Crispy Fried Pork Chops

Why you’ll love this easy fried pork chops recipe

• These pork chops are total comfort food that the whole family is going to love.
• This is so quick and easy making it the perfect dinner for busy weeknights.
• You only need a handful of ingredients to make this pork chop recipe. 

Ingredients

See recipe card for exact amounts.

Ingredient Notes

pork chops – we use thin cut boneless pork chops that are about 1/2″-3/4″ thick. I think this will work with bone-in pork chops, see tips below. 

flour – regular all purpose flour works best. 

egg – this helps our flour stick to the pork chops and gives us the nice crispy coating. 

seasonings – we season these pork chops simply with a little salt, black pepper and paprika. See suggestions below for other spice options. 

cooking oil – we use canola oil because it is my understanding that it is better for us than vegetable oil. You can use vegetable oil. Olive oil is not recommended for this recipe. 

How to make crispy fried pork chops

1. Whisk the egg and milk together in a shallow dish. 
2. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and paprika together in a small bowl then pour into a separate shallow bowl or onto a plate. 
3. Dredge each pork chop through the flour, then into the egg wash, then back through the flour. Let the coated pork chops rest while the oil heats.
4. Heat 1/8″ – 1/4″ oil in a large skillet over medium heat, once it is hot add the pork chops to the pan and cook 4-5 minutes, flip them over and cook the other side 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Cook pork chops in batches if they won’t all fit in one skillet. 
5. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in a 200° oven while you make the gravy. 

How to make sawmill gravy

1. After all of your pork chops are cooked make sure you have about 4 tablespoons of canola oil left in your skillet (see note below for the best way to do this). Whisk in flour and let cook until bubbly over medium heat, scraping up brown bits, about 1-2 minutes. 
2. Whisk in the milk and cook until it thickens over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, about 5 minutes. Your oil will be very hot, so I usually take it off of the stove to add the flour and then I put it back on to whisk in the milk. 
3. Serve immediately.

See this post for a video of how I make bacon gravy, it is the same technique to make this gravy if you just pick it up at about the 41 second mark and quit before I add the bacon back in. 

Special recipe notes*

1. Be extremely careful when you are measuring hot oil. Carefully pour the hot oil into a glass measuring cup on a heatproof surface and then measure the oil to get the 1/4 cup that is needed to make the gravy. The oil is hot so you need to use a heatproof measuring device or it will melt.
2. If using a nonstick skillet you will need tongs and a whisk that has silicone coating on them so they don’t ruin your skillet. 

Tips

• If using bone-in chops I would either cut the fat off or score it. See how to score pork chops in this post. 
• I use a pie plate for the egg mixture and I mix the flour and spices together in a small bowl and then pour it onto a regular plate to dredge the pork chops in it.  
• When dredging the pork chops pat the flour into them then shake off the excess.
• For best results be sure to let the coated pork chops rest while you let the oil in the skillet get hot. 
• I have an empty plate ready because I dredge all of the pork chops into the flour mixture, then all of them into the egg mixture and them all of them back into the flour mixture. 
• I use a nonstick skillet, a cast-iron skillet can be used. 

How do you keep flour on pork chops when frying?

Let the pork chops rest for the few minutes while the oil gets hot. Also make sure to add the pork chops to hot oil, if it isn’t hot enough the coating will fall off. Another important thing to remember is to not over crowd the pan because the chops will steam and the coating will fall off if this happens.

Variations

We like to season our pork chops simply with just three seasonings but there are many options available to add extra flavor. I mean KFC’s fried chicken has 11 herbs and spices so you could make your pork chops closer to that if you desire. 

A few ideas for herbs and spices that you can add to this recipe are:

• garlic powder
• onion powder
• cayenne pepper
• Italian seasoning
• seasoned salt
• celery salt
• dried mustard
• white pepper
• dried basil
• dried thyme

Storage & Reheating

Store leftover fried pork chops in an airtight container for up to 3 days. We reheat them in the microwave. 

Veggie side dish ideas to go with these pan-fried pork chops

• Copycat Longhorn Brussels Sprouts
• Pan Fried Green Beans
• Old Fashioned Creamed Corn
• Honey Glazed Baby Carrots