Want to make quick “breakfast chops”? Learn how to cook thin pork chops perfectly for breakfast or dinner!
I love pork chop recipes! And this recipe for how to cook thin pork chops is one of my favorites. These thin chops are sometimes called “breakfast chops” because they cook quickly enough that they can be served at breakfast, like bacon or sausage-type breakfast meats. So they’re great served with fried eggs and biscuits, or as dinner with mashed potatoes.
If you’d like gravy for them, the best thing to do is to either make this traditional gravy without drippings, or you can do a nice and peppery white country gravy like this.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Video: Making Thin Breakfast Chops
What Type Of Pork Chops To Use
You can use any type of thinly sliced pork chop for this recipe. My preference is a thinly sliced bone-in chop. The reason is that the bone keeps the meat near it juicier and more tender. The chops are so thin that they can dry out easily so whatever we can do to have them be moist is best.
The cut that I buy most often is the pork loin rib chops. I like these because they have a little bit of darker juicier pork meat along with the leaner loin meat. There’s a lot of flavor there for sure!
Should You Marinate Or Brine Thin Pork Chops?
I don’t typically marinate these pork chops. The idea of these, to me, is that they’re really quick and so dinner can be on the table in under 15 minutes. If I add extra steps that take more time, it stops being as convenient. But, if I was going to marinate them, I’d use this delicious pork chop marinade.
For the same reason, I don’t usually brine these thin pork chops. It’s just an extra step. But I have tested it and it does make them more seasoned and juicy. You can find out how to brine pork chops here. For the thin chops, they’ll just be in the brine for 30 minutes. If you brine them though, omit the salt from the flour mixture used to dredge the pork chops in the below recipe.
Now, I said that I don’t usually brine these chops, but I do sometimes dry brine them. Or really, I do something like a dry brine for a short time. What I do is to take the chops out of the fridge and sprinkle them with salt on both sides. Then I put them back into the fridge while I’m getting other things ready for dinner. You want that salt on them for at least 15 minutes. Then, take them out of the fridge and don’t rinse them off or wipe them off or anything. Just mix up the flour for dredging without the salt in it, and then dredge the chops. Proceed with the recipe below from that point.
Can You Bread Thin Pork Chops?
I’ve just done a really simple flour mixture in the recipe below. You get a nice brown crust and not a lot of flavors competing with the pork. And, as I discovered when making cube steak, the flour seems to help the meat retain moisture and you get a juicier chop in the end.
You can absolutely add a breadcrumb layer too though, if you want extra crunch. You’d essentially be making this crispy breaded pork cutlet recipe (or these air fryer breaded pork cutlets).
You’ll dredge the thin pork chops in the flour as instructed below. Then dip each one in some beaten up egg, and then in breadcrumbs. You’ll fry the chops in the same way as below, but they’ll brown more quickly, so you’ll probably want to turn the temperature down and monitor them closely, and turn them and flip them as needed. Once they’re nice and brown on the outside, they’ll be fully-cooked inside, but it’s a good idea to cut into one and make sure it’s no longer pink in the middle. Transfer them to the paper towel to blot off oil and serve.
More Delicious Pork Recipes
Pork is one of my favorite proteins to cook and so I have A LOT of pork recipes on my site over here (there are over 50 of them!). Some of my favorites are:
- Stuffed Pork Loin
- How To Cook Pork Steak
- Rosemary Garlic Pork Roast
- Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut
- Pork Crown Roast
- Pork Loin Carnitas
Podcast Episode: Cooking Thin Pork Chops
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make these pork chops, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
PrintThin Pork Chops Recipe
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Want to make quick “breakfast chops”? Learn how to cook thin pork chops perfectly for breakfast or dinner!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 4 thinly sliced pork loin rib chops (about 1 lb.)
- Vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into several pieces
Instructions
- Line a plate with paper towel. Set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne. Add the pork chops and stir to coat them all in the flour mixture. Transfer chops to a plate, shaking off excess flour. Discard any remaining flour mixture.
- To a large skillet add enough vegetable oil so that it’s almost 1/4 inch deep. Add the butter. Set the skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl to mix it and to melt in the butter.
- Once the butter has melted and the oil is shimmering and very hot, add the pork chops in a single layer. Cook until very brown underneath, 4-5 minutes, turning them around if one side is browning more than the other.
- Flip the pork chops over and cook on the second side until the edges are very brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes more.
- Transfer the chops to the paper-towel-lined plate to blot off excess oil. Serve immediately.
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