Crispy Easy Baked Panko Crusted Pork Chops – Copycat OvenFry for Pork

I have to admit something. I love, love, LOVE OvenFry for Pork. That coating just does it for me on just about every protein I like to eat. I’ve put it on pork (of course), chicken, shrimp and fish. What I don’t like about OvenFry for Pork is the price. The last time I bought it — about a year ago — it cost me $3 bucks for 4 oz. I don’t even buy meat that cost that much. If a steak cost that much it would be $12 a pound. Kinda puts it in perspective, doesn’t it.

So, pork chops at our house fell out of fashion. I can do lots of things to chicken, etc. but The Hubster and I both really fell in love with the taste of pork chops breaded with OvenFry for Pork. I was cruising through some great recipe blogs and a recipe caught my attention. Not because I thought it would taste like OvenFry, but because I thought it might be a good recipe to try instead of OvenFry. The original recipe is over here at Meatloaf & Melodrama (don’t you just love the name of her blog??).  What caught my attention first was that she mentioned Shake ‘n Bake — their version for Pork comes in a close second to OvenFry but it’s not crispy. When I scrolled down to the recipe, I noticed that she used dijon mustard. Not a fan, but we love the tang & tart flavor of yellow mustard. I just knew I had to put my own spin on this recipe and give it a whirl.

A couple of points to consider:

• Boneless or bone-in pork chops — your choice. If you buy pork chops by the package, bone-in will be lesser expensive and that’s what I used to buy. Boneless pork chops are easier to deal with, cook better and are easier to eat, but they cost more. The best prices on pork chops are when you buy a whole boneless pork loin and cut in into chops yourself. I do it that way for a couple of reasons. I can usually find a pork loin on special for around $1.59 lb. (compared to $3.77 lb. for bone-in chops) AND we like our pork chops thin cut. Buying thin cut chops where I live are more expensive than the regular or thick cuts — they average around $5.12 lb. So it’s a win-win for me to just buy a whole pork loin.
• Serve with sides or just a salad — your choice. We prefer these pork chops with just a nice Caesar salad, but a green vegetable or vegetable medley also works.
• Dredge each chop or coat in the pan (my easy way) — your choice. When I first started making this I did the wet coat and then dredged into the panko bread crumbs that were sitting in a saucer. I’m a messy cook. My counter looked like something blew up after I put the chops in the oven. I found an easier way and the pork chops taste just the same — just not a messy.
• I use a silicon pastry brush to spread on the wet coating. It made it a lot easier to apply the coating AND it’s so easy to clean. I get the pastry brushes at Dollar Tree for … you guessed it … $1.

Tools you’ll need for this recipe:

• A baking sheet pan with a lip or a large rectangular baking dish
• Aluminum foil
• Silicon pastry brush (I get mine at Dollar Tree)
• Coffee cup or small bowl
• Measuring spoons

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray the pan with cooking spray. Mix together yellow mustard, mayonnaise and salt & pepper in a coffee cup. I like putting small amounts of ingredients in a coffee cup because they don’t have a lot of room to spread around and the pastry brush fits in there perfectly.

Take about 1/2 of the panko bread crumbs and sprinkle a thin layer in the pan. You will be laying the coated pork chops on top of the bread crumbs, so you want it to be a thick enough layer to make a good coating.

Take each pork chop and spread some mustard-mayo mixture onto 1 side. Place that pork chop in the pan COATED side down. Press the pork chop into the panko bread crumbs so that they are pressed into the mustard-mayo mixture. Now take your pastry brush and coat the top side of each pork chop. Then take the remainder of the panko bread crumbs and evenly sprinkle them over the pork chops to coat thoroughly. Take your fingers and press the panko bread crumbs down into the mustard-mayo mixture.

Note: You can also coat the pork chops in the traditional way. I just find this to be messier for me. Pour the bread crumbs in a saucer. Coat each side of the pork chop and press into the saucer of bread crumbs. Then place each pork chop on your pan.

Bake the pork chops for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. If you want the panko crust to be extra crispy, broil for about 5 minutes.

Allow pork chops to rest for 5 minutes. I usually take this time to toss a nice Caesar salad.

Crispy Easy Baked Panko Crusted Pork Chops - Copycat OvenFry for Pork

Winter!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Pork

Servings 4 pork chops

Ingredients

  

• Cooking Spray
• 4 pork chops
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 cups plain panko bread crumbs

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Mix the yellow mustard, mayo, salt & pepper together in a coffee cup or a small bowl
• If using a baking sheet, lay down aluminum foil. Spray the sheet pan or dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• Take about 1/2 of the panko bread crumbs and sprinkle a thin layer in the pan.
• Take each pork chop and spread some mustard-mayo mixture onto 1 side. Place that pork chop in the pan COATED side down. Press the pork chop into the panko bread crumbs so that they are pressed into the mustard-mayo mixture.
• Take your pastry brush and coat the top side of each pork chop.
• Take the remainder of the panko bread crumbs and evenly sprinkle them over the pork chops to coat thoroughly. Take your fingers and press the panko bread crumbs down into the mustard-mayo mixture.
• Bake pork chops for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. If you want the panko crust to be extra crispy, broil for about 5 minutes.
• Allow pork chops to rest for 5 minutes.