Crispy Pork Chops
Simple, crispy pork chops. Because sometimes you just need the equivalent of a big hug alongside some homemade mashed potatoes. These pork chops are pounded thin, dreaded in a classic flour, egg, breadcrumb situation, pan fried in olive oil, and finished off with a creamy dijon mustard sauce. My secret ingredient for this recipe is the AM.Niccoli signature salt that I include in the breadcrumb mixture before frying. I also finish the chops off with a sprinkling of this delicious salt before serving.
Let’s get cookin’!
INGREDIENTS
PORK CHOPS
4 boneless pork loin chops
1/2-2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp AM.Niccoli salt or kosher salt, plus more for topping chops immediately after frying
DIJON MUSTARD SAUCE
*Adapted from Olga at Healthy Taste of Life, recipe linked here
4 tbsp dijon mustard
4 tbsp maple syrup
2-3 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sumac
APPLE FENNEL SALAD
1 Gala apple, sliced into 1 mm slices
1/2 fennel bulb, sliced into 1 mm slices
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (depending on how vinegar-y you want it!)
3 tbsp good olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Pound pork chops into 1/4 inch thickness.* Prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment and add a wire rack on top to prepare for your pork chops later.
Prepare your three dreading stations. Place flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs/salt in three separate bowls. Heat a skillet on medium high heat with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Add a few pinches of salt to the oil to season the oil prior to adding the chops. Be sure to have your prepared lined sheet pan near the skillet for later usage.
Test if the oil is ready for frying by sprinkling some water in the pan. If the oil spits back, it is ready! Add in your pork chops (I usually do 2 at a time). Fry for a few minutes until you achieve a golden color and then flip to the other side. Once both sides have become golden in color, transfer the chops to the prepared baking sheet with the wire rack. Fry the remaining chops the same way until all have been fried. Place the baking sheet with the chops on the wire rack in the oven and allow to finish cooking for another 5-10 minutes until ready to serve.
In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dijon mustard sauce and set aside.
Using a mandolin, slice your apple and fennel to the desired millimeter and add to another small bowl. Add in the remaining apple fennel salad ingredients and toss. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
I like to serve these alongside homemade mashed potatoes alongside the crispy pork chop doused with that dijon mustard sauce accompanied by the apple fennel salad for a vinegary, sweet bite to offset the crispiness and creaminess of the rest of the dish. Enjoy!
