Oven-Baked Pork Chops

Do you ever use Shake ‘n Bake, the coating for pork and chicken that you shake-up in a bag? I remember watching my mom use it and thinking shaking the food in a bag was so cool! And during my first marriage I used it all of the time, mainly for the convenience and quickness. I could have dinner for a family of five ready in just 20 to 30 minutes!

I haven’t used this product in a few years. Instead I’ve moved to an easy marinade I created. However, I thought of it the other day when I had some pork chops I needed to use and I wanted to do something different.

A recipe in The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook for oven-fried pork chops caught my attention. However, I wasn’t taken with the Asian flavor combinations, and I knew my husband, Michael, wouldn’t go for it either. So I decided to create my own recipe.

These pork chops were delicious—moist, tender, and flavorful. And Michael loved them, too!

Oven-Baked Pork Chops

Serves 4

4 boneless center-cut loin pork chops about 1/2-inch thick
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Juice of one large lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
5 tablespoons Italian breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a rack onto a sided cookie sheet or shallow roasting pan and coat well with oil or non-stick cooking spray. [I also baked these just on a cookie sheet, and they tasted great, but they will be crispier baked on a rack.]

Combine the egg white, lemon juice, salt, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. Whisk well to combine. In a second shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, sage and pepper.

Dip each pork chop into the egg white mixture, and then dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on the baking rack. Bake for 20 minutes, turn over and bake an additional 20 minutes.

FYI: Yes it’s Friday, which is usually when I post this week’s selection from the Gourmet Live 50 Women Game-Changers along with a group of fellow food bloggers. Unfortunately my schedule this week didn’t allow me to join in on the salute to Spanish chef Elena Arzak, but many of my compatriots did! Be sure to check out what they created:

Val - More Than Burnt Toast

Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia -A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie -Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green
Jeanette - Healthy Living
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Nancy - Picadillo
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Claudia – Journey of An Italian Cook
Alyce – More Time at the Table
Amrita – Beetle’s Kitchen Escapades