Pat the pork chops dry on all sides with a paper towel. Season the chops on all sides with smoky paprika, garlic powder, and salt & pepper to taste. If you’d like, put on some disposable gloves and use your hands to rub the spices into the chops. After that, put the pork chops away.

Fill a shallow dish or pie plate with flour. Shake off any excess flour after thoroughly coating each pork chop on all sides with flour. Transfer the dusted pork chops to a small baking sheet or tray and continue until all of the chops are covered; save the remaining flour and set it aside.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large nonstick pan (at least 10 inches in diameter or bigger) over medium heat.

Add the pork chops to the skillet and gently swirl it to cover the bottom once the mixture begins to sizzle. Take care not to pack the pan too full; you may need to cook the chops in batches, depending on their size. Cook the pork chops until a good brown crust forms, about 4–5 minutes on each side. After that, move the crispy fried pork chops to a freshly greased baking sheet or dish and tent them with foil.

Stirring often, add the onions to the pan and sauté. Give the onions 8 to 10 minutes to thoroughly caramelize and get a rich golden-brown hue. After that, add the garlic and stir until fragrant, which should take about a minute.

Two tablespoons of the flour that was set aside should be added to the skillet. Mix the flour into the onion mixture until it starts to dissolve completely. Make sure all of the flour has completely dissolved by allowing the flour to absorb most, if not all, of the butter or oil that remains in the skillet.

Add the fresh thyme and toss until combined again. Add the stock and scrape off any particles from the pan’s bottom by stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. Cook for a further two minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken.

After adding the heavy cream, stir the gravy until it comes together and let it boil. After that, taste the gravy and add additional salt or pepper to suit your taste.

Spoon the gravy over the pork chops, adding any remaining juices as well. To finish, lower the heat to medium-low and allow the chops simmer in the gravy for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Along with attractively thickening and deepening in color, the gravy will combine with the pork chops.

After that, turn off the heat and let the dish five minutes to cool. Serve the smothered pork chops right away with your preferred side dishes, such as rice, mashed potatoes, vegetables, or anything else you’d want. Have fun!