Keto Smothered Pork Chops
Posted: 01/05/24
Updated: 12/11/24
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This recipe for keto smothered pork chops combines tender, pan-seared pork chops, an irresistibly creamy mushroom garlic sauce, and crispy, savory bacon into a simple, easy-to-make, deliciously low carb entrée everyone will enjoy.
🥩 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Keto smothered pork chops are an impressively delicious entrée that’s low in carbs but high in flavor. The recipe is simple, too. Boneless pork chops, seared in bacon fat and smothered in a creamy mushroom garlic sauce thickened with heavy cream and cream cheese and seasoned with fresh herbs.
- This recipe isn’t for dairy avoiders, unfortunately, but it’s great if you’re low carb, keto, gluten free, or focusing on your protein intake! With only 8g total carbs (7g net) and 45g of protein per serving, this is a great option when you need a lean, carbless protein that isn’t chicken for the thousandth time.
- Smothered pork chops go well with a variety of keto sides. Zucchini noodles and mashed cauliflower are always a great choice. Cheesy keto green beans, broccoli cauliflower casserole, and Instant Pot asparagus are all wonderful, visually beautiful options, too.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- You want to use pork chops that are between ¾-inch and 1-inch thick. Any thinner than ¾-inch and you risk them drying out and overcooking. Thicker, they’ll take longer to cook. We used boneless pork chops, but bone-in will work, too! If your pork chops are uneven, pound them with a meat tenderizer or even a rolling pin until they’re evenly thick. Having them roughly the same size and thickness will let them cook at the same rate.
- To keep the sauce from curdling or separating, make sure the heavy cream and cream cheese are at (or close to) room temperature, and remove the skillet from the heat before adding them to the other ingredients. If the dairy ingredients are cold when you add them to the skillet, the temperature difference will cause them to react… undesirably.
🧈 More Keto Recipes You’ll Love
- Keto Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Baked Keto Empanadas
- Keto Tacos with Homemade Keto Tortillas
- Cheesy Keto Green Beans
- Keto Big Macs
- Keto Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
- Chick-fil-A Style Keto Chicken Nuggets (with Keto Chick-fil-A Sauce)
- Perfect Keto Lemon Curd (4 Ingredients)
- Keto Gumbo
- CSC-Style Keto Chicken Salad
- Sausage & Egg Keto Breakfast Casserole
- Keto Chicken Pot Pie
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Keto Smothered Pork Chops
Pan-seared pork chops served in a creamy mushroom garlic sauce.
servings
Ingredients
For the Pork Chops
- 4 medium bone-in pork chops approximately 6 ounces each, ¾-1 inch thick
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the Mushroom Cream Sauce
- 5 strips bacon chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms chopped
- 1 medium leek chopped, approximately 1 cup
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream at room temperature
- 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
Equipment
- Oven
- Cutting board
- large plate
- Paper towels
- large cast iron skillet or similar oven-safe skillet
- Tongs
- slotted spoon
- Internal meat thermometer
- potholder
- large plate
- Silicone spatula or large wooden spoon
Instructions
For the Pork Chops and Bacon
- Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Place 4 medium bone-in pork chops on cutting board and generously season all sides of each pork chop with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Line large plate with 2 to 3 layers paper towels. Set plate aside.
- Place large cast-iron skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. When skillet is warm, add 5 strips bacon (chopped) to skillet. Fry bacon 6 to 7 minutes, or until bacon is crispy but not burnt, flipping bacon as needed.
- Once bacon is crispy, use slotted spoon to transfer bacon to plate lined with paper towels. Set plate aside. Do not drain skillet.
- Place seasoned pork chops in skillet. Sear pork chops 4 to 6 minutes or until golden, then flip each pork chop over. Sear other side of pork chops 4 to 6 minutes or until golden.
- Transfer skillet to preheated oven. Bake pork chops 8 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140° to 142° Fahrenheit according to internal meat thermometer inserted into pork chops next to bone.
- Use pot holder or other protection to carefully remove skillet from oven and to handle skillet for remainder of recipe. Transfer pork chops to plate and set aside to rest.
For the Mushroom Cream Sauce
- Return skillet to stovetop and set heat beneath skillet to medium. Add 8 ounces mushrooms and 1 medium leek to pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes or until mushrooms and leeks have softened.
- Once softened, add 1 tablespoon salted butter and 3-4 cloves garlic to skillet. Stir to incorporate then sauté 1 to 2 minutes until butter is melted and garlic is just fragrant.
- Pour ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth into skillet and stir to incorporate, scraping up any browned bits of food that may have stuck to bottom of pan.
- Once skillet is deglazed, remove skillet from heat and let cool slightly. Pour ½ cup heavy cream into skillet and gently stir to incorporate.
- When cream is fully incorporated, return skillet to heat and increase heat to medium-high. Bring mixture gentle boil, then immediately reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer mixture over medium-low heat 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly reduced.
- Remove skillet from heat and let cool slightly. Add 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese, 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley, and ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme. Stir to incorporate. Continue stirring until cream cheese begins to melt.
- Once cream cheese begins to melt, return skillet to heat. Continue stirring until cream cheese is completely melted.
- Simmer mixture 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
To Serve
- Return cooked bacon to skillet and stir to incorporate, then return pork chops to skillet. Flip pork chops 2 to 3 times, then spoon mushroom cream sauce over top of each pork chop.
- Cook pork chops in sauce of medium-low heat 3 to 5 minutes or until pork chops reach 145° Fahrenheit internally. Transfer pork chops to serving plates and serve immediately with desired sides.
Notes
- Pork Chops: Boneless pork chops will also work. They’ll cook faster than bone-in pork chops, so adjust your times accordingly.
- Cream Cheese: Use a full-fat cream cheese without added sugars and with the lowest carb count you can find. Philadelphia Original cream cheese has been the best option I’ve found at my grocery stores.
- Make it Lower Carb: Omit the leek. For even fewer carbs, omit both the leek and the mushrooms.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 539kcal | Protein: 34g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Total Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 7g | Vitamin C: 5mg | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 765mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
This was delicious!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing, Gina!
Everyone loved it!
We’re so happy to hear this! Thanks for sharing, Maria!
So good! Thank you for sharing!!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them!
It was a big hit! Company worthy dinner.
So glad they were a hit!
Was a good recipe
So glad you enjoyed it!
OHMYWORD!! This is Keto?!? You can’t tell it and it is to-die-for!!
I know, right?! Thank you so much, Carol!