Ordinary pork chops turned extraordinary with a quick and easy balsamic vinegar sauce. This sauce is a secret weapon when it comes to jazzing up a midweek meal.
Pork is the perfect quick cooking protein for busy weeknight meals. Whether it’s sweet and sour pork, pork chops and apples or juicy grilled pork chops, there are so many options when it comes to turning various cuts of pork into a healthy meal for your family.
Boneless Pork Chops with Balsamic-Fig Sauce Recipe
This simplistic, tasty, somewhat-savory, somewhat-sweet dinner is for you. These boneless pork chops are by far the most effortless weeknight meal you could possibly throw together. Bonus…it’s so good (like restaurant good), you could even serve it on the weekend.
The quick cooking time coupled with this sauce keeps this dish moist and delicious. No one will believe you made this sauce from scratch. NO ONE!
Ready in twenty minutes, including prep time and no matter busy your day was, you’ve got time to make this delicious meal.
Ingredients for Boneless Pork Chops with Fig Sauce
Full recipe is at the bottom of the page.
Pantry Ingredients
- salt and pepper
- olive oil – you can use extra virgin olive oil too
- beef broth – can also use beef stock if that’s what you have available
- dried figs – you can find them next to the raisins at the market
- cornstarch
Fresh Ingredients
- boneless pork loin, thin sliced chops – readily available at the grocery store
- shallot – one large bulb
How to Make Boneless Pork Chops with Balsamic Sauce
Step one: Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of your pork chops with salt and pepper.
Step two: Add olive oil and fry pork chops in batches (only do four at a time, remove and add any others you might have; this will keep the temperature of the pan from falling too low.), 2 minutes per side and remove from pan (the goal here is not to cook them all the way through, you will finish that later); keep warm. Add shallot to the pan and cook until softened, 3 minutes. Add beef broth, balsamic vinegar and figs. Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. In a separate small bowl, make a slurry with cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water, until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Slowly add the cornstarch slurry to the broth mixture and whisk for 1 minute.
Step three: Add chops back to the pan and cover. Simmer 2-3 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Remove the chops from the pan and pour sauce all over. Serve immediately.
Can I Substitute the Protein?
You could use skinless, boneless chicken, but thighs will be a better choice than chicken breasts.
If you do use chicken, fillets of the thigh and breast are thin enough to be quick cooking.
Is This The Same As A Balsamic Reduction?
Technically this is a reduction since we are taking the balsamic vinegar and reducing it by half.
What makes this reduction a little different is the addition of shallots to the balsamic so it’s not exactly a classic reduction, but still a reduction.
How To Store Leftovers?
Place any leftovers in a dish tightly covered and store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
To warm up any leftovers, place them in a microwave safe dish and reheat in the microwave. I find they stay juicier when reheated this way as opposed to on the stove top.
What To Serve With These Pork Chops
- Cheesy Bread
- Salt and Vinegar Smashed Potatoes
- Lemon Couscous
- Acorn Squash Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Potatoes with Balsamic Glazed Onions
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Boneless Pork Chops with Balsamic-Fig Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lbs. boneless pork loin, thin sliced chops
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cups beef broth or stock
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 9 dried figs, diced
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of your pork chops with salt and pepper.
- Add olive oil and fry pork chops in batches, 2 minutes per side and remove from pan; keep warm. Add shallot to the pan and cook until softened, 3 minutes. Add beef broth, balsamic vinegar and figs. Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. In a separate small bowl, make a slurry with cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water, until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Slowly add the cornstarch slurry to the broth mixture and whisk for 1 minute.
- Add chops back to the pan and cover. Simmer 2-3 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Remove the chops from the pan and pour sauce all over. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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