Simple but great tasting pork chops, similar to what you might find in a small trattoria in the north of Italy, are quick and easy to prepare. Simply pan seared until golden brown and then basted with brown butter, garlic and fresh sage leaves, the pork chops are succulent and delicious.
In the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna, much of the cuisine could be described as rich and indulgent. Many of its well known dishes are based on pork, butter and cream using ingredients such as Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh herbs such as sage. Sage, an aromatic herb that has a savory, slightly peppery taste, is often used to balance the richness of certain dishes. It is used in the classic Italian dish, veal saltimbocca with prosciutto and sage. One of the most common pairings from the region is pumpkin pasta tossed with fried sage leaves and browned butter. If you are like me and love the nutty goodness of brown butter and crispy sage leaves, then you must give this quick and easy pork recipe a try.

Pork chops are pan sautéd on the stovetop until they develop a golden brown crust and then basted with sage and garlic infused brown butter. I think you will agree, once that you have cooked this northern Italian inspired dish, that this is one of the easiest and tastiest ways of preparing pork chops that you have ever tried.
Pork Chops With Brown Butter, Garlic And Sage
Serves 2, adjust the recipe accordingly.
- 1 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
- 2 bone-in pork chops, about 1″ thick (I used 1-1/4″ pork rib chops)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 or more sage leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2 Tbsp. butter
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a sauté pan just large enough to contain the pork chops without overlapping them. When the oil is shimmering add the chops. Sear for one minute, turn and cook an additional minute. Using tongs, cook the fatty edge of the chops for 1 minute.
Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, turning the pork chops every minute, until they are golden brown and an instant read thermometer inserted in the center registers 135 degrees, about 6 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chops, it could take 8 to 10 minutes if they are extra thick.
Slide the pan off the heat, add the butter, sage leaves and garlic to the hot sauté pan. When the butter has melted, tip the pan and baste the pork chops. Return to the heat and continue to baste until the sage leaves turn crisp and the butter browns. Remove from the heat and let the chops rest about 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees for slightly pink and juicy meat. To serve, top with some of the crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a spoonful of the garlicky brown butter pan juices.
To insure an extra juicy pork chop, I like brining them: Mix up a brine of 1 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt, 1 1/2 Tbsp. of brown sugar in three cups of water. When the salt and sugar are dissolved, place the pork chops in a container and pour the brine over. If needed, add a little extra water to make sure the chops are covered with brine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Remove the pork chops from the brine and discard. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and proceed with the recipe. *The brine is for two chops, adjust the brine recipe accordingly.
The bone in chops should be at least an inch thick and be marbled with some fat so they don’t dry out as they cook. Boneless pork chops, which are usually leaner, will cook faster, so you may have to adjust the cooking time.
When searing the pork chops, use a pair of tongs to sear the fatty edges as well.
While it may seem unusual to repeatedly flip the pork chops, it ensures they cook more evenly.
If the pork chops are extra thick, you can use an ovenproof sauté pan for searing the chops on both sides and then finish the chops in a 350 degree oven until they reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees, about 5 minutes. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing or serving so that they reach a final internal temperature of 145 degrees for slightly pink meat.
Brown butter is extremely easy to burn once the solids start to foam so watch it carefully.
Cooking mellows sage, so for fullest flavor it should be added at the end of the cooking process. It will only take 2 to 3 minutes to turn crispy and infuse its unique flavor and complexity to the recipe.
While sage is a great flavor match for pork, rosemary or thyme would work as a substitute if you don’t care for sage.
The Cook’s Notes
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I served these quick and easy pork chops with creamy mashed potatoes. Lean a chop on the potatoes, drizzle with the sage garlic butter and top with crispy sage leaves. A nice green vegetable like broccoli or green beans is a good accompaniment. My husband and I agreed that we could eat the brown butter, garlic and sage sauce by the spoonful but instead we drizzled the delicious pan juices over the chops and let it slide down onto the mashed potatoes…I can assure you it was heavenly.
I love calf’s live a la salvia, so I know those chops are delicious …especially with mashed potato!
wow The pork chop is perfectly cooked and looks so juicy and tender. Great flavour, Karen.
angiesrecipes
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
A deliciously simple recipe. thanks.
Sounds delicious. Thanks, Karen. Happy Sunday.
I love brown butter and sage together. These chops sound great!
Sounds lovely, the sage and browned butter, yum!
These look and sound delicious. I may plan this for next Sunday’s dinner. Thank you!
When you use the word garlicky to describe a meal, you have our attention. This gorgeous pork chop is making our mouth water.
I love your pan seared pork chop, it looks absolutely delicious! I can only imagine spooning some of the infused brown butter over the mashed potatoes! Yum!
Simple and so flavorful. Winner! Really nice recipe. Nice food styling, too. Good stuff — thanks.
Very tempting! Brown butter has such a great flavor.
A wonderful recipe for pork chops and the completed entree looks delicious.
I love this idea for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. I can’t even tell you the last time I made porkchops. This might end up on our menu this week! Thanks!
That sounds pretty good to me and easy. Have a good week Diane
Placing mea in a brine is such an interesting way to prepare meat. ✨ ⭐ Good idea! ⭐
Oh my, Karen. I really need to find a proper butcher rather than buying meat from the supermarket. Really Nice pork chops are amazing. Yours look so good.
We seem to grill all our chops this time of year, but this sounds too delicious not to try!!! Simple, yet delicious flavors!
Karen, this looks delicious. I also love brown butter. I must give this recipe a try!
We’ve been enjoying Stanley Tucci’s “Searching for Italy,” and learned a little bit more about the regional differences in Italian cuisine. I struggle with keeping pork chops moist, but this recipe really looks enticing. And I love the addition of sage!
I love that you brine the chops. I typically brine large pieces of pork, but not just two chops. Why not?!! The final dish is so appealing to me, even though I’m not a meat and potatoes gal!
Well, it certainly looks and sounds heavenly, and it’s actually something in my skill set. 🙂 When I was growing up, my birthday meal was always pork chops. Love them, so thanks for sharing your special recipe.
Thanks for the notes on how to achieve a juicy pork chop! I’ve always had problems with that. Your dish looks scrumptious and has me wanting to go buy some chops for the first time in ages. Anything cooked in butter has my vote. 🙂 BTW – I’m watching the CNN show with Stanley Tucci and last week he was in northern Italy. He emphasized how in northern Italy they use butter, lots of butter, instead of olive oil and polenta instead of pasta. I found that very interesting since you also reference that in your discussion. Learn something new everyday. 🙂
I can’t think of three ingredients that go together better than these! Add in the pork and you have a winner. This sounds amazing!
These simple recipes are really the best. I cannot remember the last time I had pork chops! This recipe definitely needs to get on my list.
You had me at brown butter and garlic. These pork chops look and sound incredible.
Ohh that brown butter would give it a lot of flavour and keeps that usually dry cut of pork juicy
Okay! You had me at Sage and brown butter then you added Pork Chops…! What a delight I will be making in a few days as sweet man came home with Pork Chops from the store today.
Thank you for sharing!
I’ve got two pork chops in the freezer that will find their way to this recipe. Sounds delicious Karen. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Pure comfort! We love our pork over this way, but most here usually over fry the pork chop and cover it in brown gravy. Me, I far prefer your method. I brine a lot of meats and still prefer the wet method over the dry method in most cases. Now, I’ve got to get a sage plant this spring as you’ll not easily find fresh in our markets.
These pork chops look super juicy and flavorful! I love the garlic and sage flavors.
Definitely a great combination – but I will skip the garlic (as you well know!). 🙂
My goodness, I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve had a pork chop. Yours look absolutely stunning! I love this recipe.
Karen, that is MY kind of meal! Minus the garlic, of course, since I’m allergic, but nothing else on that plate I don’t like!
I could eat browned butter with anything. Heck, I could eat just browned butter! 😉
My husband and I love pork chops sauteed too. We’re originally from pork country (Iowa) and my family lives in Emilia-Romagna where it is said that there are more pigs than people! So our love of pork runs deep! Printing and pinning!
Thanks and do stay safe!
Roz
This looks like straight from a restaurant kitchen! Beautiful!
I’ve been basting lots of meats and fish with herb infused browned butter lately. So simple but effective!
Brown butteris a magical ingredient! This meal looks scrumptious, and the pork is so beautiful seared and caramelized!
I haven’t made pork chops in so long but I am tempted to run to the store right now and buy some! This sounds so delicious and I’d like to try your brining method too.
These pork chops are calling my name! I have to make this recipe soon. Thanks, Karen!