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  • The Main Dish
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Balsamic Pork Chops with Figs {Instant Pot or Stove Top}

13 Comments

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Balsamic Pork Chops in the Instant Pot are brined quickly for tender chops. Sweet onions, mission figs, thyme and white wine create a delicious au juice.

Pork chops, for me, have rarely been a success, which would explain why Dave was less than pleased when he first saw the chops for this recipe in the fridge. So, since I brine chicken breasts frequently, I decided to try a quick brine for the pork in this recipe and thankfully, the results were worth the little bit of effort. Balsamic Pork Chops with Figs and sweet onions is easy and delicious, whether done in an electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot is what I have) or on your stove.

Pork chops with figs and onions in white bowl

The pork chops become tender and are flavored with sweet onions, balsamic vinegar, thyme, white wine and broth. This strangely perfect combination creates a balsamic au jus that reduces and becomes infused with the dark sweetness of dried mission figs.

close up of pork, onions, figs and spoon

A pretty presentation for any weeknight because it’s fast and easy or for a nice dinner with guests; because it’s unique and looks like it wasn’t fast and easy. 😉

Pork chops, onion, figs in white bowl

Brining the pork chops is certainly optional but if your pork chops are thicker than 1/2″ thick I would definitely do it. The brine in the recipe here does not use a lot of salt, just enough to yield perfectly tender meat. Also if you really want a good helping of the au jus, you can easily double everything except the pork, onions and figs.

side view of cut pork chop with onions and fig on white plate

Making Balsamic Pork Chops with Figs and sweet onions is incredibly quick with my Instant Pot, incredibly tender thanks to the quick brine, and incredibly tasty thanks to the unique au jus in the recipe. You can’t beat that combination.

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5 from 5 votes

Balsamic Pork Chops with Figs {Instant Pot or Stove Top}

The quick brine method in this recipe is optional though recommended to ensure tender chops. Feel free to also double the vinegar, white wine and chicken broth in the cooking recipe if you want even more balsamic broth.
Course Dinner
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
Total Time 25 minutes minutes
Servings 4
Calories 426
Author Good Dinner Mom

Ingredients 

  • 3 cups cold water, divided
  • 3 Tablespoons coarse kosher salt, or 2 ½ tablespoons table salt
  • Optional flavorings of 1 bay leaf, or 2 smashed garlic cloves, or 1 teaspoon black peppercorns)
  • 4 1-inch thick bone-in pork loin chops
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon butter, divided
  • 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 medium sweet onions, peeled and sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and rough chopped
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons dry white wine
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 7- ounce package of dried figs, approximately 1 cup

Instructions

Brining directions:

  • If you have time, brining the pork for even a brief period adds flavor and ensures juiciness in the finished chop. Bring 1 cup water to a boil, add 3 Tablespoons salt and optional flavorings, and stir to dissolve the salt. Add 2 more cups cold water to bring the temperature of the brine down to room temperature. Place the pork chops in a shallow dish and pour the brine over top. The brine should cover the chops — if not, add additional water and salt (1 cup water to 1 tablespoon salt) until the chops are submerged. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 8 hours.
  • After brining time is complete and before you cook the pork, pat them dry to remove extra moisture. (This brine is not extra salty, so you will be fine to add more salt and pepper to the chops before cooking, in the steps below.)

Instant Pot directions:

  • After patting the chops dry, lightly season them on both sides by sprinkling them with salt and pepper. Add ½ Tablespoon butter and ½ Tablespoon oil to the Instant Pot and using Saute' function, adjust heat to Normal setting. Add 2 pork chops; brown for 3 minutes on each side. Move chops to a plate and add another ½ Tablespoon butter and oil. Add the other 2 chops and repeat browning process. Remove those chops to the plate.
  • Add the onions and saute' for 4 minutes or until the onions are transparent. Stir in the garlic; saute' for 30 seconds. Stir in the thyme and balsamic vinegar. Cook uncovered until the vinegar is reduced by half. Stir in the wine and broth. Add the pork chops, spooning some of the onions over the chops. Place the figs on top.
  • Lock the lid in place, turning the steam release valve to Sealing. Touch Manual setting and adjust time to 9 minutes. After cooking time, release steam with Quick Release method. Serve immediately.

Stove Top directions:

  • After patting the chops dry, lightly season them on both sides by sprinkling them with salt and pepper. Add ½ Tablespoon butter and ½ Tablespoon oil to a 6-quart dutch oven or large saute' pan with a heavy bottom and heat to medium-high. Add 2 pork chops; brown for 3 minutes on each side. Move chops to a plate and add another ½ Tablespoon butter and oil to the pan. Add the other 2 chops and repeat browning process. Remove those chops to the plate.
  • Add 2 sliced onions and saute' for 4 minutes or until the onions are transparent. Stir in 4 chopped cloves garlic; saute' for 30 seconds. Stir in the ½ teaspoon thyme and 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar. Cook uncovered until the vinegar is reduced by half (this doesn't take long). Stir in 2 Tablespoons wine and ½ cup broth. Add the pork chops, spooning some of the onions over the chops. Place the figs on top.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pan and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 165F degrees. Plate the pork chops and serve with the onions, figs and balsamic au jus over the top. If desired, continue to cook the onion mixture over medium-high heat for an additional 4-5 minutes to caramelize the onions and infuse the fig flavor into the mixture. This method will reduce the amount of au jus, however.

Equipment

Instant Pot
Nutrition Facts
Balsamic Pork Chops with Figs {Instant Pot or Stove Top}
Amount Per Serving (4 g)
Calories 426 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Trans Fat 0.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 97mg32%
Sodium 5460mg237%
Potassium 1092mg31%
Carbohydrates 48g16%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 34g38%
Protein 33g66%
Vitamin A 100IU2%
Vitamin C 10mg12%
Calcium 142mg14%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Pinterest pin of Balsamic Pork Chops with figs

 

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Published on July 17, 2017

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    Recipe Rating




  1. paula evans says

    June 15, 2022 at 8:06 AM

    5 stars
    I love this! A great way to cook chops without having to grill them too. Thank you Sally, cant wait to make this!

    Reply
  2. teachermom says

    April 22, 2022 at 6:10 AM

    5 stars
    Wow! That was delicious! I’d only had enough time to marinate my chops for about an hour and they were still very good! I’ll definitly make again. Thanks for the great recipe Sally!

    Reply
  3. sonya says

    April 22, 2022 at 6:08 AM

    5 stars
    Excellent- love these!! I have even tried with chicken and it turned out very good! This ones a keeper Sally, thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  4. sherri m says

    April 22, 2022 at 6:07 AM

    5 stars
    I have made these 2 times and each time they received rave reviews. I do recommend the brining for 8 hours for maximum flavor. Great recipe!

    Reply
  5. Melissa Pertuit Matherne says

    July 22, 2019 at 10:28 AM

    Can I use fresh figs?

    Reply
    • Sally Humeniuk says

      July 22, 2019 at 10:32 AM

      Hi Melissa, yes but the flavor be different. The dried figs add a sweetness that isn’t quite there yet with fresh. I imagine in the Instant Pot, fresh figs will break down quite a bit. I think it’ll still be wonderful though. If you’re looking for a recipe with fresh figs, be sure to search my site for the Fig Coffee Cake recipe. It’s amazing. 🙂

      Reply
      • Tim says

        October 7, 2020 at 4:41 PM

        Made this in the stovetop with fresh white figs from a friends tree. Quartered the figs and took off some of the skin- added the figs at the same time as the wine and thyme so that they would break down consistently with the onions. Also added a touch of brown sugar to increase the sweetness a bit- especially since my figs were not as sweet as one might expect. It was a hit with the family. Very nice recipe- thanks!

        Reply
        • Sally Humeniuk says

          October 8, 2020 at 8:06 AM

          Thanks Tim! I love what you did to tweak the recipe as needed and really appreciate your taking the time to comment here. Thanks again and have a great day!

          Reply
  6. Kimberly CLOWARD says

    February 16, 2018 at 3:09 PM

    5 stars
    Delicious!!

    Reply
  7. Jackie says

    August 17, 2017 at 2:01 PM

    Oh my this looks amazing!!!

    Reply
    • Sally says

      August 21, 2017 at 4:38 PM

      Thanks Jackie! We love it. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Beth D says

    July 18, 2017 at 9:13 AM

    I did the onions a bit differently for this recipe. After I browned the chops, I wrapped them in foil to keep them warm while I slowly browned white onions in the pan drippings. White onions are great for caramelizing, since the sharper the onion, the sweeter it will be once cooked.

    Reply
    • Sally says

      July 18, 2017 at 11:07 AM

      Excellent tip, Beth. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
About Sally - Good Dinner Mom.

About Good Dinner Mom

My name is Sally and I love to be in the kitchen. Making fresh, unique dishes is my way of showing love for family and friends and I hope that here you’ll find recipes of both healthy and indulgent dishes that will inspire you to cook more at home while sharing some love of your own. more about me

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