I hate dry pork chops. Absolutely hate them. And that’s just what I fixed the other evening when I prepared this recipe. But wait. I have a solution to the problem and that’s just what I’m going to share with you in this post. But before I provide you with what I call “pork chop enlightenment”, I’m going to start with the very reason for this recipe in the first place.

It had been a long, exhausting day of developing recipes, writing up an introduction to a post, cleaning house, and performing my 20 minute daily jazzercise workout.  So the thought of cooking dinner that evening brought with it absolutely no enthusiasm. (Usually I’m gung-ho to start cooking. But not this evening.) But I had defrosted two lovely pork chops, and they were patiently waiting on my drain board to be transformed into a culinary tour de force. (Right, like that was about to happen!) Anyway……..

What I really wanted was for dinner to almost cook itself. So I decided a dish that contained both meat and side, then slapped in the oven to finish cooking, was as close to not really cooking as I could get. That and a simple roasted veggie dish, and dinner was served. So I started throwing ingredients together and came up with this winning combination.

I decided to fry the pork chops until they were nicely browned (I apparently still had a modicum of culinary prowess left in my tired old body), and then throw them on top of the rice while the whole mess cooked in the oven. But like I stated above, the pork chops came out way too dry. So how to fix that for next time? Because there was sure to be a next time. The overall dish was just too good not to make again in the future. So, really, how to fix the pork chop problem? Simple remedy. Don’t bloody bake the pork chops so long! Duh Patti!

For perfect pork chops, the internal temperature should never exceed 145 degrees. (My pathetic pork chops, although I never actually checked, must have clocked in at 350 degrees! What was I thinking?!?!)

So if you too could use a recipe for a really easy main dish to fix after an enervating day, give this dish a try. You will absolutely love the rice. In fact, the rice alone could easily be prepared without any regard to the delicate sensibilities of pork chops everywhere. Just a simple, but delicious side dish.

As always – stay safe, stay secure, and keep having fun in your kitchen.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 lg. thick boneless pork chops (about 1 pound) – all fat removed and cut in half

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 T. unsalted butter

1 c. long grain white rice

¼ c. chopped yellow onion

¼ c. chopped celery

8-10 button or cremini mushrooms, sliced

½ tsp. ground dried mushroom powder*

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

pinch paprika  

2¼ c. beef stock

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Heat the olive oil in a small fry pan. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Place the pork chops in pan.  Fry until they are nicely browned on both sides.  You aren’t cooking them all the way through. You just want the nice brown color on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium sized covered Dutch oven or pan that can be used on a cook top as well as placed in the oven. Add the rice along with the onion, celery, and mushrooms. Stir and cook until the rice begins to brown slightly and the onion, celery, and mushrooms soften a bit. Stir in the ground dried mushroom powder, granulated garlic, paprika, beef stock, and Worcestershire sauce.

Cover and bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove the lid, place pork chops on top of rice mixture, and continue baking uncovered until the internal temperature of the pork chops reaches 145 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.

* Dried Mushroom Powder: Can be purchased online or you can make mushroom powder at home. Start with any type of dried mushrooms. Place in your blender or spice grinder and let it whirl. (My spice grinder is an inexpensive coffee grinder dedicated just for the purpose of grinding herbs, spices, and anything other than coffee!)

Store mushroom powder in an airtight container. Great for adding depth of flavor to almost any dish that calls for mushrooms.