Sage-Flavored Stuffed Pork Chops
Here is how to make a hearty dinner of Sage Flavored Stuffed Pork Chops. These are made with an instant stuffing mix, but if you have leftover stuffing from your holiday meal, you can use that instead.
Here is how to make a hearty dinner of Sage Flavored Stuffed Pork Chops. These are made with an instant stuffing mix, but if you have leftover stuffing from your holiday meal, you can use that instead.
- salt
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- cooking oil spray
- 1/2 stick butter or margarine melted
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth + 2 additional cups chicken broth
- 6 oz. package instant stuffing (i used kraft stove top stuffing mix?pork flavor.)
- 2 thick-cut boneless pork chops--about 1-inch thick (you may make as many pork chops as your amount of stuffing and
- Carbohydrate 15.6014320720721 g
- Cholesterol 40.1168693693694 mg
- Fat 73.9192722072072 g
- Fiber 0.0940333315531413 g
- Protein 0.377538243243243 g
- Saturated Fat 18.2624964144144 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (94g)
- Sodium 97.8088243243243 mg
- Sugar 15.5073987405189 g
- Trans Fat 2.16940186486487 g
- Calories 726 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium saucepan, mix together ? stick butter and 1 ? cups chicken broth.
- Place over medium heat, and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat.
- Add 1 teaspoon rubbed sage to a 6 oz. package of Stove Top Stuffing Mix.
- Add the stuffing mix to the hot broth.
- Place a lid that fits the saucepan on top of the stuffing and broth mixture, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- While the stuffing is resting, you can prepare your pork chops.
- Take a sharp knife, and make a slice most of the way through each pork chop from the outside edge, making an open pocket in each pork chop.
- Salt to taste.
- When the stuffing has rested in the covered saucepan for 5 minutes, pack as much of the stuffing into the pork chop pockets as possible.
- Use a wooden toothpick to pin the opening back together, using your fingers to stuff back in any of the stuffing that spills out.
- Place the two pork chops in a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking oil spray.
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for 35 minutes.
- Bring the casserole out of the oven temporarily.
- Mix 2 cups of chicken broth with the remaining sage-flavored stuffing, and place the rest of the stuffing into the casserole dish around the pork chops.
- Return the casserole to the oven and bake 15 minutes longer.
- Remove and serve by placing each pork chop on a plate and surrounding it with sage-flavored stuffing.
- You will probably want to add some colorful cooked vegetables.
- I served mine with a pumpkin muffin and hot apple cider.
- The taste was wonderful!
Structuring the Pocket and Moisture Control
Thick-cut boneless chops require a precise incision to hold filling without splitting through the opposite side. Use a paring knife to create a deep internal cavity while leaving at least a half-inch border intact around the edges. Lean cuts dry out quickly during long baking times. Packing the interior with rehydrated bread crumbs introduces internal moisture that protects the surrounding meat from excessive heat shrinkage.
Freezing and Reheating Behavior
Assembled raw chops can be frozen before baking by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and placing them in a freezer-safe container for up to two months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to cooking. If reheating baked leftovers, cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and warm it in a 325-degree oven for twenty minutes to prevent the pork from toughening.
Ingredient Adaptations
Commercial herb blends offer consistent salinity, but substituting homemade holiday leftovers requires adjusting added salt levels based on existing seasoning. Fresh herbs brown faster than dried varieties; if substituting fresh rubbed sage with minced leaves, reduce the quantity by half to avoid bitterness during the initial thirty-minute bake.
