So far every time I have made pork chops I've used a seasoning and baked them in the oven but this time I wanted to try a breaded pork chop. At first I was planning to pan fry them but then saw a recipe where you could oven-bake them so I decided to go with the oven instead. The recipe I saw though had the pork chops lined on parchment paper, which is great to keep the sheet pan clean BUT I was planning to make them crispier under the broiler and realized parchment paper and the broiler were probably not a good idea!
They looked fine oven-baked but I really wanted that extra crispy so I ended up putting them in a pan and on the stovetop for a few minutes before serving. BAD IDEA! If you want a crispier pork chop, either DON'T use parchment paper, and put it under the broiler for a few minutes after baking, OR fry them to begin with! I ended up losing some of the breading on most of the pieces (see picture below). Ultimately, it still tasted great, and even with losing some of the breadcrumbs I still managed to keep a few pieces intact! BUT lesson learned...hopefully my mistakes will help you next time you try to cook with breadcrumbs 😜
As for my sides, I made brussels sprouts and a lemon pepper parmesan rice I had years ago at a friends' barbecue. This rice dish is so easy to make and goes well with anything! It's so delicious and includes squash so it counts towards your veggie intake too 😉
Breaded Pork Chops
4-6 pieces pork chops
1 cup flour
1 egg
1-2 cups breadcrumbs (I used Italian seasoned)
Approx. 1 tbsp. dried parsley
Approx. 1 tbsp. dried oregano
Approx. 2 tbsp. grated parmesan
salt and pepper (to taste)
1) Preheat oven to 425 (Use convection oven if possible)
2) Place flour in a bowl or plate. Season with salt and pepper
3) In a separate bowl, beat one egg
4) Place breadcrumbs on a third plate and add parsley, oregano and parmesan. Mix well
5) Pat dry pork chops with paper towel then dip each piece in the flour, then egg, and finally cover both sides with the breadcrumb mixture.
6) Set aside on pan
(Note: If you are planning to just oven bake you can use parchment paper. If broiling, use aluminum foil or put directly on a lightly sprayed sheet pan)
7) Cook for 20 minutes, flipping each piece halfway through
8) Broil for a few minutes
9) Garnish with parsley. You can also add a lemon wedge on the side if desired.
IF YOU PLAN TO PAN FRY, turn to medium heat and place oil in pan. Once the oil gets hot, add the pork chops and cook on each side for approximately 5-8 minutes (depending on how thick each piece is).
Lemon Pepper Parmesan Rice
1 bag instant rice (I usually use Trader Joe's brown rice but this time I used Uncle Ben's boil-in-a-bag jasmine rice)
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
Approx. 2-3 tbsp. lemon pepper
shaved parmesan cheese to garnish (I used grated since I didn't have shaved)
Olive oil (drizzle)
1) Cut the zucchini and squash into half moon shapes. Place a small amount of oil in pan and cook zucchini and squash on medium heat until they are slightly golden brown. Sprinkle lemon pepper over vegetables halfway through cooking.
2) Cook rice as per directions on box
3) Once rice is ready add to the vegetables in the pan and mix together. Add additional lemon pepper (if desired)
4) Before serving, drizzle with olive oil, add parmesan cheese and mix together
Brussels Sprouts
Cut them into half then toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt & pepper then cook on a sheet pan for approximately 20 minutes (flip them halfway through). Add parmesan cheese (if desired) for last 5 minutes. You can also broil them for a few minutes before serving.
Have all your dipping plates and sheet pan ready before breading the pork chops. I prefer a bowl for the flour but you can also use a plate.
Make sure both sides are full covered in breading. Only use parchment paper if you do NOT plan on broiling.
I added extra lemon pepper while mixing together the rice and squash.
The final dish!
ENJOY!
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