Garlic-Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
These savory pork chops are juicy, tender, and wonderfully complemented by parmesan, sage, and garlic. This great dish stands alone without needing a sauce or gravy and makes an easy dinner in less than an hour.
These savory pork chops are juicy, tender, and wonderfully complemented by parmesan, sage, and garlic. This great dish stands alone without needing a sauce or gravy and makes an easy dinner in less than an hour.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 1/2-inch thick center-cut loin pork chops (bone-in or boneless)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- 3/4 cups parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 cup dried seasoned bread crumbs (i use progresso garlic and herb)
- olive oil (for shallow frying)
- 4 large cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- lemon wedges for serving
- parsley sprigs to garnish
- Carbohydrate 42.9241387502425 g
- Cholesterol 353.495000005256 mg
- Fat 30.0157968778044 g
- Fiber 4.13938749837875 g
- Protein 57.7523043772971 g
- Saturated Fat 9.30448398548904 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (342g)
- Sodium 1237.53618759132 mg
- Sugar 38.7847512518637 g
- Trans Fat 3.93077367199352 g
- Calories 677 calories
Step-by-step
- Spread Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish.
- Beat eggs with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in another shallow dish.
- Spread bread crumbs in a third shallow dish.
- Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels.
- Combine salt, pepper, sage, and thyme, and sprinkle generously over both sides of chops, pressing seasonings into meat with your fingers.
- Bread pork chops one at a time.
- Dredge seasoned chops in Parmesan cheese, coating both sides completely, patting to adhere.
- Then, using tongs, carefully dip both sides of chops in egg mixture, letting excess drip back into dish to ensure thin coating.
- Finally, dip both sides of chops in bread crumbs, pressing crumbs with fingers to form an even, cohesive coating.
- Place breaded chops on wire rack set over baking sheet, allow coating to dry for about 5 minutes.
- Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat with enough olive oil to come halfway up the sides of the chops, about 1/4 cup.
- To flavor oil; stir in garlic, and cook until lightly browned.
- Remove garlic from skillet and discard or reserve for other uses.
- Increase heat to medium.
- When oil shimmers, add chops and fry 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy, or to an internal temperature between 150 and 160 degrees F.
- Drain on rack set over baking sheet, then transfer to a warm serving platter.
- Serve with lemon wedges and garnish with parsley sprigs.
How do you know when a heavily breaded pork chop is cooked through without slicing it open and destroying the crispy crust? Center-cut loin chops demand precise attention because lean pork transitions from succulent to dry within seconds. When frying meats coated in seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, maintaining medium heat prevents the exterior from burning before the center reaches a safe internal temperature between 150 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Patting the raw meat thoroughly with paper towels before seasoning removes surface moisture that would otherwise steam the breading from the inside out, causing the coating to detach.
Watch the edges of the chops for visual clues as the oil bubbles at a steady rate. As the bottom crust turns deep golden brown and crisp, opaque firmness creeps halfway up the sides of the cut, signaling that it is time to flip. Frying requires about four to five minutes per side in a heavy-bottomed skillet with enough olive oil to come halfway up the meat.
Pantry adaptations change the final structure significantly. Swapping dried seasoned bread crumbs for panko yields a lighter, crunchier exterior, though panko absorbs less oil and browns more slowly. Grated parmesan cheese melts into the egg-and-crumb matrix to form a cohesive shield, but substituting pre-shredded varieties containing cellulose will create an uneven, patchy crust that fails to adhere properly during the shallow-fry process.
