Oven-Baked Breaded Pork Chops

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As a kid, one of my favorite meals was breaded pork chops with those Shake 'n Bake packets. As an adult, they're still up there as one of my favorite meals, especially when paired with Painted Hill Farm's heavenly pork chops.

The pork chops get three coverings--one coating in flour, one in an egg-flour mixture, and finally one in bread crumbs. The flour will help the egg-and-flour mixture stick, and the egg-and-flour mixture will help the bread crumbs stay on and get crispy.

The first mixture I make is the breadcrumbs. I used a mixture of panko and regular breadcrumbs, because, like I said before, I kind of just throw them all together in the same jar as I buy them. You could definitely use one or the other, but panko crumbs give you that extra crunch factor.

Season the crumbs with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper.

For some extra taste, I also add half a cup of shredded Parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs.

Stir everything together. Then drizzle in about a tablespoon of olive oil and toss. The oil should be evenly distributed in the bread crumb mixture. It will help the crumbs crisp up in the oven and get nice and golden brown.

Add in some minced and sauteed mushrooms and onions and you'd have a really nice stuffing for stuffed mushrooms!

Now for the egg mixture. It takes about a whole egg for each pork chop. I had really small pork chops so only used two eggs, but the normal-sized chops from the store use about an egg per chop.

I like things a little spicy so the eggs got a little dash of cayenne pepper. Use a fork or a whisk to break up the yolks.

Slowly add 1/4 c. flour, whisking it in well to prevent lumps.

You'll end up with a yellowish paste.

Now it's time to get the chops out. Mmmm.

Give the chops a light coating in regular flour (don't forget to season it with some salt and pepper!)

Tap off the excess flour and then coat it in the egg-flour mixture.

Let the excess egg-flour batter drip off, and then toss into the panko mixture. Press the panko into the chop for maximum breading.

Now preheat your oven to 375F. Grab a baking sheet and lay a cooling rack over the top (make sure the cooling rack isn't going to slip and slide around. Also make sure that it's not coated with anything not oven-safe, like plastic.)

Spray the cooling rack with nonstick spray.

Lay the chops on the cooling rack.

The cooling rack will ensure the chops are cooked underneath, and will let them get crisp on the bottom, rather than soggy.

Bake your breaded pork chops for about half an hour, until totally cooked through.














Serve these chops to your family and you'll find you've got a great weeknight meal that they'll ask for time and time again!

Recipe: Oven-Baked Breaded Pork Chops

1 1/2 c. breadcrumbs (panko are best)
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. olive oil

2 large eggs
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 c. flour

1 c. flour
salt and pepper, to taste

4 pork chops


In a shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Toss lightly. Drizzle with olive oil and mix well so crumbs are evenly coated.

In another shallow bowl, mix eggs and cayenne pepper. Slowly add flour and stir well to avoid lumps.

In a third bowl, combine flour and salt and pepper.

Dip pork chops in flour mixture, then in egg-flour mixture, then in breadcrumbs. Press breadcrumbs into chops for maximum crunch.

Lay a metal cooling rack over a baking sheet. Spray cooling rack with cooking spray. Lay breaded pork chops on top of cooling rack.

Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes until chops are golden brown and cooked completely through.