Shallots and chopped sage browning in butter. OH MY – the aroma, the flavor! Why we’d pour that on a plate and lick it off, but today let’s pour it over juicy pork chops instead. Our luscious keto pork chop recipe is easy to prepare, and takes only 25 minutes from prep to plate. After serving these last week, I caught my husband using his index finger to scoop up what was left on the plate. Or wait – maybe that was me.
Before we changed our diet from carb-laden to carb-restricted, we’d spoon browned butter, shallots, and sage over raviolis stuffed with squash, pumpkin, cheese, meat, or whatever kind we could get our hands on. We couldn’t pass up the stuffed pasta from the refrigerated section of the grocery store because we knew we’d have a delicious meal whipped up in less than 30 minutes.
Living in the Atlanta area we’re fortunate to have perennial herbs and spices, like mint, thyme, oregano, chives, and sage. Our winter was particularly mild this year, so they sprang back to life early in March. We have several varieties of sage (one of my favorite herbs) and they’ve been growing like crazy. We love the savory and mild flavor of fresh sage, and as you’ll see in this recipe, we use a good amount, but as always, you can adjust to your personal taste. The flavor profile of sage is savory, with mint, pepper, pine, and citrus notes. We happen to be a big fan, and not just for use in holiday turkey and stuffing.
We’re writing this during the Covid-19 pandemic, and as we all know, finding fresh meat can be a challenge. We were lucky to score 4 pork loin chops, weighing in at 4 ounces each. This recipe works just fine with larger loin chops – say 6 ounces – and bone-in chops are also a great alternative. Whichever cut or weight you use, make sure the thickest part of the chop reaches 140 degrees before you take off the heat and cover.
Start by seasoning both sides of the pork chop with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. We use about 1 tsp of each (maybe a little more), but the amount is up to your personal preference. Add the chops to heated olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Cast iron is great. We use an enameled cast iron skillet which can be pricey, but it was a Christmas gift (so no guilt) but any heavy skillet will do the job.
The trick to keeping these chops juicy is how they’re cooked. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and wait a minute or two until it’s nice and hot. Add the pork chops and cook for 2 minutes. Then flip the chops and cook another 2 minutes. After that, you’ll flip the chops every 1 minute until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chop reaches 140 degrees F. Our chops were about 3/4ths inch thick and only 4 ounces, and they reached 140 degrees in 6 minutes. Lots of variables in the cooking process, so keep a careful watch on the temperature, as you don’t want to over cook and end up with dry, tough pork. They will continue cooking while off the heat to reach about 145 degrees F.
After you’ve transferred the chops to a plate and covered, reduce the skillet’s heat to medium. Then add the butter and chopped sage leaves. Stir and cook until the butter is golden brown and the sage starts to crisp, which takes about 5 minutes. This results in sage that’s a little crispy (which is how we like it), but you can stop the cooking process whenever you’ve reached your sweet spot! Add in the minced shallots and continue cooking for about a minute. Spoon the sage butter mixture over the pork chops.
We serve with steamed broccoli, our Cheesy Sour Cream Cauliflower Rice, or a green salad. Last night we took out the leftover pork chops from this recipe made 2 days ago. We sliced them, and ate them cold with a side caprese salad. They were spectacular! You know how it is with leftovers – the flavor seems to intensify. We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Stay well!
Sage Butter Pork Chops
Smothered in browned sage butter and shallots, our savory pan-seared boneless pork chops are only one net carb per serving – a quick and easy entrée any night of the week. Serve these scrumptious chops with steamed broccoli, our cheesy sour cream cauliflower rice, or a side salad.
- Heavy Skillet
- 4 pork loin chops (4 ounces)
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium shallot (minced)
- 8 tbsp butter
- 1 cup fresh sage leaves (coarsely chopped )
Season both sides of the pork chop with salt and pepper
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook 2 minutes. Turn over chops and cook another 2 minutes. Flip again, cooking 1 minute, and flip again, cooking an additional 1 minute. Turn every minute until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of chop reaches 140 degrees.
Transfer chops to plate and cover to keep warm.
Reduce skillet's heat to medium. Add butter and chopped sage, stirring constantly, until butter is golden brown and sage starts to crisp, about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium. Add shallots and cook an additional minute.
Spoon sage butter mixture over pork chops.
Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!
Another option for cooking is to sous vide the pork. This does increase the overall cooking time, but the results can be spectacular! Sous vide the pork chops by placing all ingredients into a plastic zip-lock baggie, squeezing out as much air in the bag as possible. Drop into a pot of 160 degree water for 1 hour, using a sous vide device or induction cooktop. This method raises the internal temp near the 140 degree mark.
Continue with the remaining steps of the recipe above.
I can’t seem to find a good pork chop recipe and this one was a hit! My hubby loved it. Thanks for all these good recipes!
This was incredible. Pork cooked to perfection based on the timing suggested and I want to blend up the sage/butter and drink it. Served it with baked asparagus and was a major crowd pleaser.
Hi, Joe! Good to hear from you! I’m so happy you had a good outcome with the pork chops, and I hear you about drinking the sage/butter. ; D.
I love this! I made one small change to the recipe, and that was to sous vide the pork chops. Thank you Joanie! You’re doing a great job!
Hi, Tom. What a great idea! I’ll try the next time I make these pork chops. Thank you!
Could I cook the pork chops on the grill instead?
Hi, Mary! Absolutely you can grill the pork chops instead of pan frying. Works either on stovetop or grill. Hope you enjoy them, and thank you for visiting us!
I ended up not cooking it on the grill. I didn’t want to lose the flavor of the cooked pork in the sauce. It was amazing!
Thanks for your kind comments, Mary! Glad you enjoyed them!
Joanie, this was absolutely amazing! I haven’t cooked pork chops in over 20 years because I always found them to be too dry. This was the first time I cooked with sage and I loved it! I can’t wait to try another one of your recipes.
Hi, Joann! I’m so happy to hear this! Sage is one of my all-time favorite fresh herbs and our garden always has a large supply. Thank you so much for your lovely comments, and here’s hoping you find more recipes you’ll enjoy! Stay well.
Made this tonight. Wish I’d used the entire sage bush so I had leftover buttery, crunchy goodness! But we ate it all. It’s crave-worthy and easy!
Hi, AH! I can relate about using an entire sage bush! It’s good to hear you enjoyed the dish. I’ve been known to eat the crunchy, buttery goodness by the spoonful! Thanks for the visit.
I made these last night. They were amazing! So easy to make. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed our Sage Butter Pork Chops, Kathleen! Thank you for your kind comments.