Pan Seared Pork Chops
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!
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:
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:
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:
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.
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!
Pan Seared Pork Chops
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)
Instructions
- Lay the pork chops out on a board or plate, and start by seasoning both sides generously with the salt. I like to start by seasoning with the salt so I can see how much I’m applying.
- Next, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme, and rub this seasoning mix all over both sides of the pork chops.
- Dredge both sides of the pork chops in the flour, then give them a good shake to get rid of the excess.
- Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat, then add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, usually about 2 tablespoons.
- When the oil is hot and shimmering, pan-fry the pork chops in a single layer (you will probably need to do two batches), for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. You can check with an instant read thermometer that they are at least 145 degrees F inside. Serve while hot!
I adore these pork chops. They look absolutely fantastic and I don’t even eat pork. I might need to change that!
Love this! Thanks for recreating this…I think Curtis would love this!
That looks like rosemary, not thyme?
My family has been eating thin sliced pork chops for years for breakfast. They are a wonderful thing! Unfortunately, lately I’ve found that I’m going to have to start brining these too, the quality just isn’t the same as when my grandmother made them.
This looks great. It never occurred to me to dredge pork chops in flour before frying. Lawry’s is a staple of Pioneer Woman; she uses it all the time. It’s in the spice aisle.
These look awesome, and ridiculously easy for a breakfast for dinner kinda night!
So I made these tonight, and Eloise (my 19 month old) LOVED them! Getting her to eat meat has been a challenge lately, so happy these were a hit. Way better than store bought chicken nuggets and hot dogs, so I imagine these will become a regular here!
Pork Chops for Christmas morning has been a family tradition since I was a kid. My father explained that when he was a kid in the 20’s you always slaughtered your pigs because the weather was freezing and you didn’t have freezer but a cold box. Meat would keep & you had time to make sausage,bacon, etc. Pork Chops was a treat they enjoyed for Christmas.
I love stories like this! Thanks for sharing, Marco.
Pork chops for breakfast, I’m in!
Lawry’s has been around forever and you can use it on almost anything! I grew up on it and always have a bottle in my house. As far as I know you can get it in any commercial grocery store – it’s not a specialty food item -and only costs like $3.00. Your seasoning salt looks great, but if you ever want to take a shortcut, Lawry’s is it!
I followed your cooking instructions with some thin chops, and oh my goodness, were they good. I too found myself blissfully gnawing at the bone. Thank you for the easy instructions!
Hi Angie, so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Yes, they turned out great very fast probably the best I ever cooked. I’m 56 and that was the first time I did chops that way.
Wonderful, glad to hear!
Question: Is it wise to cook a thick chop much like a steak ??
(cast-iron skillet, seared and finished in oven to 145)
Keep in mind, a THICK chop – 1″ to 1.25″
Yes, it will need longer in the oven, but that’s the method I’d do.
Can you use boneless think cuts?
Yes, but you will likely need to finish them in the oven to get them to a proper temperature.
Wow! Just made these for lunch with some roasted potato and vegetables on the side, yum! Never made pork chops before and I shocked my mom (along with myself) with how amazing they came out. Crust/outside got an amazing char on it and the inside was still juicy! (I added a TSP or so of cayenne powder and that definitely added a helping of some kick).
Got pork chops for the the rest of the week in the freezer waiting to be cooked, excited about it because I know I can make them like this. Thank You!