Easy Weeknight Bone-In Skillet Pork Chops

 

Here is a recipe for easy weeknight pork chops…

 

Take pork chops out of the fridge and let come to room temp. Once they are room temp, put them between 2 sheets of parchment paper and pound to roughly 3/4" or so. Pat with a paper towel and then season both sides with:

Garlic powder 

Onion powder 

Lemon pepper 

Salt

Pepper

 

Add 2 T olive oil and 1-2 T butter to an oven safe pan (like a cast iron skillet) and turn heat to medium high. When it’s hot, add a tiny bit of chicken bouillon and stir to mix, then add the seasoned pork chops. over medium high heat with a few table
Brown and olive oil and butter and tiny bit bouillon. Once browned, flip and brown the other side. Once that side is also browned, transfer the pan to the oven until internal temp registers at 138-140 degrees. Remove and transfer to a plate. 

 

While those rest, add some minced garlic and rosemary to the pan and whisky all the juices and browned bits. Then add chicken broth to the pan, maybe ½ cup. Whisk it all together and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. After 5 minutes or so, pour over pork chops and serve hot. 

Pork Tenderloin w/ Green Peppercorn Sauce

This is a house favorite. I skip the sauce for the kids but they love the flavor of the pork. 

Pork Tenderloin with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Adapted from Gourmandise Cooking School & Ina Garten

White rice, prepared

1 pork tenderloin

1-2 T good olive oil

1-2 t ground fennel seed (grind fresh fennels seeds in mortar and pestle if possible)

1 t Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

¼ cup butter

2 T all-purpose flour

½ cup white wine

3 cups chicken stock

2 t Dijon mustard

2 t whole-grain mustard

¼ cup green peppercorns in brine, drained

Cook white rice to serve with finished pork and sauce. 

Heat oven to 375 degrees. 

Rub pork tenderloin with olive oil and mustard. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and ground fennel seed. Let sit and come to room temp for 20 minutes. 

Heat an oven safe sauté pan over medium-high or high heat and brown the pork on 2-3 sides. 

Put the pan in the oven and finish cooking for 10-20 minutes or until internal temp is 140-145 degrees. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. 

Sauce:

For the sauce, if there isn’t 1/4 cup of fat in the pan, add enough butter to the pan to make 1/4 cup total. Over medium heat, whisk the flour into the fat in the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock, 2 teaspoons of each mustard, the green peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened. Taste the sauce and add salt, etc if needed. 

Cut the pork on the diagonal and serve over white rice. Pour the sauce over the top. (I like lots of sauce! Be warned the peppercorns can be very peppery but if you can handle it, the flavor is so good.)

Sausage Spinach Rice Bowl

I loved this recipe for Sausage Spinach Rice Bowls from Cooking Light. Made with pork sausage instead of turkey sausage for more flavor. Will make again and again. So easy and very good.