into something really mouthwatering and amazing. Case in point: Honey Mustard Pork Chops. This particularly awesome sauce is a mix of honey, Dijon mustard, a little mayo for creaminess, and a few spices. Smear that awesome sauce on a some pan seared pork chops, pop them in the oven to heat through, and then finish them off with a few minutes under the broiler. The end result is creamy, caramelized, honey mustard madness. Madness in a good way, of course.
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Baking Time May Vary
Pork chops are delicate flowers. If you over bake them, they get tough and dry, so you really have to pay them some attention. This is where cooking intuition comes in handy. I’ve provided a general estimated bake time in the recipe below, but the total time needed to get the internal temperature of the pork chops up to 145ºF will vary depending on several factors. The thickness of your pork chops will greatly determine how long they need to bake, as will the amount of time they spent in the skillet while searing. The longer they’re in the skillet, the less time they’ll need in the oven. So keep these things in mind as you cook your chops and I wish you all the most juicy and tender pork chop success!
Can I Use Boneless Pork Chops?
Yes, you can achieve something similar with boneless pork chops and a slightly altered technique. The recipe below is written for bone-in pork chops, which take longer to cook than boneless chops. If using boneless chops you can shorten the bake time considerably. Keep your meat thermometer handy so you can test their temperature and prevent overcooking. If you’re using thin boneless pork chops, you may not even need to bake them after searing. Simply slather the seared chops with the sauce right in the skillet and let the sauce reduce a little bit to more of a glaze consistency. Either way, make sure they reach an internal temperature of 145ºF.
What to Serve with Honey Mustard Pork Chops
I served my Honey Mustard Pork Chops with some Roasted Brussels Sprouts and roasted sweet potatoes. Because they cooked at different temperatures from the pork chops, I cooked the vegetables first, then lowered the oven’s temperature before adding the pork chops. Make sure the oven is all the way down to the correct temperature before baking the pork chops, so you don’t accidentally over cook them! :) Or you could pair it with something super simple and a little lighter, like Simple Sautéed Vegetables, Roasted Carrots, or Lemon Garlic Roasted Asparagus, and some Seasoned Rice.
Honey Mustard Pork Chops
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise ($0.53)
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.18)
- 2 Tbsp honey ($0.24)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.02)
- 4 bone-in pork chops, one-inch thick (about 2.5 lbs.) ($5.02)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare the honey mustard sauce by stirring together the mayonnaise, Dijon, honey, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Use a paper towel to dry off the surface of the pork chops, then season each side with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper. Heat one tablespoon of cooking oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is very hot add two pork chops at a time and cook until golden brown on each side (3 minutes each side). Place the browned pork chops in a casserole dish (it's okay if they overlap slihtly).
- Smear the honey mustard sauce over both sides of the pork chops in the casserole dish. Bake for about 30 minutes for 1-inch thick chops, about 20 minutes for ¾-inch thick chops, or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. To achieve more browning, switch the oven to broil and broil the chops for 3-5 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and bubbly. Serve hot.
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Equipment
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Stainless Steel Pots and Pans
- Meat Thermometer
Nutrition
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How to Make Baked Honey Mustard Pork Chops – Step by Step Photos
Start by mixing up the honey mustard sauce. Stir together 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp honey, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 15 cranks of a pepper mill).
Then you have a really delicious honey mustard sauce that you will have to restrain yourself from licking off the spoon. Set it aside and try to forget about it for a minute.
You’ll want four thick-cut bone-in pork chops for this recipe. Try to get pork chops that are 3/4 to 1-inch thick. The pork chops I used today are about ¾-inch thick. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use a paper towel to dry off the surface of the chops (this helps them sear better), then season each side with a pinch of salt and some freshly cracked pepper.
Heat one Tbsp cooking oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure the skillet and oil are very hot, then add two chops at a time and cook until golden brown on each side (about 3 minutes per side). If it’s taking longer than about 3 minutes to get a nice brown color, make sure you reduce the baking time to compensate because the pork chops will already be more cooked when they go into the oven.
After browning the chops, place them into a casserole dish (it’s okay if they overlap just a little). Smear the honey mustard sauce over both sides of the pork chops. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 145ºF (about 20 min for ¾-inch thick, or closer to 30 for 1-inch thick chops).
Finish them off with just a few minutes under the broiler for maximum browning action (I did not move the oven rack, I simply switched the setting from bake to broil and kept an eye on them).
So yummy! I garnished with a little parsley for color, but it’s not needed to flavor the honey mustard pork chops.
Wondering if the chops could stay in the pan (cast iron) so that I could transfer the pan (with sauce) to the oven after searing instead of having to dirty a casserole dish?
I think that should be fine!
This was delicious and I typically don’t love pork chops. I will make this again but try it with chicken!
When I made these the sauce curdled in the oven, why?
Sometimes this can occur when mayonnaise goes through extreme temperature changes quickly. So if it was super cold from the fridge and then goes into a really hot oven. It could also be from mixing with the additional fat content of the pork chops. Either way, if that happens again, you should be able to remove the pork chops after cooking, give the sauce a little whisk and then pour it back on top.
Yes, mine curdled too and did not look so appetizing. There was no whisking it back together. I liked the flavour but no one else in family did.
Made it step by step as per recipe and the chops were so full of delicious flavors Meat was very moist and we used 3/4 inch center cut bone in chops. Baked @ 350 for 20 minutes was dead on. Will GRILL these next time hoping to enhance a more “smoky grilly” flavor.