Mustard-Maple Glazed Pork Chops

While the memories of our wonderful week in Maui are still with me, the relaxation part is beginning to fade. Work has been busy, as high school graduation is just three months away. There is a lot to be done, before we begin to shut down the school for our summer break.

That means that I'm back to thinking of quick and easy dinners.   A friend of mine told me that she made my "Man-Pleasing Chicken" (super easy and always a hit).  So, I got to thinking-- what if I picked up some fresh pork chops and used the same sauce?


These are boneless pork chops.  I like to cut shallow "slits" along the side, which prevents the chops from buckling.   Using an oven-proof skillet, I put a little bit of olive oil in a non-stick pan.  The chops were patted dry, then seasoned with kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper.  On medium-high heat, I seared them until lightly golden brown-- about 3 minutes. (The oven was preheating to 425F.)

In the meantime, I mixed equal parts Dijon mustard (not yellow) and pure Maple Syrup (not pancake syrup).  I then added about two tablespoons of unseasoned Rice Vinegar.  I decided to add a fourth ingredient-- low-salt chicken broth-- because I wanted a little extra sauce that would be a little bit thinner. TASTING NOTES: At first, I thought the Dijon mustard had a bit of a bite.  So, I added an extra "glug" of Maple Syrup.

After flipping over the chops, I turned off the heat, and poured the mustard-maple sauce all over the chops.  Last, I sprinkled some fresh chopped rosemary (you could use thyme or skip the herbs altogether). The skillet went into the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

If these were thicker chops, I'd bake them for about 25 minutes. Look at that sauce! It became very thick.

I removed the chops onto a plate, and covered them with foil.

I used a little bit of chicken broth to thin the sauce out a little bit-- just under 1/4 cup, I would say.

As a side-dish, I pressure-cooked some Yukon Gold potatoes that I then baked, per one of my first posts (with my old point-and-shoot camera) for Crash Potatoes.   The whole meat took, start to finish-- 45 minutes.

TASTING NOTES:  Remember how I said I thought the Dijon mustard had a bit of a bite? Once the sauce reduced, the mustard became milder.  Next time, I won't add that extra maple syrup.  The end result was a sweet and savory glaze.  This reminds me of the  Cider Glazed Boneless Pork Loin Chops that I've made a few times.  Only, this is much easier. Could you skip searing the chops, and just pour sauce on the raw pork chops? Yes, I think you could. It would save about four minutes.  I'll stick to searing first, because that's how I usually roll with a frying pan. 

So, there you have it. "Man-Pleasing Chicken" morphs into Family Pleasing Pork. Here's the recipe:

Enjoy,