If you were to come to my home for dinner, odds are this is what I will be serving.
Pecan crusted pork chops are an absolute favorite in this house. They are a simple, yet impressive dinner that comes together quickly.
I am sure I am not the first person to come up with the concept, but for us this recipe originated because I was trying to find an acceptable substitute for breadcrumbs. This was several years ago before gluten free products were as common as they are now. As luck would have it, pecans make an excellent breading.
The process is pretty simple, spread some type of mustard on one side of the pork chops. We like dijon, but honey mustard is great too. I just eyeball it, but I probably spread about two teaspoons per pork chop. If you are anti mustard don’t worry, you can’t really taste it. It just adds to the savoriness (is that a word?) of the dish. Sprinkle a bit of pepper on each chop. Look out, your half way done.
Throw two cups of pecans in a food processor, and give them a good whirl. If you don’t have a food processor just put them in a plastic bag and smash away. Pour your pecan crumbs into a shallow bowl, and set aside.
Now grab another shallow bowl, beat an egg with a bit of milk, dip each chop in the egg mixture, then the pecans. From there, you just toss them in a pan with a little oil to give them some color, and let them finish baking in the oven.
Not to bad, huh? I normally make a double batch and freeze them after breading but before cooking. Then you have a batch ready to go for busy weeknights. And there you have it, my oh-yes-I-just-whipped-this-up-no-big-deal dinner for guests. Now you know all my secrets.
Yields 6
10 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 5-6 boneless pork chops
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard (or your favorite kind)
- 2 cups pecans
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 milk
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Spread a spoonful of mustard on one side of each pork chop, set aside.
- Pour the pecans into a food processor and blend until you have a good crumb consistency. I like to keep it kind of chunky, but you can crush them to a finer texture if you prefer. Set pecans aside in a shallow bowl.
- In another shallow bowl beat egg and milk.
- Preheat a skillet to medium heat with the olive oil.
- Dip each pork chop in the egg wash, then the pecan mixture. Press the pecans into the pork chops lightly to ensure a good solid crust.
- Cook two pork chops at a time in the skillet, 1-2 minutes on each side. You are just looking for good color here, they will finish baking in the oven.
- Place pan seared pork chops on a baking sheet and cook 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!
As always, I made this dish using gluten free ingredients. I use Glutino Gluten Free Pantry All Purpose flour or Gluten Free Bisquick in place of flour.
