Breaded Pork Chops plus Herbs and Parmesan

At a glance

What stands out: Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, these straightforward breaded pork chops are baked in the oven. The buttermilk marinade makes them so tender!

How long it takes: 40 minutes plus 2+ hours to marinate
Equipment you’ll need: shallow dish, tongs, baking sheet, baking rack, oven
Servings: 4

Looking for a rich way to prepare pork chops? Tired of dry, tasteless pork? You’re going to love this recipe!

A standby Breaded Pork Chops

Marinated in buttermilk. Have you ever tried marinating pork in buttermilk? You may have heard about marinating chicken in buttermilk but we were inspired by Jessica at How Sweet Eats to try this method with pork chops. If it tenderizes and adds juiciness to chicken, why not pork? We found that it works beautifully! Buttermilk marinated pork turns out well, so juicy and tender.

One step crispy breading. We coat the pork chops with a tasty mixture of panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and a few pantry seasonings, and pop them in the oven until they’re browned and crispy. Rich!

Buttermilk 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 want to marinate the pork overnight. In addition, a buttermilk marinade is straightforward because there’s nothing to mix up. Simply pour it on, as is. We use a similar marinade for our straightforward baked chicken parmesan.

How it comes together

Marinate pork. After the pork has marinated for at least 2 hours or overnight, remove the pork chops from the buttermilk and let the excess drip off. You don’t have to wipe it off. The buttermilk that remains on the pork chops will help the breading stick.

Make breading. Mix the breading ingredients together: panko, Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Use a shallow bowl so you have room to dredge the pork chops in it.

Bread pork chops. Press one chop at a time, both sides, in the breading mixture. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking rack set inside a baking pan (don’t forget to spray it with nonstick cooking spray first!).

Don't Have A Baking Rack?

If you don’t have a baking rack, that’s okay. Baking the pork chops on a baking rack allows air to circulate all around the chops so they get crispier. Will they still be rich in a pan? Of course!

Bake. Bake the chops for about a half hour or until the internal temperature reaches nearly 145°F. Let them rest 10 minutes or so; the internal temperature will continue to rise. They should be just slightly pink inside and juicy, but not bloody.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

• Change the seasoning in the breading. Replace the parsley, dry mustard, salt and pepper with your own seasoning ideas. We often replace it with our all-purpose seasoning or add Cajun seasoning for something a little different.
• Use from-scratch breadcrumbs. They’re straightforward to mix and are a good way to use day old bread.
• Air fry the pork chops. For the recipe, see our breaded air fryer pork chops.
• Skip the breading. Try Instant Pot pork chops or slow cooker pork chops. Both recipes have an memorable gravy. We also love seasoned air fryer pork chops. They’re straightforward, juicy, and rich.
• Not a fan of pork? Try baked chicken cordon bleu.

Ways to serve it

Breaded pork chops are great with roasted vegetables or potatoes because everything can roast in the oven at the same time. Just arrange your oven racks with space between the racks. Try roasted sweet potatoes and shallots, with maple mustard sauce, or this medley of balsamic roasted vegetables. Roasted carrots with thyme and nutmeg are so good, too! Check out our roasted vegetable recipes (more than 40 recipes!).

If you’re loving the idea of roasted vegetables with pork chops, be sure to try our sheet pan pork chops with apples, sweet potatoes, and onions, or ranch pork chops sheet pan dinner with potatoes and green beans.)

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Leftover pork chops should be promptly refrigerated in an airtight container. They’ll keep in the fridge for three to four days.

Freeze: Cooked pork chops can be frozen for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheat: The breading on reheated pork chops tends to lose its crispiness. A standby way to reheat them is to put them in your air fryer for a few minutes or in the toaster oven until they are just heated through. Try not to overheat them; they may become tough and dry.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in weekly meal plans that include this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #14 or Meal Plan #60. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

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• Yield: 4
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 30 minutes
• Total: 2 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork chops (about 8 ounces each, 1 ½ inches thick)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (whole wheat or regular)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 ½ tablespoons dried parsley)
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Method

1. Pour buttermilk into a shallow dish. Add pork, flip to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight. (Buttermilk is a gentle marinade so you don't have to worry about the meat getting mushy.)
2. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheet with foil, set a baking rack on it, and spray lightly with cooking spray (see note 1).
3. In a large shallow bowl, mix panko, Parmesan cheese, parsley, mustard powder, salt and pepper. One at a time, remove pork chops from buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge each pork chop in breading mixture, patting lightly so breading adheres. Place on prepared rack.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145°F (see note 2). Try not to overcook the pork.
5. Allow pork chops to rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Internal temperature will continue to rise slightly.

Notes

Don’t have a baking rack? Spray the bottom of the baking pan with nonstick spray and bake the pork chops in in the pan without a rack. The pork chops will be slightly less crispy on the bottom side (but still rich!).

Cooking tip: Try not to overcook the pork chops. Overcooked pork can be tough and dry. Bake the chops for 30 minutes, then check the internal temperature in the center of the pork chop with an instant read thermometer. The internal temperature should be nearly 145°F. Remove them from the oven and let them rest 10 minutes or so; the internal temperature will continue to rise slightly. They should be just barely pink inside and juicy, but not bloody.

Smaller/thinner pork chops: If you bought thinner pork chops (less than 1 ½ inches thick), reduce the cooking time.

To air fry: Arrange the pork chops in a single layer in the air fryer. Air fry at 400ºF for approximately 15 minutes, flip the pork chops over, then cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 145°F. (Refer to breaded air fryer pork chops for complete recipe.)

Storage & reheating: Refrigerate leftover pork chops for up to 4 days. or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. A standby way to reheat breaded pork chops is to put them in your air fryer for a few minutes or in the toaster oven until they are just heated through. Try not to overheat them; they may become tough and dry.

Nutrition: The information below is slightly skewed because only a small amount of the buttermilk is actually absorbed by the pork, and it’s discarded after marinating.