Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops
Using Parmesan two ways in this recipe gives the pork chop tons of delicious savory flavor, with all the crispiness you crave from a cutlet.
Serves4
Prep15 minutes
Cook10 minutes
If you ask me, it doesn’t get much better than a pork (or chicken or veal!) cutlet. A cutlet is basically an adult chicken tender that you eat with a fork or knife. What makes it so good is all in the breading — panko breadcrumbs give cutlets the crispiest exterior — and also how the meat is prepared. For this pork cutlet, you’ll lightly pound the pork chop just thin enough to let all that crispy breading shine without losing the structure of the chop.
The thing that makes this cutlet particularly good? The addition of finely grated Parmesan cheese. At first I just used the cheese in place of flour in the breading procedure, but it wasn’t enough. So I added Parmesan to the breadcrumb mixture as well. It gives the pork chop tons of delicious savory flavor, with all the crispiness you crave from a cutlet. Serve it with a salad and piparra peppers or a lemon wedge.
Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops
Using Parmesan two ways in this recipe gives the pork chop tons of delicious savory flavor, with all the crispiness you crave from a cutlet.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 ounces
Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup
panko bread crumbs
- 2
large eggs
- 1 3/4 teaspoons
kosher salt, divided, plus more for seasoning
- 4
(1/2-inch thick) center-cut boneless pork loin chops (about 1 pound total)
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup
plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Instructions
Finely grate 2 ounces Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 packed cups). Transfer 1/2 cup to a shallow bowl. Add 1 cup panko and stir to combine. Place the remaining Parmesan in a second shallow bowl. In a third shallow bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt until broken up with no streaks of egg whites.
Pat 4 boneless pork chops dry with paper towels. Working with 1 pork chop at a time, place in between two sheets of plastic wrap or large zip-top bag and pound with a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet until 1/4-inch thick. Season the pork with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Working with 1 pork chop at a time, dredge to completely coat in the Parmesan, then the eggs, and finally the bread crumb mixture, gently pressing the bread crumbs into the pork to adhere. Place on a large plate or baking sheet.
Heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 2 of the breaded pork cutlets and fry until cooked through and lightly browned on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack. Season with kosher salt. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and fry the remaining pork chops.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.