It was one of those days.  Stressful.  I really needed to get my Crock Pot Pork Chops going in the morning, but….it was not happening.  I have 3 kids with some health problems, 2 of which I’ve been dealing with on a pretty regular basis.  We went to the city to take each of them to see their individual specialist yesterday.  The trip went well, but after some discussion with their doctors, we did some medication tweaking to make sure we have their symptoms under control.  (One has epilepsy and one has a serious case of asthma).

It seemed like all was going well by the end of yesterday, but today was a doozy.  The kids weren’t feeling well, they were whiney and their littler siblings were even whinier.  I needed to help them all with school, but I also needed to feed them and clean the house.  I could feel the tension in my back getting stronger and stronger.

Finally, we turned on some Christmas Music.   Using our free music from Amazon Prime (click to get a free 30 day trial), I listened to some Michael Buble and got the kids involved in a family Christmas craft, thanks to their older sister helping them.  They were all distracted, not whining or complaining of being hungry and I set to work making this AHHHMAZING dish of Pork Chops with Cream Sauce.

I was originally planning to make these in the slow cooker and it would’ve been great there, but since I was dealing with kid drama most of the morning and early afternoon, I waited to long to get it in.  So….I decided I was going to try it out in the Instant Pot instead.  I’m so…so…so glad I did.  It was super easy….and totally delicious!  The only problem is that I didn’t double the recipe.  I wanted to eat more!

SO…. I’m going to show you how to do it both in the crock pot and in the Instant Pot.  If you choose to make this recipe, either choice will be great!  This recipe was recently included in my Freezer to Slow Cooker Subscription Meal Plan.  Be sure to check it out!

Crock Pot Pork Chops in Cream Sauce (or Instant Pot)

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds boneless pork chops
½ onion
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 14 oz can chicken broth
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon basil

Instant Pot Instructions:

Since, I did mine in the Instant Pot this time, I thought I’d share with you the process in pictures.

First, I chopped 1/2 of an onion.

Then, I mixed together my spices in a small bowl.

I sprinkled those mixed up spices onto my pork chops on both sides.

After that, I placed the pork chops into the Instant Pot and then poured in the minced garlic, onions and chicken broth.

Push the manual button and set the timer for 30 minutes.  Be sure your valve is closed.  If you’re new to the Instant Pot, your pot will steam until the valve seals and then it will no longer steam.  It will take longer than 30 minutes to cook.  It typically takes 20-30 minutes to warm the machine up before it can start cooking.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the Instant Pot and pour in your heavy cream.  Whisk well.  Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of corn starch and cook an additional 15 minutes to let it thicken.

Serve with sauce spooned over the top and garnish with parsley and basil.

Crock Pot Instructions:

1. Chop 1/2 onion
2. Mix together thyme, salt, pepper and dry mustard in a small bowl.
3. Sprinkle spices on both sides of each pork chop.
4. Place pork chops, garlic and onion in slow cooker.
5. Add chicken broth
6. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
7. Remove pork chops from slow cooker and stir in cream to the liquid that remains and stir with a whisk.
8. If you need your sauce thicker, add in a tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk.
9. Turn up to high and cook another 15 minutes.
10. Pour sauce over pork chops and garnish by sprinkling with another teaspoon of parsley and basil over the pork chops with sauce.

Freezer Bag Instructions:

• Chop 1/2 onion
• Mix together thyme, salt, pepper and dry mustard in a small bowl.
• Sprinkle spices on both sides of each pork chop.
• Place pork chops, garlic, onion and chicken broth into in gallon sized freezer safe bag.
• Alternative:  Don’t add the chicken broth until cooking day to save space and to keep spices from washing off of meat.
• Label and lay flat to freeze.
• On cooking day, add thawed bag to slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
• Remove pork chops from slow cooker and stir in cream to the liquid that remains and stir with a whisk.
• To thicken sauce, add in a tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk.
• Turn up to high and cook another 15 minutes.
• Pour sauce over pork chops and garnish by sprinkling with another teaspoon of parsley and basil over the pork chops & sauce.