Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Lean boneless pork chops are breaded simply with parmesan and Italian bread crumbs, then quickly pan fried in olive oil until golden brown and juicy. These Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops are a great weeknight dinner!
Pork chops are often written off as dry or tough unless they’re brined, but this recipe is proof that that doesn’t have to be true.
No brining is necessary here to get pork that’s crispy on the edges, but juicy in the middle, and that’s part of what keeps this recipe so quick and perfect for weeknights.
I’m not against brining, but it adds a lot of prep time, you know?
This recipe takes about 15 minutes total, so if you’re looking for a reliable weeknight dinner that’s quick and tasty, this may become one of your go-to recipes.
Anytime I see pork chops on sale, I grab a bunch and make this parmesan pork.
How to Make Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops:
To get started, set up your breading station with three separate bowls. One with Italian bread crumbs, one with beaten eggs, and one with grated parmesan:
A quick tip: grate your own parmesan using a zester. This will give you an ultra-light parmesan that sticks like magic to the pork chop:
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then dip them into the grated parmesan:
Shake off any excess, then dip into the beaten egg:
Again, make sure to shake off the excess. If you’ve ever had the breading fall off, it’s because there was excess that needed to be shaken off.
Finally, dip the pork chops into Italian bread crumbs:
If you prefer, you can also do Panko bread crumbs instead, which is what I do for my Parmesan Crusted Chicken.
Pan fry the breaded pork chops in olive oil for about 5 minutes on each side:
You only have to cook pork chops to 145F for the interior temperature, so that should be plenty of time to crisp up both sides to a golden brown color, with a juicy interior:
I like to serve the pork chops with an easy vegetable side, like Coleslaw, Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, or Greek Zucchini Salad. Enjoy!
Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 boneless pork chops (about 1.5 lbs)
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 oz parmesan cheese, freshly grated* (1 cup)
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Season the pork chops generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Set up three bowls, placing the grated parmesan in the first bowl, the eggs in the second, and bread crumbs in the third.
- Dip each pork chop into the parmesan, then into the egg, then into the bread crumbs, making sure to shake the excess off after each breading station. This prevents the coating from falling off.
- Heat up a skillet over medium heat, then add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Pan fry the pork chops for 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy on both sides, with a minimum interior temperature of 145F. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated with new photos, writing, and tips in August 2018. Originally published July 2011.
36 Comments on “Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops”
These gorgeous pork chops are every.thing! Quick and easy!
How long do I bake the pork chops for? Thanks in advance 🙂
Do you mean after cooking them on the stove? It’s about 5 minutes, but it’s better to go off temperature since stove heat varies.
I have always hated pork, but my husband loves it, so I tried to track down a decent pork chop recipe. Not only do I tolerate this dish, I absolutely love it! It’s definitely now in my top 5 dinner go-to recipes. To me, it tastes more like a good country chicken than pork. Thanks so much for sharing! (I’m making it again for dinner tonight, in fact.)
Hi Brittany, that is so wonderful to hear! Glad you both enjoyed it.
Ive made a similar recipe before but instead of frying they went straight into the oven. The chops were alays moist and yummy but the crust was tended to be on the soggier side. I’m going to try your technigue of frying them first. I’m hoping this makes them a little crunchier. Thanks for the idea!
Hope you enjoy these Sonja!
Quite delicious, quick, and easy to make. Just gets a little messy with the crumbs @_@
can you use regular bread crumbs instead of the Italian?
Hi Rachel, Yes, of course! The reason I prefer Italian is because it’s got herbs and seasonings in it, which enhance the flavor, but you can do regular. It will have a little less flavor but will still be really good!!! Let me know how it goes =)
My husband and I tried this last week and it was soooo tasty. I got your post just as I was looking for a non-grilling (good) recipe for pork chops. well done! 🙂
I’m so glad!!! They are so simple and delicious aren’t they??? Happy cooking!
Yes!! What a great, quick and delicious meal. You can’t ask for anything better for a weeknight dinner. Oh and your directions (about adding to the oven at the end to get the temperature right) were spot on. Thanks again – I’ll definitely be making these again. 🙂
Never thought f adding cheese, but it does look good and crispy…
I haven’t been able to “get into” pork. I’ve tried a few recipes but wasn’t all that impressed. Your recipe sounds delightful- so I’ll have to give it a shot!
Yeah, pork is tricky sometimes, because it can be really tough if it isn’t cooked right. But you should definitely give these a try!
This looks delicious! I don’t eat pork that often, but recently I’ve been daydreaming about pork chops!
Oh, perfect! It’s amazing how much a difference it makes when pork isn’t over cooked…absolutely!delicious
Those look perfect, just perfect.
Perfect color! We love pork chops here, this sounds like a great full of flavor recipe!
Hi, I love your blog and am seriously going to try your pork and parmesan recipe. I’m new to blogging myself and if you like pork, check out my hawker style roast pork with some seriously crispy cracking. I live in the UK now with my husband and am trying to recreate all my favourite dishes from Asia and from Europe. If you have the time and might be interested, I’d love it if you could take a look at my blog and let me know what you think.
http://thebigfatnoodle.com/
Wow, these look delicious! I always wondered how I could make pork chops taste less plain. What is the process of brine?