These parmesan crusted pork chops are the perfect addition to your weekly dinner rotation. Juicy pan fried pork chops are coated in a crunchy parmesan bread crumb crust.
Wondering what to do with that pack of thin sliced pork chops from the grocery store? Look no further - this is your new favorite pork chop recipe.
Boneless pork chops are coated in a quick homemade breading and pan fried on the stove top - ready in 20 minutes or less! Italian bread crumbs and parmesan cheese add tons of flavor to these juicy pork chops.
Pair with mashed potatoes, a side salad, or some oven roasted veggies for a complete meal!
Ingredients and substitutions
Make sure you grab a package of thin sliced boneless pork chops, about ½ to ¾ inch in thickness.
I recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese for all of my recipes, but a pre-shredded cheese would also work here.
I recommend using olive oil or vegetable oil for this recipe - not butter. Butter has a lower smoke point, meaning it will burn more quickly than olive oil.
Italian bread crumbs can be substituted with plain bread crumbs and a ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
What thickness of pork chops to use
Thin sliced pork chops work best for this recipe because you'll be pan-frying them on the stove top. Any pork chops around ½ to ¾ inch in thickness are perfect for this recipe.
When cooking thicker pork chops, pan frying will give them a nice sear on the outside, but the center needs more time to cook. Leaving them on the stove top for longer will cause your breading to burn.
To evenly cook a thicker pork chop (about 1 inch and thicker), you'll need to transfer your pork chops into a preheated oven. Depending on the thickness, your pork chops may need anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes more in the oven to cook through.
For example: in my french onion pork chops recipe, I used 1 ½ inch thick boneless pork chops. After searing on the stove top, I transferred them to a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven. They needed an additional 15 minutes to cook through to medium rare.
How to keep breading from falling off
- Pat your pork chops dry on all sides with a paper towel before beginning. Do not skip this step! Excess moisture on your pork chops will make your egg and breading mixtures more likely to slide off.
- After coating your pork chops in your egg mixture, gently shake to remove any excess.
- When coating your pork chops in the bread crumb mixture, give them a pat all over to make sure those bread crumbs are stuck to the egg layer.
- After coating your pork chops in your bread crumb mixture, gently shake to remove any excess.
- While your pork chops are frying in the pan, resist the urge to nudge them around. Do not move them until they've browned and are ready to be flipped. Once they're ready, they will easily release from the pan.
How to prevent dry pork chops
Worried your pork chops will turn out dry? This happens when pork chops are overcooked - plain and simple.
To prevent this, you'll want to cook your pork chops for only a few minutes on each side. I used about ¾ inch thin pork chops for this recipe. Each side took about 4 minutes to cook.
For 100% accuracy and no more overcooked meat (ever!), I highly recommend using a meat thermometer. I use my meat thermometer when cooking steaks, meatloaf, fried chicken, and more.
Here is a thermometer similar to the one I own: ThermoPro Large LCD Digital Thermometer
Once you've flipped your pork chops over to cook the 2nd side, stick your meat thermometer into the center of one of your pork chops. Once it reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit, remove them from the pan and serve.
What to serve with pork chops
Parmesan crusted pork chops pair well with many side dishes. Try pairing them with your favorite side salad, or some roasted potatoes and veggies.
Here are a few of my favorites, whether you're leaning healthy or indulgent!
- Kale Cranberry Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Oven Roasted Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts
- Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Bacon Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Butter
Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 thinly sliced boneless pork chops about ½ to ¾ inch thick
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Pat pork chops dry on all sides with a paper towel - this will help the breading adhere. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and set aside.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk egg. In a second shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder.
- Place a pork chop into the egg mixture, flip to coat, then pick up and gently shake to remove any excess. Next, place pork chop into breading mixture, flipping to coat. Use your hands to gently pat breading into the egg mixture. Gently shake to remove any excess and place breaded pork chop onto a plate. Repeat with each pork chop.
- In a pan over medium heat, add olive oil. When hot, add pork chops, making sure not to overcrowd the pan (you may need to cook in 2 batches). Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until breading is golden brown and pork chop lifts easily from the pan. Remove from heat and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- To prepare thick pork chops (1 inch or thicker): They will need to be finished in the oven after pan frying on the stove top. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once pork chops have been pan fried per instructions above, transfer pork chops to a baking sheet. Bake for 5-15 additional minutes depending on the thickness of your pork chops. 1 inch pork chops may only need 5 minutes, while 1 ½ inch pork chops may need 10-15 minutes of baking time. I suggest using a meat thermometer for best accuracy.
- Italian bread crumbs = plain bread crumbs with ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning.
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