Pan Seared Pork Chops

Name: Pan Seared Pork Chops
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 11 min
Ingredients: 4 bone-in thin-sliced pork chops; salt; 2 tsp paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1/2 cup flour; 2 tablespoons oil (for frying (light olive oil, avocado oil, etc))

by Joanne March 21, 2014 (updated July 30, 2020)

These quick Pan Seared Pork Chops are a recreation of a breakfast I had during my first trip to Oklahoma. They’re easy, delicious, and take less than 15 minutes to make!

Pan Seared Pork Chop - On a Plate with a Fried Egg

When it comes to my go-to cuts of meat to cook, pork chops were never on my radar for most of my life. And certainly not as breakfast food. But both of those facts have changed, now that I’ve discovered how glorious a Seared Pork Chop is.

Remember how last week I wrote about my visit to the Pioneer Woman’s ranch? One of the photos I shared with you was of this Oklahoma breakfast I had at a B&B in town, with a pan seared pork chop and a sunny side up egg:

Breakfast Pork Chop with Egg on Plate

This was my first time being served a pork chop for breakfast and I LOVED it! It was so good, I may or may not have been nibbling at the bone in front of my friends and the client. What can I say, I had to respect the food! I know, best/lamest excuse ever.

This new breakfast experience was served to me by Steven and Tiffany Poe, who run the Grandview Inn Bed & Breakfast in Ree’s hometown, Pawhuska. I asked Steven what he did to make the pork chop so magical, and his response was simple. It’s just a thin-sliced pork chop with Lawry’s seasoning salt (never heard of it), dredged in flour, and quickly seared until it’s cooked through, but not tough.

I went home determined to recreate these pork chops, and I’m pleased to report the pork chops are all I remember them to be.

First I went online and googled this Lawry’s seasoning and found several homemade recipes for it. I found that its main components are paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, but I also added some thyme because I wanted an herbal component to it too:

$Assorted Spices in Glass Bowl to Approximate Homemade Lawry\'s Seasoning$

How to Make Pan Seared Pork Chops:

First season some thinly sliced, bone-in pork chops all over with salt, then with the homemade seasoning, and finally, dip it in flour:

Dipping a Bone In Pork Chop Into Flour

Make sure to shake the excess flour off both sides.

Then you just add oil to the pan and do a quick pan-sear of the pork chops, for 3 minutes on each side. They only have to reach 145F in interior temperature, so it goes quickly.

Adding Grapeseed Oil to Skillet Which is Necessary for Cooking Thin Pork Chops At High Temperatures

When I made these for my husband, he asked if the pork chops were brined. Nope! He was shocked when I told him they weren’t, as he was previously convinced that all pork chops must be brined. He was impressed with these low-maintenance, tasty pork chops. I hope you enjoy them too!