Tonight’s cooking adventure was Low Carb Parmesan Ranch Breaded Pork Chops. This is my absolute favorite way to cook pork chops! For the breading, I mixed together the following ingredients:
1 cup of pork rind crumbs (I pulse the pork rinds in a food processor until they turn to crumbs)
½ package of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix
¼ cup of grated or shredded parmesan cheese
Note: This makes enough breading to COMPLETELY cover two pork chops with about ¼ of a cup left over.
Preheat the oven to 325 F (I place my oven proof dish in the oven to preheat at this point, but not required)
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet (oven proof if you have it) over medium to medium-high heat. Then mix together one egg and 1 tbsp of heavy cream to use as the dredge. I use bone-in pork chops for this recipe, but boneless would work too. Pat the pork chops dry and season (on both sides) with salt and pepper. Dip the pork chops in the egg/cream mixture to coat each side and then place the pork chops in the breading mixture and cover completely.
Picture of the breading setup:
Place the coated pork chops in the heated skillet and sear for 3-4 minutes on each side. Once browned on both sides place the pork chops in an oven safe dish (sprayed with cooking spray) or put the skillet in the oven (if oven proof) and bake for 25 minutes or until the pork chops are at 160 F.
Picture of the seared Low Carb Parmesan Ranch Breaded Pork Chops:
Net Carb Count*:
Pork Chops: 9 net carbs (for two pork chops)
*Note carb counts are estimated based on the products I used. Check nutrition labels for accurate carb counts.
Comments: This recipe is the best substitute for regular breaded pork chops! It’s a good thing I don’t make more than two pork chops or I’d eat them all in one sitting. Turning pork rinds into breading is really easy and it’s a good way to use up those pork rinds that are not as fresh as they were when you first opened the bag. Also, if you want to whip up a large batch the breading mixture freezes very well. Experiment with the seasonings! The pork rinds are a blank canvas for all different kinds of flavors (e.g. garlic powder, Italian seasoning, or taco seasoning). I want to warn you that when searing the pork chops, keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly. For baking, I don’t have an oven proof skillet so I use my Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. I cover my pork chops, but it’s not necessary. Also, if you use boneless pork chops the cooking time will differ so check for them to get to 160 F. The pork chops come out so juicy and the breading is so flavorful. I will be making my pork chops like this all the time! I don’t even miss the old high carb breading.
