Breaded Pork Chops
Tender, juicy Breaded Pork Chops coated in crunchy cornflakes and seasoned with garlic and mustard, these pork chops are mouth-wateringly delicious and will make for a great meal any night of the week! Plus they are easy enough that even a novice can make them.
Serve with Garlic Green Beans and Twice Baked Potatoes for a complete meal.
Breaded Pork Chops are a favorite in our house because hello—juicy, crispy, and so flavorful. Pork chops offer a nice universal flavor that even the pickiest of eaters tend to like. It is similar to chicken that way, and you can change up the flavor profile with spices. Which means it is super customizable.
While I love a good Barbecue Grilled Chicken, or Steak and Potato Foil Packs sometimes I want a recipe that works well no matter what the season and doesn’t require nice weather to grill. These Breaded Pork Chops make for a great winter or summer meal, as well as for all the seasons in between. You just pan fry them to crispy perfection!
What You Need to Make Pan Fried Breaded Pork Chops
These Breaded Pork Chops will be a great addition to your meal rotation. And the great thing is you don’t need any crazy ingredients to make them. Here is what you need:
- Cornstarch: It helps the coating stick.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have any, you can make a nice substitute using milk and a little vinegar.
- Dijon Mustard: You can use brown mustard, whole grain mustard, or even yellow mustard if you don’t have dijon.
- Garlic Clove: Minced
- Cornflakes: Gives that amazing crunch.
- Salt and Pepper: Season for enhanced flavor
- Boneless Pork Chops: You want them to be about an inch in thickness.
- Vegetable Oil: For pan frying them.
- Lemon Wedges: Garnish
How to Make Breaded Pork Chops
These Breaded Pork Chops are quick and easy. Simply prepare your outer coating, dip your pork chops, and then pan fry them in the skillet. Once the desired internal temperature has been reached, transfer cooked pork chops into the preheated oven to keep warm while cooking the remaining pork chops. Lastly, serve with lemon wedges and enjoy!
Step one: Prepare Outer Coating.
You will have three components for your coating:
- Place cornstarch in a dish.
- In a second dish combine buttermilk, mustard, and garlic.
- Then in a food processor mix cornflakes with salt, pepper, and remaining cornstarch. Transfer this mixture into a bowl.
Step two: Preheat Oven and Coat Pork Chops.
After the oven rack has been moved to the middle position, and the oven has been set to 200 degrees, cut slits on both sides of the chops and season. Then dredge chops in cornstarch, letting excess fall off. Next coat with buttermilk mixture (let excess drip off) and then coat with cornflakes mixture. Let pork chops stand for 10 minutes.
Step three: Cook Pork Chops in a Skillet
Heat oil in the skillet. Add chops to the pan. Cook for ???? then flip over and continue to cook until golden brown. Once the pork chop’s internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, transfer to the oven to keep warm, while cooking the other pork chops.
Step four: Serve with Lemon Wedges.
Once all the pork chops are done. Plate and serve with lemon wedges. These chops are so delicious paired with Crispy Potatoes and Best Ever Roasted Broccoli.
Tips and Tricks and Substitutions
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy, here are a few tricks for getting the best results every time.
- Save on time and use whole cornflakes: You don’t have to crumble your cornflakes if you don’t want. Sub out crumbled cornflakes for whole ones instead. I just found the texture was slightly better, and my kids enjoyed it more when they were pulsed in the food processor. Just be sure not to pulse too much, as you want some texture for added crunch.
- If you like a little heat, add hot sauce: If you want to make this dish spicier, you can add some hot sauce to your buttermilk mixture. I love some sriracha, or even a pinch of cayenne pepper to kick up the heat.
- For easier prep, use boneless loin chops: While you can use bone in chops, boneless loin chops will make prep much easier. And they are easier to eat this way too.
- For maximum crunch in your coating, score the surface of the chop: Don’t skip this step. You want a crunchy coating and to ensure the best results a scored chop surface will help. It only takes a second, but makes a difference.
- For a change, add dried herbs: Have fun with the dish. Mix it up every once and awhile and add some dried herbs to the crumbs. Trust me it’s delish!
- Heat the oil: Make sure your oil is nice and hot, but not smoking, before placing your chops. This will help your pan fried pork chops get crispy rather than result in them soaking up all the oil and getting soggy.
- Use a meat thermometer: The best way to get tender and juicy pork chops is to cook them to the proper temperature, and the best way to do that is to simply check it. Use an instant read thermometer for perfect results every time.
Make Ahead and Storage
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
Obviously fresh is best with a recipe like this, as it ensures a crunchy coating and juicy interior. However if you want to make ahead of time you can.
- Follow the recipe like normal.
- Allow time for Baked Breaded Pork Chops to cool.
- Once cooled, transfer into a tupperware container and put in the fridge.
- When ready to eat, grease a strip of foil and then line a baking sheet with the greased foil. Place pork chops on the baking sheet and cover with foil.
- Then reheat the pork chops in an oven set at 450 degrees. Bake for about 6 minutes and then take them out of the oven and flip over and recover. Bake for another 6 minutes or so, until heated through. Or pop them in an air fryer to reheat and crisp up the exterior. 400 degrees for 4-5 minutes.
- Once pork chops are heated through, take them out of the oven and let them rest for about 5 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Note: Breaded Pork Chops will last in the fridge for a couple of days.
Other Great Recipes:
- Italian Breaded Baked Pork Chops
- Crockpot Smothered Pork Chops
- Instant Pot Pork Chops
- Pina Colada Pork Chops
- Sweet and Sour Grilled Pork Chops with Grilled Tropical Fruit Salsa
Breaded Pork Chops
Equipment
- Paring knife to score surface of chop
- 3 shallow dishes for coating
- Tongs for dipping chops in buttermilk and for frying
- Wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet
- Paper Towels
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 cups cornflakes
- Salt and Pepper
- 8 boneless pork chops 3 to 4 ounce each, ½ to ¾ inch thick, trimmed
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- Lemon Wedges
Instructions
- Place 1/3 cup cornstarch in a shallow dish.
- In a second shallow dish, whisk together buttermilk, mustard, and garlic until combined.
- Using a food processor, combine cornflakes, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1/3 cup cornstarch then process until cornflakes are finely ground, about 10 seconds. Transfer cornflake mixture to a third shallow dish.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F, with rack adjusted to middle position. (Not to bake chops, but to keep them warm while cooking all of them, if making less, this step is not necessary).
- Scour the top of each chop by using a sharp knife, cut 1/16-inch-deep slits on both sides of chops, spaced ½ inch apart, in a crosshatch pattern.
- Sprinkle pork chops with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Dredge each chop in the three mixtures, start with the cornstarch, shaking extra off, then dredge in buttermilk mixture, and last the cornflake mixture
- Transfer coated chops to a wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet
- Let the coated chops stand for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat 1/3 cup oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place 4 chops into the skillet and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then carefully flip the chops and cook second side until it is golden brown and crispy and the center of the chop registers 140 degrees F, another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Once golden brown, use tongs to transfer the chops to a paper towel–lined plate and let rest for 30 seconds on each side.
- Then set on a wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, and transfer to the oven to keep warm until ready to serve.
- Replace oil in skillet, and repeat process with the four remaining chops. Once all chops are cooked, serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
To keep the pork chops quick and easy to prepare, choose boneless loin chops instead of bone in chops.
Natural pork works best in this recipe, not enhanced pork (pork that has been injected with a salt solution to increase moistness and flavor).
Don’t let the chops drain on the paper towels for longer than 30 seconds or the heat will steam the crust and make it soggy. You can substitute cornflake crumbs for whole cornflakes, mix the crumbs with cornstarch then some salt and pepper. If using crumbs, omit the processing step and mix the crumbs with the cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Dried herbs can be added to the crumbs.
Add some hot sauce to the buttermilk mixture to spice things up.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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