Breaded Air Fryer Pork Chops
Posted: 04/17/2020
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Breaded air fryer pork chops are flavorful, crispy, and so juicy, all without deep frying! You’ll love the flavor and texture of these boneless pork chops.
I recently asked my email subscribers for feedback about what type of recipes they’d like to see more of on Rachel Cooks. I was overwhelmed (in a good way!) by the number of responses I received.
If you were one of the people that responded, thank you! I’m so grateful for your feedback, always.
The results were mainly a mix of what we’re already doing here on Rachel Cooks. Slow cooker, Instant Pot, air fryer, quick and easy meals, meals with few ingredients, some vegetarian. Basically a little of everything. So that’s what we’ll keep doing!
While I still don’t plan to overwhelm you with air fryer recipes, I’ll continue to sprinkle them in here and there (the plan is about one air fryer recipe each month).
What I am finding the more I experiment with the air fryer, is that meat is really really great in it! I still don’t love the need to do things in small batches, but I do love how juicy meat stays when it is cooked in the air fryer.
About these air fryer pork chops:
These air fryer pork chops are so perfectly juicy on the inside, and perfectly crispy on the outside. I was so pleasantly surprised by these the very first time I made them.
They start with a marinade in buttermilk and Dijon mustard. Two hours will suffice, but you can soak them in buttermilk up to overnight in the fridge.
Why buttermilk for a marinade? Buttermilk is slightly acidic and has enzymes which help tenderize the pork. It’s a gentle marinade and it won’t make the pork mushy if you do decide to marinate the pork overnight.
After the pork has marinated, remove it from the marinade and let the excess drip off. You don’t have to wipe it off or anything — the buttermilk that remains on the pork chops will help the breading stick.
Then you’ll dip the marinated pork chops into the breading mixture. It’s comprised of Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.
A little spritz with olive oil spray or nonstick cooking spray will help these get golden brown in the air fryer.
They’ll cook for 12-14 minutes in the air fryer, with one careful flip in the middle of the cooking time. You want the internal temperature to be about 145ºF when checked with an instant read meat thermometer.
Serving Suggestions
- a tossed salad with homemade ranch dressing
- a wedge salad with homemade Thousand island dressing
- Instant Pot rice or Instant Pot baked potatoes
- any roasted vegetable – try roasted broccoli, roasted carrots, or roasted Brussels sprouts.
How to make these breaded pork chops your own
While we, of course, think these are perfect the way they are, here are some ways you can make them your own:
- Don’t have panko? You could use traditional bread crumbs instead.
- Don’t have Parmesan cheese? No problem, you could leave it out. You might want to increase the salt slightly to make up for it.
- Want to leave the breading off completely? Go for it, you’ll still have really great juicy pork chops even with no breading. I often air fry chicken thighs, unbreaded just lightly seasoned, and they turn out perfectly juicy every time.
Storage and Reheating Tips
These pork chops are best eaten immediately, but if you have leftovers, you can pop them back in the air fryer for 5-6 minutes to warm them up, or eat them cold. I like them sliced on a sandwich.
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Other air fryer recipes:
We are loving our air fryer! Try these easy recipes:
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Breaded air fryer pork chops are flavorful, crispy, and so juicy, all without deep frying! You'll love the flavor and texture of these boneless pork chops.
Ingredients
- 4 (6 oz) center cut boneless pork chops (3/4 to 1-inch thick), trimmed
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Olive oil spray
Instructions
- Whisk together buttermilk and mustard in a baking dish.
- Add pork chops to the baking dish, turning to coat in buttermilk mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF for 10 minutes. Lightly spray the bottom of the basket with olive oil spray.
- In a shallow bowl, combine panko, Parmesan, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Remove pork from buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off. Coat in panko mixture and place in air fryer. Spritz both sides with olive oil for a nice golden brown crust. Repeat with remaining pork chops, keeping in mind you may need to do them in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Cook for 7 minutes, flip and cook 5-7 minutes more, or until internal temperature reaches 145ºF when checked with an instant read thermometer.
- Best enjoyed immediately but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
- Don't have panko? You could use traditional bread crumbs instead.
- Don't have parmesan cheese? No problem, you could leave it out. You might want to increase the salt slightly to make up for it.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1g, Calories: 283kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 1244mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Husband’s take: Ben isn’t always a pork chop fan, but these are probably his favorite.
Changes I would make: None!
Difficulty: Easy! The breading can have a tendency to be a bit fragile, so be careful when you flip them over.
Sue says
Is Marinating for two hours necessary?
Rachel Gurk says
The buttermilk really tenderizes the meat, but if you’re in a hurry, you could skip this step. Just keep in mind your pork chops might not be as juicy/tender.
Cathy says
I made this dish tonight for the first time. I had to modify the recipe but it still came out juicy and delicious. I didn’t panko so I used breadcrumbs, I also didn’t have buttermilk so I used an egg instead. All in all, it was great
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Foodgoggle says
Wow they look so tender and juicy. Saved on to our site.
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks! Glad you like them.
denise says
sounds like a great way to make pork chops.
Rachel Gurk says
It really is! They’re so juicy on the inside!