Pork Chops with Fennel, a one-pot cozy winter meal

Fennel bulbs help flavor these chops—and serve as a side in this one-pot, weeknight-quick meal. Recipe below.

NEVER TRUST IDEAS HAD AT 1:45 IN THE MORNING. I was lying awake last Saturday at said hour, realizing we didn’t have a recipe to post this coming Wednesday and knowing we would be out of town on Sunday. Suddenly, I thought of cooking pork chops with fennel bulbs. It sounded like a great idea, one-pot simple and a cozy winter antidote—I sent myself a note and went to sleep. It was a great idea. We’d done it in 2015.

I didn’t remember that fact until I’d cooked the above version and photographed it, and we had eaten it, deeming it quite good. Make-it-again good, post-it good. I was editing the photo and went to save it. The computer told me there was already a file by that name; did I want to replace it? I looked at the old photo. I said, “Well, (really bad word) me.”

Looking at the old recipe, though, we decided that while both used pork chops and fennel bulbs as their key ingredients, they were different in execution and final flavor, and both belonged here on Blue Kitchen. This recipe leans into savory, thanks to chicken broth, and is slightly brightened with wine and lemon juice. Two fennel bulbs are enough to serve as a side and deliver a pleasant anise flavor. And it’s cooked on the stovetop, a nice weeknight-quick dish.

The former, Braised Pork Chops with Earl Grey Tea, Cider and Fennel, is a more nuanced dish. A single fennel bulb serves as more of a flavoring element than a side dish. And apple cider and Earl Grey tea team up to create a subtly sweet finish. This dish starts on the stovetop, then finishes braising in the oven.

If pork chops and fennel sound like a good combo to you, try one of these dishes. Heck, try them both. We’re ready to have both of them again.

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Pork Chops with Fennel

The fennel bulbs in this weeknight-quick, one-pot meal serve as a delicious side.

Course Main Course

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 one-inch thick bone-in pork chops (or boneless—see Kitchen Notes)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored, quartered lengthwise and sliced (see Kitchen Notes for more detailed instructions)
• 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (you can substitute apple juice or water)
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fennel bulb fronds
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus sliced lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

• Season chops on both sides with salt, pepper and half of the thyme. Heat oil over medium-high flame in a large, lidded sauté pan. Brown chops on both sides, about 5 or 6 minutes per side. You may need to do this in two batches to avoid crowding the chops. Transfer chops to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium and add fennel and onion to the pan, along with the rest of the thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
• Clear a space in the middle of the pan and add the garlic. Cook garlic, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Stir everything together.
• Add wine and broth, scraping up any browned bits in the pan. Arrange chops on top of the fennel mixture, cover the pan and simmer until chops are just cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should register at least 145ºF in the thickest part of the chops.
• Transfer chops to a platter. Turn off heat under pan and stir in lemon juice and fennel fronds. Serve chops alongside fennel mixture, along with lemon wedges.

Kitchen Notes

Bone-in? Boneless? We generally prefer bone-in chops because the bones help flavor the dish. But you can also use thick boneless chops.

Prepping fennel bulbs. This is how we prep them for most uses. Using a sharp knife, slice off the root end of the fennel bulb and the stalks with the fronds. Reserve the stalks and fronds. Slice the bulb in half lengthwise and peel off the tough outer layer. Cut out the inner core and slice the bulb halves crosswise into about 1/4-inch slices.