Pork Chops With Ginger Pear Sauce

Pan-seared pork chops with a sweet and sour pear and ginger sauce. Perfect for the fall, cooks up in minutes and only uses one pot!

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated May 23, 2022
Elise Bauer
Pork Chops with Ginger Pear Sauce
Elise Bauer

This is a quick and easy pork chop recipe with skillet seared pork chops, served with a sweet and sour gingery sauce with fresh pears.

Pork chops are our stand-by midweek meal approach because they are so easy to prepare and they cook up so quickly!

Pork pairs especially well with many types of fruit — pineapple, apples, citrus, cherries, pears. The sweetness in the fruit brings out the natural sweetness in the pork.

An acid added to the fruit, like vinegar, will brighten both the flavors in the fruit and the pork.

Pork Chops with Ginger Pear Sauce
Elise Bauer

In this recipe we are first searing the pork chops on the stovetop and then lowering the heat until they finish cooking.

  • Pro-tip on the pork chops: Score the fat on the edges of the pork chops. This will keep the chops from buckling up while they cook.

Then we remove the pork from the pan and cook up shallots, ginger, and pears in a little butter and any remaining pan sauces from cooking the pork.

We add some stock, a little honey and vinegar to intensify the sweet-sour aspect of the sauce. The whole dish is done in only 20 minutes!

Pork Chops With Ginger Pear Sauce

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Servings 4 servings

We used fairly thin, bone-in pork chops for this recipe. If you use thick chops, bring them to room temperature before you cook them.

Ingredients

  • 4 pork chops

  • Salt

  • 2 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1/3 cup shallots, minced

  • 2 tablespoons ginger, minced

  • 1 large pear (Anjou, Bartlett, or Bosc), peeled and diced

  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Salt the pork chops and score the fat:

    Salt the pork chops well and let them sit at room temperature while you chop all the vegetables and the pear.

    score fat on pork chop
    Elise Bauer

    Make a few cuts in the outer fat layer of the pork chops, all the way through to the meat, to prevent them from curling up when you cook them. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.

  2. Sear the chops:

    Working in batches as to not crowd the pan, when the oil is hot, pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and lay them in the pan. Sear the chops until nicely browned, about 3-5 minutes depending on how hot your burner is.

    two pork chops cooking in pan
    Elise Bauer
    searing pork chops in pan
    Elise Bauer

    Turn the pork chops over and sear on the other side for a minute or two.

  3. Finish cooking the pork chops:

    Then lower the heat and cook until done, 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops. Remember you no longer need to cook pork well done. The recommended minimum temperature for cooked pork is now 145°F in the U.S. (Use the finger test for meat if you don't have a meat thermometer.)

    When done, remove the pork chops from the pan to a plate to rest.

  4. Sauté shallots, ginger in butter, then add pear:

    When the pork is done, remove all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Add the butter, shallots and ginger and toss to combine.

    Cook this for 1 minute, then add the chopped pear and toss to combine. Cook another minute.

    saute shallots ginger butter
    Elise Bauer
    add pears to shallots ginger to make sauce for pork
    Elise Bauer
  5. Add stock, vinegar, honey, reduce:

    Add the chicken stock, vinegar and honey and bring to a rolling boil. Boil vigorously until the liquid is reduced by 2/3, about 4-6 minutes.

    add stock to pears for pork chops with pears
    Elise Bauer

    Turn off the heat and add the rosemary and some black pepper. Add salt to taste.

    Serve the pork chops with the sauce on the side.

Pork Chops with Ginger Pear Sauce
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
306 Calories
18g Fat
24g Carbs
13g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 306
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 6g 29%
Cholesterol 51mg 17%
Sodium 300mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 4mg 20%
Calcium 29mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 379mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.