Marianne Williams is a recipe tester and developer who has been working in the Dotdash Meredith test kitchens since 2016. Her recipes are featured in Food & Wine, Southern Living, Real Simple, Rachael Ray, Health, Cooking Light, and in various other publications and digital platforms.

Set aside your usual pork chop dinner, and give this Creole version a spin. Inspired by a family-owned Louisiana rice farm, we've created a dish that delivers homestyle comfort with a flair from its Louisiana influence.

The prize-worthy flavors are packed in the gravy poured generously over perfectly tender pork chops. That's where we bring in the heat, also known as the Creole mustard, spicy mustard made from Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and hot sauce. Also with onion, garlic, and cream, the gravy is so good, you'll want to bathe in it. But why don't we leave that to the pork chops?

Make sure your cooked pork is thoroughly saturated with the sauce, then go ahead and spoon some more overtop after plating. Fitting to this recipe's rice farm origins, these saucy chops are served best with fluffy long-grain white rice. Get a bite full of the works—rice, pork, and gravy—and you've got a dinner that will rake in rave reviews.

1 ½ cups uncooked long-grain white rice 

1 Tbsp., plus 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided

4 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops (about 12 oz. each)

1 medium-size sweet onion, thinly sliced (about 2 1/4 cups)

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 2 tsp.)

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Add rice; cook, stirring often, until shiny and starting to toast and sizzle, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups water; bring to a boil over medium-high. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt; reduce to a simmer over medium-low. Cover and simmer, undisturbed, 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Uncover; fluff rice with a fork. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the butter until melted. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

While rice cooks, stir together smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the pepper in a small bowl; set aside. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels; sprinkle both sides evenly with smoked paprika mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Carefully add pork chops to skillet; cook, undisturbed, until browned on bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip pork chops; cook until browned on other side, 4 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, lift each pork chop from skillet, and sear around the sides of chops until golden brown, about 1 minute per chop. Return chops to lie flat in skillet, and cook, flipping every 2 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into center of each chop registers 140°F, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, wipe skillet clean (some bits can remain). Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil to skillet; heat over medium until butter is melted. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until onion is golden brown and softened, 8 to 10 minutes. (If some of the onion starts to burn before all is caramelized, add a splash of water to skillet.) Sprinkle evenly with flour; cook, stirring constantly, until flour starts to turn golden and smell nutty, about 1 minute. Stir in stock; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire, mustard, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream.

Nestle pork chops in gravy mixture in skillet, and spoon some gravy over chops. Remove from heat. Pile rice evenly on 4 plates, and place 1 pork chop over rice on each plate. Spoon 1/2 cup gravy on and around each chop. Sprinkle evenly with thyme. Serve immediately.

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