When the weather starts getting colder I start looking for comfort food. My favorite comfort foods are soups, macaroni and cheese, and pot pies. Unfortunately many of my favorites are super high in calories so I can only have them occasionally.
When I found a recipe for French Onion braised chicken I was intrigued. The recipe only called for a small amount of cheese and none of the bread or croutons that go on top. I liked that it incorporated one of my favorite soups with poultry to make it a main dish recipe with less calories and fat then the soup. I had taken pork chops out of the freezer so I substituted them in for the chicken in this recipe.
I was surprised by the rich, delicious flavor of the pork chops and broth. The pork is made really tender by baking in the French Onion broth. The cheese on top is broiled at the last minute to give it that classic browned topping of French Onion soup. I really enjoyed this twist on a classic.
French Onion Pork Chops (adapted from Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations)
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
2 T. sugar
2 onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. rosemary
1 t. thyme
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/4 c. white wine
1 c. beef broth
1 t. olive oil
4 boneless pork chops
4 slices Swiss cheese
1. In a heavy bottomed pan heat the olive oil, butter, and half the sugar. Add the onions and let them cook down, stirring occasionally. As you are caramelizing the onions you do not want them to cook too fast so keep an eye on them.
2. After allowing the onions to cook down for 15 minutes add in the garlic, herbs, and remaining sugar. Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes or until onions are caramelized.
3. Stir in the white wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. In a large skillet heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown in the skillet, about 2-3 minutes per side.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Pour the onion mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 baking dish. Place the pork chops on top of the onions.
7. In the same skillet that cooked the pork chops, add the beef broth and scrape up any brown bites. Pour the broth over top of the chicken and onions.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pork chops are fully cooked. Place a slice of cheese on top of each pork chops and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and brown.