Breaded pork chops are tender with a crisp, crunchy exterior and tangy mustard coating – the ultimate comfort food.
When cooked right, breaded pork chops are one of my favorite week-night meals. The biggest challenge with oven-baked breaded pork chops is making sure they have a crispy, crunchy exterior while not over-cooking the interior.
If you’ve ever struggled with this, I have some easy pointers to help you get perfect breaded pork chops on the your dinner table tonight.
Which Pork Chops To Use
Although most pork chops will work for breading, I like to use center cut pork chops that are 3/4 to 1-inch thick for this recipe. I find that this allows for proper cooking time to allow the breading to set and get really nice and crunchy, while not overcooking the pork.
I think seasoning the chops with salt and pepper rather than adding them to the breadcrumb mixtures creates a more flavorful finished dish as well. Make sure to season both sides of the chop before combining the breadcrumb mixture. This will give the pork time to absorb the salt for flavoring and to start breaking down the protein which creates a more tender piece of meat.
Tips For Breading Pork Chops
This recipe does away with the dredging process and has been replaced with a mustard smear. Which is just your favorite mustard, either yellow or Dijon, that is brushed on to the pork chops. The smear makes adhering the breadcrumbs pretty easy and adds a lovely tang to the dish.
Gently pressing the breadcrumb mixture into the chops with your hands creates a nice even coating.
Speaking of the breadcrumb mixture, there are two “secrets” that I’ll share with you. The first is to use panko breadcrumbs. They tend to make a much crispier crust. If you aren’t able to find them, please use regular breadcrumbs because the rest of my “secrets” and tips will still help you create a great breaded pork chop.
The second “secret” is mixing oil into the breadcrumb mixture. Oil is a great conductor of heat which helps to brown and crisp up the exterior. I figured this oil trick out when perfecting Homemade Shake and Bake, which is actually another great recipe you can use for breaded pork chops.
Tip: To make sure that the chops are crispy on all sides, bake the chops on an oven-safe wire rack placed on a baking sheet.
I like to spray the rack with cooking spray to reduce the risk of the chops sticking. Using the wire rack allows any moisture to drip away from the chops as well as allowing the heat to circulate around the chops keeping them soggy-free.
The last tip is to allow the chops to sit on the wire rack for 5 minutes before serving them. This sitting time give the juices time to redistribute within the chops. And the short cooling time will help the crust to stay nice and crispy.
Now you have all the tips and tricks to make the best crispy, crunchy oven-baked pork chops tonight.
More Delicious Pork Chop Recipes
Decided you don’t want to bread those chops after all? Try one of these other great methods.
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Breaded Pork Chops Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Oven
DESCRIPTION
Tender pork chops with a crisp, crunchy exterior and tangy mustard coating are the ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
- 4 (6- to 8-oz.) boneless center-cut pork chops, ¾– to 1-inch thick
- Salt
- Pepper
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- ¼ cup mustard, yellow or Dijon
Instructions
- Arrange oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and set in a rimmed baking sheet.
- Remove pork chops from the package and pat dry on all sides.
- Season both sides of each of the pork chops with salt and pepper.
- In a shallow dish, whisk the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, thyme, and garlic powder until combined.
- Drizzle the oil over the breadcrumbs mixture and stir to coat evenly.
- Spread or brush 1 tablespoon of mustard on each of the pork chops on all sides.
- Coat all sides of one chop with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently with your hand so that a thick layer adheres to the chop.
- Repeat with the remaining 3 chops.
- Transfer the pork chops to the prepared wire rack.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer registers between 145-160ËšF, depending on your doneness preference.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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Dasa says
Love all ur reciepes . What do u have for steaks, roasts from frozen?