Fried pork chops are a quick way to get a satisfying dinner even on a weeknight. In this recipe, thin boneless pork loin chops are seasoned, breaded and quickly fried until golden on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Breading and frying is a great way to cook boneless pork chops. Lean pork dries out fast so quick cooking methods like frying are best. For more breaded pork recipes try this Cuban-style breaded pork steak, a fried pork sandwich that’s perfect for game day and a German-style pork schnitzel the whole family will love!
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Recipe Tips
- The trick to getting breading to stick to pork chops is to dust them in a thin coat of flour before dipping in the egg. The flour and egg will create a “glue” for the breading to stick.
- Place the fried pork chops on a baking sheet that’s lined with a cooling rack. The cooling rack will allow air to circulate so that the bottom doesn’t get soggy while you fry the remaining batches.
- Preheat the oven to warm (or to its lowest setting) to keep the fried chops warm while frying the rest.
- Between batches, remove the skillet from the heat so that the temperature of the oil doesn’t keep rising while you deal with the chops.
- After the first batch, it may be necessary to lower the heat just a little bit. Check the bottom of the pork chop, if it’s browning too quickly, lower the heat. Not too much, just a notch or two.
- Use tongs to turn the pork so the breading does not flake off.
- If the pork chops have a little fat on the side, you can trim it off if desired. Personally, I like to leave a thin layer of fat on the chops for flavor.
Ingredients
- Pork – Thin cut boneless pork chops that are about ½ inch thick. Trim the fat if you like, but I leave it on for flavor.
- Seasoning – We’ll use salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper for the chops and breadcrumbs.
- Flour – All-purpose flour works well
- Breadcrumbs – Use plain breadcrumbs because we are going to add our own seasoning. But if all you have is seasoned breadcrumbs use that.
- Eggs – Eggs are used as the wet ingredient to get the coating to stick to the meat.
- Oil – We need a neutral (flavorless) oil with a high smoke point (we use canola oil).
- Optional garnish and extras – You can use chopped fresh herbs like parsley and thyme for garnish and serve with lemon or lime wedges.
Prepare a breading station
Make a seasoning mix by adding the salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper to a small bowl. Stir to combine. Then, sprinkle the pork on both sides with about half of the seasoning mix.
Prepare a breading station – you can use a large baking sheet, a couple of plates, or two large pieces of parchment paper (which makes clean-up a snap). Add the flour to one side and the breadcrumbs to the other.
Season the breadcrumbs with the remaining seasoning mix and stir it in with a fork. Crack an egg or two into a medium bowl, scramble well using a fork or small whisk.
Bread the pork
Work with one piece at a time. Lightly coat both sides with the flour and gently shake off the excess.
Next, dip the pork chop in the egg mixture; make sure it is evenly moist. Let the excess drip off.
Place the chop in the breadcrumbs, apply an even coating, gently press down to get it to stick. Shake off the excess.
Place the breaded pork on a clean, dry pan or plate and repeat with the remaining pieces.
Use a piece of parchment paper to separate the breaded pork chops if you need to stack them so the coating doesn’t stick to itself or flake off.
Fry the chops
Preheat the oven to warm or its lowest setting.
Fry the pork chops in batches in a large, deep skillet in about a ¼ – ½ inch of oil over medium-high heat. Fry them for approximately 1½ – 2 minutes per side or until they are golden brown.
Remove the pork from the skillet to the baking sheet and place them in the warm oven while you fry the remaining pieces. When you remove each batch from the oil, take the internal temperature of the largest one with an instant read thermometer and make sure it’s at least 145°F.
Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and serve with lemon or lime wedges, if desired. For this meal we served the fried pork chops with some leftover spaghetti aglio e olio with fresh tomatoes and basil and it was a lovely combination.
You may also like:
- Fried Chicken Thighs
- Turkey Meatloaf
- Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Stovetop Pot Roast
- Mushroom Pork Chops
Fried Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1–1½ pound Thin-cut Boneless Pork Chops about 6 pieces ½ inch thick (thin, boneless pork loin chops)
- 1½ teaspoon Salt plus extra for sprinkling right after frying (we use kosher salt)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Plain Breadcrumbs
- 1-2 Eggs beaten
- Oil – enough to cover the bottom of a large skillet by ¼ – ½ inch use a neutral (flavorless) oil with a high smoke point (we use canola oil)
- Chopped Fresh Herbs parsley or thyme for garnish, optional
- Lemon or Lime Wedges for serving optional
Instructions
- Add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper to a small bowl. Stir the seasoning to combine.
- Sprinkle the pork on both sides with about half of the seasoning mix.
- Use a large baking sheet, a couple of plates, or two large pieces of parchment paper (which makes clean-up a snap), add the flour to one side and the breadcrumbs to the other.
- Season the breadcrumbs with the remaining seasoning mix. Stir it in with a fork.
- Crack an egg or two into a medium bowl, scramble well using a fork or small whisk.
- Work with one piece at a time. Lightly coat both sides with the flour. Shake off the excess.
- Next, dip the pork chop in the egg mixture; make sure it is evenly moist. Let the excess drip off.
- Place the chop in the breadcrumbs, apply an even coating, gently press down to get it to stick. Gently shake off the excess.
- Place the breaded pork on a clean, dry plate or pan and repeat with the remaining pieces.
- If you need to stack the breaded pork chops, use a piece of parchment paper in between them so the coating doesn’t stick to itself or flake off.
- Preheat the oven to warm or its lowest setting.
- Cover the bottom of a large, deep skillet with about a ¼ – ½ inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium-high.
- When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add about half the pork chops to the skillet (depending on the size) do not overcrowd the pan, fry in batches.
- Fry them for approximately 1½ – 2 minutes per side or until they are golden brown. Use tongs to turn the pork so the breading does not flake off.
- Remove the pork from the skillet and place them on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack; this will prevent the breading from getting soggy. Place them in the oven and fry the remaining pieces.
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