Thick cut, bone-in pork chops, marinated in a seasoned oil and vinegar mix and grilled. Pictured here with green peas and sweet potato casserole.

Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

I had these two beautiful bone-in pork chops in the freezer just waiting to do something with!

There were four in the pack originally but since since there are only two of us at home, I used them two at a time. First, to make those fabulous stuffed chops again and I just froze the remaining two for another time.

I thought that I'd do a simple marinade and grill the remaining two.

Boneless pork chops, nicely seasoned, skillet seared and baked atop sliced potatoes with a cream sauce.

Pork Chops and Scalloped Potatoes

I can't tell you how many times that I hear "my pork chops always turn out dry" whenever I share a pork chop recipe on social media.

Pork chops are so much leaner today than they used to be and that means they cook much faster and well, folks aren't necessarily used to that! The result? People tend to overcook them, rendering them dry and tasteless!

Cooking that long is no longer necessary with today's leaner pork.

Pork chops, rubbed with Southwestern seasonings, seared in a skillet and finished in a tomato-based sauce. Serve over hot cooked noodles or steamed rice.

Southwestern Pork Chops

Pork chops are on a regular rotation around here. My husband, aka The Cajun, loves them and he'd probably be perfectly happy if I just fried them all the time, I tell ya!

Gotta admit, yeah those are really good, and I love watching my husband gnaw them down to the bone, but let's be real.

Far as I'm concerned, speaking as a Southern born and bred gal, I think fried food is perfection, and much as we'd like to, well we just can't eat it that often y'all. I'm always looking for different ways to serve my pork chops.

Boneless pork chops, topped with a sweet and tangy mustard layer and finished with crispy, browned panko breadcrumbs, makes for a tender and juicy chop, shown here with my Supreme Pasta Salad.

Deviled Pork Chops

The idea for these came from an episode of America's Test Kitchen that I caught on antenna television one day. The ideas were so clever and the pork chops looked amazing!

Of course, I had to put my own little spin on things, though there were some very significant guidance points that I did include in my version.

Pork steaks or chops, seared in oil and placed over caramelized onions tossed with cabbage, covered and smothered down with a little chicken stock.

Smothered Cabbage with Pork Chops

I love cabbage and I love it all kinds of ways, though honestly, I make it most often smothered or fried.

Seasoning meats usually center around bacon, salt pork or fatback for those two. Most often, when it's smothered, its usually salt pork or fatback. For fried, bacon is king and the cabbage is also often finished with a deeper caramelization.

Boneless pork ribeye chops, dredged in a seasoned mixture of cracker meal and panko crumb coating, and cooked in the air fryer. Shown here with a drizzle of milk gravy.

Breaded Air Fryer Pork Chops

I really love using an air fryer, especially in this heat. It's way less messy than frying on the stovetop too, that's for sure!

I have mentioned before, but it took me awhile to get on board with them admittedly, but when I did finally, I ended up with several of them! The one that stays out of the pantry and that I use the most is an oven style version though I did use the larger basket style fryer this time.

Seasoned pork chops, seared in a skillet and smothered in gravy with caramelized vegetables.

Pork Chop Étouffée

We do so love to "smother" our food here in the Deep South!

I mean, what's not to love about food simmered in gravy or sauce? Good stuff! I mean, check these out y'all.

Thick cut, bone-in, pork loin chops, filled with a simple cornbread and mushroom stuffing and baked. Shown here with sour cream sauce, succotash and a side salad.

Stuffed Pork Chops

I rarely buy thick-cut pork chops, but it's really an absolute when you want to stuff them. Chops already are fast cooking, but when you create a split pocket in them it's essentially like creating two thinner cut chops with goodness stuffed in the middle!

Although there are a multitude of stuffing mixtures that can be used, I chose to make a simple trinity enhanced, cornbread based stuffing using some leftover cornbread and mushrooms I had on hand. Whether you choose to brine your pork chops or not is a personal decision, though it does provide a little bit of insurance against overcooking, should you not have an internal thermometer.

Center cut, boneless, pork chops, lightly seasoned, pan seared or grilled, and finished with an apple cider, brown sugar and mustard glaze.

Apple Cider Boneless Pork Chops

 Pork chops are so lean today and fast cooking, which makes them a great weekday meal that doesn't require a lot of work. Because pork is so lean though, it can be bland. This finishing glaze fixes that and makes for a tasty, fast and easy dinner. The only thing to remember is that they cook very quickly and to take care not to cook them to death!

Seasoned and seared pork chops, simmered with tomatoes, onion and sweet bell peppers.

Creole Smothered Chops

These are just so tasty, it's hard to believe that they are also simple and easy.

They aren't really "smothered," as in the sense most folks think about with that word - all saturated in some kind of gravy or sauce. It's more of a light smother of veggies.

Traditional rice jambalaya, made Creole-style with the trinity, garlic and tomatoes, with seasoned pan-seared, bone-in pork chops nestled in.

Creole-Style Pork Chop Jambalaya

Unlike Cajun-style pork jambalaya, which often contains a variety of pork - bacon, tasso, smoked sausage, pork loin - pork chop jambalaya is generally made with only chops. While any type of pork chop or even pork steak can be used, including boneless, I think bone-in chops provide much more flavor and that's what I recommend for this dish.

Even still, there are many ways to make pork chop jambalaya as there are cooks, and mine is just one of them!

 

Thick-cut brined and seasoned pork loin chops, topped with skillet fried apples, or a homemade or canned apple pie filling, and baked in the oven.

Apple Pie Pork Chops

I can't recall where I first saw this idea to combine pork chops and apple pie filling, but I thought it sounded great and turns out I had a can of apple pie filling in the pantry I needed to use up!

I'm sure that I bought it for a very specific reason, now long forgotten. I'm terrible about that, to the point that now, when I buy supplies for the pantry to use for a specific purpose later, I tape a sticky note to it! Now I have notes all over the outside of my deep freeze and a bunch of them stuck on top of canned goods in my pantry. Hilarious, I know, but hey... I ain't gettin' any younger y'all!

Anyway, I was right. Apple Pie Pork Chops are pretty yummy!

Nicely seasoned, thin cut, bone-in breakfast pork chops, and simply pan fried. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Homestyle Breakfast Pork Chops

While chicken and seafood are pretty common on our table, I have to say, pork is one of my favorite meats, and you can't beat a good thin cut pork chop for a quick meal.

They're referred to as breakfast chops because they are super thin, taking only a very short cooking time. This means they can get on the table fast, even faster than most typical pork sides like ham steaks, sausage and bacon. I would venture to say that they're likely just as often served for supper. Great either way!

Russet potatoes and chunks of carrots and onion are cooked stovetop in a tomato-based sauce with seasoned pork chops or pork steaks, for an easy one pot meal.

One Pot Pork Chop Dinner

The Cajun is a big meat and potatoes man. I may have mentioned that before I think! He's just not that into vegetables, so he's always a little disappointed when the first of the year rolls around and I'm back to trying to eat more balanced, and maybe even a bit healthier than usual. Meaning more greens and vegetables.

I'm a little bit slow starting this year, as I've been under the weather since right before Christmas and let's just say it's been one thing after another. Haven't had much of an appetite, but I think I dropped a couple pounds as a result. I'm actually still on the mend today and frankly, still not feeling that well, so food hasn't been all that appealing to me. I guess I'll let him have his meat and potatoes way.

Skillet Pork Steaks and Onions - Pork steaks or chops, seasoned, pan seared and braised in caramelized onion broth on the stovetop.

Skillet Pork Steaks and Onions

Many of y'all already know and love my oven pork chops and onions recipe, and it's one of our favorites too. It's a bake though, and I don't know about you, but I've found it awfully hard to use the oven this summer.

Now, there are always exceptions of course, like when I have a craving for something like homemade buttermilk biscuits! Or a squash casserole with all the garden squash rolling in. For the most part though, we've been living on hamburgers and hot dogs, sandwiches, salads, basic grilled foods and quick skillet meals.

My take on the popular Crockpot Angel Chicken that's going around the internet, made with Italian dressing mix and cream cheese, except using pork chops, a homemade cream sauce, and cooked on the stovetop.

Creamy Angel Pork Chop Skillet

Although it's been around for years, I'm guessing that you've likely seen this recipe around the net a lot here lately using boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cream soups in the slow cooker. What is it they say? All things old become new again? Kinda like the rage here lately with the Instant Pot {affil link}. It's a basic, multi-function electronic pressure cooker pot that's actually been around awhile now, but for some reason, this one brand has picked up a big cult following here lately.

I'm not the biggest fan of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to begin with, and I prefer using my slow cooker more for longer braising types of things like bone-in thighs, whole chickens, beef roasts and even sauces, rather than things that I can whip up on top of the stove in 30 minutes or less. I also didn't have chicken breast, but I did have some assorted pork chops, so I went with those because it sounded good.

Seasoned pork chops, seared and baked over toasted rice with beef broth, herbs, onion and bell pepper.

Southern Pork Chop and Rice Casserole

This recipe is a pretty classic preparation of a common baked pork chops and rice dish we all enjoy in some form here in the south.

There are some variations as always among cooks, but it typically involves very basic seasonings, some kind of liquid - sometimes a cream soup, sometimes a consommé or French onion soup, sometimes just a simple broth and water added to double the ratio of rice, and sometimes a packet of onion soup mix and water is used.

Bone-in pork loin chops, first marinated in a brown sugar, vinegar and soy marinade, then grilled and brushed with a pepper jelly glaze to finish. Shown here with my chargrilled corn and grilled veggies.

Grilled Pork Chop with Pepper Jelly Glaze

Everybody around the country who gets snow in the winter waits for the summer ritual of opening up their patio grill, but we grill all year round in the Deep South and honestly, summers here are really our least favorite time for grilling. Oh we do it, but it's hotter than hot, and not super pleasant.

Now that I have a nice, shady covered patio with a ceiling fan though, it's made a huge difference, and I have sure been working my grills around here! I think I've grilled more this last year than I did in years at my old house. Grilling is fast, easy and doesn't heat up the kitchen - which is a bonus in this summer heat. I've even baked on my Traeger pellet grill {affil link} instead of using my oven! But... for me, there is one issue.

Skillet seared pork chops finished in a pan gravy.

Skillet Pork Chops with Pan Gravy

My husband loves pork chops any way that I fix them, and this is a just a simple skillet recipe that's great for this time of the year when things start to get a bit more hectic. Seasoned, seared and then low simmered in a basic pan gravy, they're fast and tasty. I served these with brussels sprouts for me (I am still trying to learn to love them), alongside some sliced tomatoes and a salad for The Cajun, with leftover rice from another recipe. Special thanks to Jim for reminding me about this simple method.

Thin cut pork chops, dredged in a well seasoned blend of onion enhanced flour and cornmeal and pan fried in a cast iron skillet. Pictured here with succotash and fresh sliced Creole tomatoes.

Pan Fried Pork Chops

I have mentioned before how much I enjoy watching my husband eat a pork chop. He will gnaw every slap inch of that chop into submission! Don't you just love when somebody chows down on your food like that? A home cooked meal is an expression of love from the person who prepared it for you, and the best compliment is when somebody expresses how much they are enjoying that meal. To me, there is no better applause.