Learn how to make Breaded Pork Chops the easy old-fashioned way—quickly brown them on the stovetop, then bake them in the oven.
Old-fashioned breaded pork chops are fork-tender and juicy with a great-tasting crispy golden brown crust. An easy old-fashioned breaded pork chop recipe that I have made for over 50 years.
First, bread the pork chops, briefly brown in a cast-iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet then finish in the oven—so easy and logical.
This recipe uses only a few pantry ingredients and is super easy to make with step-by-step photo instructions, and is ready to eat in only 30 minutes.
While I love this recipe, here are a few other pork chop recipes you may enjoy. Fried Pork Chops with Gravy, Sheet Pan Apple Pork Chops, Grilled Apricot-Glazed Pork Chops, and How to Grill Pork Chops on a Gas Grill.
🐖Ingredients
- Pork Chops—Use ¾ to 1-inch boneless center-cut chop. For breaded pork chops, try not to use bone-in chops. The meat will contract with cooking, and the bone will break off some of the breading.
- Seasoning—Seasoning breaded pork chops is simple. Only a little black pepper is needed between Italian breadcrumbs and seasoning salt. You can season any way you wish with fresh herbs or spices like oregano or thyme. Some suggest adding some Parmesan cheese to the topping.
- Panko breadcrumbs-Italian seasoned preferred.
- Pantry ingredients—all-purpose flour, Seasoning salt , black pepper
👨🍳How to make breaded pork chops
- Trim off the fat rim from the boneless pork chops and brine if desired.
- Pat dry and apply breading. Let set for a few minutes before browning to help the breading attach.
- Brown in a hot oven-safe pan on the stovetop for a few minutes per side.
- Transfer to a preheated oven and bake to 145° minimum and nicely brown—about 10 minutes or longer if you want a different level of doneness.
🌡️Levels of Cooked Pork (Doneness)
- Rare—less than 145°—Not recommended due to USDA safety recommendations
- Medium-Rare is 145°-150°
- Medium is 150°-155°
- Medium-Well is 155°-160°
- Well Done is 160°+
❓How to Keep the Breading Attached.
The most important part of a bread coating is to have it stick. So here are the big secrets to getting a coating to stick.
- Pat dry with a paper towel. Things do not stick well to wet things.
- An underlying coating of something with an egg.
- Coat with something with some flour. When combined with the egg, it sticks well.
- No bone, if possible. When the meat contracts with cooking, the bone breaks the coating.
- Cook in a well-oiled non-stick pan.
- BIG SECRET #1: After coating with the flour mixture, set it on a flat surface like a cutting board or plate for about 5 minutes to allow the various layers to combine and adhere better.
- BIG SECRET #2: Flip and move the least possible. Things like tongs will rip the breading. So use a fork and stab the edges.
🥣How to Make Gravy
Everybody loves gravy. It will add a few minutes but is worth the little work if it fits your plans. I didn't build it into this recipe, but you can easily add it.
Check out my stovetop fried pork chop recipe below with instructions specifically for pork gravy. Or see How To Make Gravy at Home and use the slurry method.
❓FAQs
The pan needs to be non-stick and oven safe. A well-seasoned cast-iron frying pan is an excellent choice.
Two chops fit nicely in a 10-inch frying pan, but bigger is okay. For four chops, use a 12-inch frying pan.
If you don't have a frying pan that will move from the stovetop to a hot oven, use a non-stick stovetop pan and transfer the chops to a baking sheet or oven-safe pan that you preheated with the oven.
I don't feel the need for a brine. It will slow you down for a few hours, but it will add moisture and tenderness to the final results if you have time.
If you want to brine, use a brine of 2 cups cold water and 2 tablespoons salt. Mix well and submerge the pork. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Rinse off the salt when done.
If you brine, you should not add any salt to the seasoning. So substitute some paprika for the seasoning salt.
As you move to the oven, do a fast internal temperature check to get an idea of how close you are to being done.
In a 425° oven, it usually takes about 10 minutes to reach the minimum suggested temperature of 145° for a ¾ inch thick breaded boneless pork chop that has been correctly seared.
But there are many variables, thickness and initial temperature of the meat, the oil temperature in the stovetop pan, the pan itself, and the oven. So always cook to the final internal temperature and account for a final rise of a few degrees in the temperature after removal from the oven.
The FDA recommends a 145° minimum with a 3-minute rest for pork. It may still have a little pink in the center of the meat. My wife does not like pink pork, so I tend to go slightly higher to 155°.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.
Trim the fat rim off 1-inch thick boneless pork chops. Pat dry with a paper towel.
Prepare two trays. First, with one egg whipped with a teaspoon of water. Second, with ¼ cup of Italian Panko Bread Crumbs, ¼ cup of flour, 1 ½ teaspoon seasoning salt (Lawry's is my choice), and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
Dredge a pork chop in the egg mixture. Be sure to cover all surfaces. Remove with a fork and allow to drain for a moment.
Dip the egg-coated chop into the flour mixture. Coat all sides, remove with a fork, and shake to remove extra flour.
Set the chop on a plate or chopping board. Repeat for the next chop. We want to coat to set up for a few minutes.
Over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil to an oven-safe, non-stick skillet—cast iron preferred. When hot and the oil is shimmering, move the chops to the pan with a fork.
Brown each side of the chop for 2-3 minutes until you have almost the final color you want. Use a fork to flip by poking the meat edge and not anything to grab the meat and pull off the coating.
Check the internal temperature, do one last flip of the pork, and place it in the preheated oven until the internal temperature you want. It takes about 10 minutes for 145°, but this will vary a lot in time, so you must use a meat thermometer and get the final temperature you want. You can always cook more but can not uncook meat.
Allow to rest on a plate for 5 minutes before cutting.
Recipe
Breaded Pork Chops in 30 Minutes
Ingredients
- 2 boneless pork chops - about 1-inch thick
- 1 tablespoons oil
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup Panko Bread Crumbs - Italian or Plain
- 1 ½ teaspoon Lowry's Seasoning Salt - different seasoning salt may be used
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.
- Trim the fat rim off 1-inch thick boneless pork chops. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Prepare two trays. First, with one egg whipped with a teaspoon of water. Second, with ¼ cup of Italian Panko Bread Crumbs, ¼ cup of flour, 1 ½ teaspoon seasoning salt (Lawry's is my choice), and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
- Dredge a pork chop in the egg mixture. Be sure to cover all surfaces. Remove with a fork and allow to drain for a moment.
- Dip the egg-coated chop into the flour mixture. Coat all sides, remove with a fork, and shake to remove extra flour.
- Set the chop on a plate or chopping board. Repeat for the next chop. We want to coat to set up for a few minutes.
- Over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil to an oven-safe, non-stick skillet—cast iron preferred. When hot and the oil is shimmering, move the chops to the pan with a fork.
- Brown each side of the chop for 2-3 minutes until you have almost the final color you want. Use a fork to flip by poking the meat edge and not anything to grab the meat and pull off the coating.
- Check the internal temperature, do one last flip of the pork, and place it in the preheated oven until the internal temperature you want. It takes about 10 minutes for 145°, but this will vary a lot in time, so you must use a meat thermometer and get the final temperature you want. You can always cook more but can not uncook meat.
- Allow to rest on a plate for 5 minutes before cutting.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Well-trimmed boneless pork chops are the best here. A bone-in chop will tend to make it harder for the breading to stick.
- Dry the pork well before proceeding with the coating.
- After the pork chop is breaded, let it sit for about 5 minutes for the coating to combine and attach firmly to the pork.
- The pan needs to be non-stick and oven safe.
- Be sure the oil is hot before adding the chops.
- Only touch the pork with a fork during the breading and cooking to prevent disturbing the coating.
- Thicker chops will take longer. A thinner chop may be to your desired temperature even before the oven, so you MUST use an instant-read thermometer.
- If you are interested in brining, or gravy, see the discussion in the post above.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published March 20, 2019. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Bill S
Recipe was great loved the pork chops. Paired with bacon bits can corn and can string beans cooked in a Alfredo sauce great dinner.
MH
Love all your recipes, and the built-in flexibility! CookBOOK needed! Hurry?!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi MH,
Welcome to the blog. Glad you are liking the recipes.
Now about that cookbook. Not happening, that is work. I'm retired from my "real job" and although successful, this is still a hobby.
Enjoy the blog.
Dan
David
I didn't actually make the recipe, but II like what I see. Your Pro Tips: are all things it took me years to learn, wish the Net was around when I started. Love the brevity in your writing..
Holly
Love your recipes and the photos really help a reader to visualize the prep. Many thanks.
NANCY L BERG
Dr. Dan,
Do you come from a family that makes Mikesell's Potato Chips?
DW Mikesell lived on Northview Rd. in Dayton, Oakwood, Ohio.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Nancy,
Distant cousins (very very distant). All Mikesell's are related due to a common origin of the spelling from an immigrant family in the 1700's.
Dan
Judy
Great recipe with ingredients we usually have on hand.
Jaime
Another winner. I love trying your recipes. Haven’t had a fail yet. I’m a better cook because of you. Thank you.
Bob
What temperature do you recommend they be baked at after the frying?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Bob,
Welcome to the blog.
The oven temp is 350. It is in the oven for only a short period of time so almost any temp would do since we are cooking to a final temperature end point.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Alicia Bland
I made this for my family tonight and it was delicious. The chops were fork tender and the breading stayed on perfectly. I appreciate the step by step and look forward to making this recipe often!
Alicia Bland
Forgot to add that we paired it with your easy roasted red potatoes-thanks again for taking the time to share with us!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Alicia,
I do love pork chops and breaded is great if it will stick on.
Thanks for the notes and rating. I really need to add some suggested side dishes to some recipes.
Dan