Pan-Fried and Roasted Pork Chops with Apricot-Dijon Sauce
Great recipe for anyone looking for healthy low carb options.
Great recipe for anyone looking for healthy low carb options.
- Carbohydrate 40.9950249991472 g
- Cholesterol 140.91 mg
- Fat 20.4933499984584 g
- Fiber 0.564250001379349 g
- Protein 45.0932749993008 g
- Saturated Fat 6.45178999983605 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (386g)
- Sodium 417.071249818382 mg
- Sugar 40.4307749977679 g
- Trans Fat 2.82589249994667 g
- Calories 529 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray. Trim fat from pork chops (for the South Beach Diet there should not be more than 10% fat.) Season pork chops on both sides with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy frying pan, then brown pork chops 3 minutes on each side. Put pork chops in baking dish and put in preheated oven to roast 8-10 minutes, or until internal temperature of the meat reaches 155-160F/68-71C when measured with an instant-read meat thermometer. (You'll be cooking the pork chops a bit more in the sauce, so take them out at the lower end of the temperature range if you can.)
- While pork chops cook, deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, scraping off any browned bits and cooking until the stock has reduced by about 1/2. Then whisk in the apricot jam and cook 2-3 minutes (the sauce doesn't need to be completely smooth.) Whisk in the Dijon mustard.
- Put the pork chops into the pan with the sauce, and turn them several times to coat with sauce, then cook about 2 minutes more. Serve pork chops hot, with the flavorful sauce spooned over.
Beyond the Ingredient List
Recipes rarely account for pan geometry. Crowding a skillet drops the surface temperature below the 300F threshold required for proper browning. Working with more than two chops demands a second skillet or a sequential searing routine. Deglazing requires heat management. Pouring cold chicken stock into a smoking pan risks warping cast iron or heavy stainless steel.
Scaling Up or Down
Doubling this recipe requires proportional adjustments to liquid reduction times rather than ingredient weight. Surface area determines evaporation rates in a pan. Halving the sauce means reducing chicken stock for only two minutes instead of four. Maintain the initial one-to-one ratio of preserves to stock when multiplying quantities for a larger group.
Judging Doneness
Instant-read thermometers eliminate guesswork at 155F. Tactile feedback offers a reliable alternative without piercing the meat. Press a raw chop for baseline softness. Fully cooked pork feels firm with slight spring resistance, closely mimicking the texture of the base of your thumb. Rest the meat for five minutes before coating it in the glaze.
