“Breaded” and baked, parmesan crusted pork chops are here to rescue you from the weekday slump with their savory, juicy power.
Looking for more pork chop recipes you’ll actually enjoy? Check out these smothered keto pork chops for more keto dinners.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below and we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get great new recipes from us every week!
[wpforms id="103279"]
Keto Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops Video
On your phone? Check out my web story here.
Your New Wild Weekday Staple
I’m always in the market for easy weeknight meals, because sometimes cooking dinner on a Wednesday is the last thing I want to do.
But, the truth is: good food is good for the soul. Each meal is an opportunity to eat something delicious. And I’m never willing to give that up! The answer? Finding more efficient ways to get a flavorful meal on the table.
Here’s where these parmesan crusted pork chops come in…
These babies can be thrown together in thirty minutes or less, but taste like you spent the day cultivating their flavors. The secret is in the crust: Parmesan + pork rinds (or breadcrumbs) + cajun seasoning combine to pack a punch of flavor in every bite while creating a crispy and delightful outer coating.
Baking the pork chops is an easy way to make sure you don’t overcook them, which keeps them juicy and tantalizing.
Pair this with my mashed cauliflower and it’ll be enough to break you out of the Wednesday Woes!
Important Ingredient Notes
Pork Chops – This recipe was tested using boneless pork chops, but feel free to use bone-in. Just know they take longer to cook.
The thickness of your pork chops are important, as this will give you a better idea of when to start checking their temp.
(Obviously) it’s harder to dry out thick pork chops. I always buy my boneless pork chops from Costco–most recently the chops were 2″ thick, and were truly the juciest I’ve ever had! If you buy thinner chops, start checking them early. I added a baking cheat sheet to the “notes” section of the recipe card below.
Breadcrumbs vs. pork rinds – We always use pork rinds to cut down on carbs. To crush them, place them in a resealable bag, seal, then hit the bag with a rolling pin until the rinds are breadcrumb size.
Reheat/Storing
These parmesan pork chops are best served fresh-out-the-oven. Reheating pork chops is a surefire way to dry them out!
Serving Recommendations
We love serving these parmesan crusted pork chops with a light and delicious salad.
Cooking Your Pork JUST RIGHT!
Pork is notoriously easy to overcook, resulting in super dry meat. But, when cooked just right, it can be incredibly juicy, tender and delicous. Here are all the tricks I’ve learned along the way to give you legit cravable parmesan crusted pork chops…
How do You Make Pork Soft and Tender?
To ensure soft and tender pork, I do one (or multiple) things:
- The cooking method. Pan searing pork is the easiest way to overcook it. Cooking methods like the oven or (better yet) immersian circulator makes it easy to get the temp just right without overcooking.
- Use a meat thermometer, and check your pork early and often. The center of your cooked pork should reach an internal temp of 145 F.
- Bone in is harder to dry out than boneless.
- Buy thick chops. This can be hard to find. I ALWAYS buy my pork chops from Costco, they’re the thickest I’ve found.
- Brine your pork. Although not necessary for this recipe, a simple brine of salt and water keeps the pork nice and juicy–I always brine pan seared pork chops.
How do You Get the Perfect Crust on Pork Chops?
Juicy interior and a delicious crust is the name of the game when it comes to the perfectly cooked pork chop. For this parmesan crusted pork chops recipe, we’ll get that crust in our “breading”, without having to follow any additional steps (weeknight meal!).
For other pork chop recipes, the trick to the perfect pork chop crust is two fold:
- Sugar in brine helps the meat brown more easily,
- Get a SUPER hot pan to sear your meat, then finish cooking your chops in the oven, or at a reduced heat with the lid on.
How do You Keep Pork Chops From Sticking to the Pan?
Pork is an extremely lean meat, which is why it tends to stick to it’s cooking surface. These parmesan crusted pork chops won’t stick to the pan because of their coating, and because we’re using a wire rack nestled inside a rimmed baking sheet.
For other pork chop recipes, you’ll want to use plenty of oil.
More Recipes with Parmesan
Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 boneless pork chops (Note 3+4)
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs or crushed pork rinds (Note 1+2)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 425 F, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place an oven-safe wire rack inside the baking sheet. Pat the pork chops (2 boneless) completely dry with paper towels.
- Dip. In a wide-mouthed bowl, whisk the egg (1 large). In a second wide-mouthed bowl, combine the breadcrumbs or pork rinds (2 tablespoons), parmesan cheese (¼ cup), and cajun (1 teaspoon) seasoning. Dip the pork chops in the egg wash and flip so both sides are coated. Then dip into the parmesan mixture on both sides, and press to adhere the coating. Place on your prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other pork chop. Sprinkle any additional parmesan over the top of your chops.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden and a meat thermometer reads 145 F. Bake times will vary significantly depending on the thickness of your chops, see chart below (Note 3+4) for cook time recommendations. I suggest checking early and often, to prevent overcooked and dry pork chops!
- Cool and serve. Allow pork chops to rest for 10 minutes before serving, and enjoy!
Fans Also Made These Low Carb Recipes:
None found
Lindsey's Tips
- Pork rinds vs. breadcrumbs. We only use pork rinds to cut down on carbs. They're the PERFECT substitute here!
- To crush pork rinds, place them in a resealable bag, release as much air as possible, and seal. Then crush using a rolling pin until they're broken down into small breadcrumb-sized pieces.
- Bone-in vs. Boneless. For bone-in pork chops, increase cook time by 10%.
- Pork chop thickness varies a ton, which means your cook time will vary. Again, I strongly suggest checking early to make sure you don't overcook the chops (this will dry them out and you won't enjoy!)
- 1/2" pork chops, start checking @ 7 minutes
- 1" pork chops, start checking @ 12 minutes
- 1 1/2" pork chops, start checking @ 20 minutes
- Nutritional information was calculated using pork rinds (instead of breadcrumbs). For the breadcrumb variation, each serving will contain 335 calories, 16 g fat, 8 g carbs, 7 g net carbs, and 38 g protein.
