Green Peppercorn Sauce
Savory green peppercorn sauce is an easy pan sauce for drizzling over roasted pork, chicken, or turkey. You can make this ahead for a holiday dinner or special event to save time and turn a simple cut of meat into a festive and elegant dish for company.
As the holiday season comes nearer and we watch the prices of meat rise, budget-conscious hosts are looking for ways to serve an elegant dinner entree with a cost-effective cut of meat.
While you may picture beef for Christmas or a large ham for Easter, an inexpensive pork loin, whole chicken, or turkey breast can be turned into a holiday perfect recipe with an easy green peppercorn sauce.
This delicious recipe takes just 20 minutes to make and can be prepped ahead the day before. Just reheat it and drizzle it over your main dish to add an incredible boost of flavor.
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Why This is the Best Recipe
When you want to take something ordinary like a roasted pork loin and make it something elegant enough for a holiday dinner, the easiest upgrade is to make an easy skillet sauce to drizzle over the sliced meat.
I think this is the best green peppercorn sauce recipe because:
- Easy for Beginners: Even if you've never made a homemade gravy before, this forgiving recipe is perfect for learning your way around a roux and building a savory sauce.
- So Much Flavor!: If you've never tasted green peppercorns in brine before, you're going to be amazed at how much flavor it adds to the sauce.
- Make Ahead Friendly: Want to enjoy your holiday meal with less time in the kitchen? You can make this entire recipe in advance and easily reheat it.
Ingredients
To make the amazing peppercorn sauce, you will also need:
- Green Peppercorns in Brine: Perhaps the trickiest ingredient to find is a jar of green peppercorns in brine. These soft peppercorns season the sauce so well. If your grocery store doesn't carry them, you can order the same ones I used right here. For a special holiday meal, this is a must-have. But for a Sunday dinner with the family you could just add extra fresh cracked peppercorn to the sauce.
- Butter
- Flour
- White Wine
- Chicken Stock
- Dijon Mustard
- Whole Grain Mustard
- Pan Drippings from a Roast: I start my sauce with pan drippings from roasted pork loin but I do have other options, see my notes below.
Roast a Main Dish
The most delicious green peppercorn sauce starts with a pan filled with drippings from roasted meat.
This recipe was intended to go with my oven roasted pork loin, but you could make a roasted chicken or even a roasted turkey if you prefer.
Just save 1/4 cup of the pan drippings to start the sauce.
If you prefer to NOT use pan drippings, then just plan to add an additional 4 tablespoons of butter to the pan.
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Prep Your Ingredients
You'll be using the entire jar of green peppercorns but you want to be sure to drain the liquid off first.
Measure your wine in one measuring cup and the chicken stock and mustards can go in a second measuring cup.
This helps ensure you add the liquids to the pan at just the right moment and you won't burn your roux while waiting for the measurements.
Build the Roux
Place the skillet with the pan drippings on a burner over medium heat. If you don't have a pan of drippings, just place a skillet with 4 tablespoons of butter over the burner instead.
Add the butter for the sauce and melt it.
Add the flour and whisk it into the butter. Continue to cook until it bubbles and thickens, this is called a roux.
Add the white wine and whisk it into the roux.
Add the Wine and Chicken Stock
Continue to cook the wine in the sauce until it bubbles and reduces.
It should look like this:
Pour the chicken stock, Dijon mustard, and whole grain mustard into the skillet.
Stir in the green peppercorns and whisk it all together.
Bring it to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes or until it has thickened.
Make Ahead Tips
I love this elegant skillet sauce because it keeps well in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
You can reheat it in a skillet with a splash of chicken stock if it thickened too much in storage overnight.
Use the warmed sauce to reheat my make ahead pork loin perfectly!
Serving Suggestions
The tangy brine of the green peppercorns add so much flavor to this easy skillet gravy.
The dish pairs just perfectly with my make ahead oven roasted pork loin with mustard glaze but it would taste just as good spooned over a cooked pork tenderloin, too.
You can also use the sauce instead of traditional gravy over a scoop of mashed potatoes.
More Sauce Recipes
I think a delicious homemade sauce can add so much flavor to your main dishes, these are some of my favorite sauce recipes when I want my meal to be extra special:
📖 Recipe
Green Peppercorn Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pan drippings from a roasted pork, chicken, or turkey OR 4 tablespoons additional butter
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp whole grain mustard
- 1 (3.5 oz) jar of green peppercorns in brine drained
Instructions
- Start with a skillet filled with 1/4 cup drippings from a roasted meat or add 4 tbsp butter to the skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter and whisk it into the drippings.
- Add the flour to the pan and whisk it into the fat until it is bubbling and lightly golden.
- Pour in the wine and use it to deglaze the pan. The wine will help release all the dark bits left behind by the roasted meat.
- Add the chicken stock, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, and the drained peppercorns to the pan. Whisk everything together and bring to a gentle boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened and slightly reduced, about 10 - 15 minutes. Taste the sauce and add salt as needed.
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