Finding new ways to cook pork chops can help you break out of a rut when it comes to weeknight dinners. Pork chops are a healthy and affordable way to feed a family, but they’re easy to get bored with when you don’t mix up the seasonings and cooking methods. Skip the frying pan or baking dish and reach for the air fryer instead. You can cook breaded or bare seasoned pork chops with the same great results and only slight changes to the process. The results will wow even the picky eaters at your table.
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What are the Best Pork Chops for the Air Fryer?
Rather than thin or thick pork chops, look for medium thick cuts that are between ½ and 3/4th of an inch. These chops will cook quickly and evenly but won’t dry out in the process. Boneless chops will cook more evenly than bone-in ones, especially if you’re breading the meat. Sirloin chops are a good choice because of the mixture of fat and darker meat that stays tender during the frying process. Center-cut loin chops also taste great whether bare or breaded when cooked this way. Rib chops can work well, but consider trimming the bone out before cooking.
Tips For The Best Air Fryer Pork Chops
When learning how to cook pork chops in an air fryer, you’ll need to adjust the recipe you use to your specific device. Not all air fryers use the same kind of air circulation or heating controls. If you’re using an appliance that doesn’t have specific temperature controls, consider using an oven thermometer inside it to figure out what setting corresponds to which temperature point. Don’t put more than one or two pork chops in the air fryer at a time so they get plenty of air circulating around them. Be prepared to flip the chops at least once while they’re cooking to get even browning and searing on both sides.
Seasoning Rub for Air Fryer Pork Chops
Breading and seasoning mixes are great, but you only need a few ingredients to make your own rub that goes great with the air frying process. This rub will mix with the natural juices from the meat to create a flavorful glaze on the surface. Start the mix with some brown sugar or cane sugar to give a mild sweetness to the mix. Add in ingredients like fresh rosemary, dried thyme, and ground mustard powder to build a flavor profile. Onion powder and garlic powder work great for a rub like this and won’t darken too much during the cooking process compared to minced fresh ingredients. Add about 1.5 teaspoons of salt to the rub per pound of pork chops unless you brined or marinated the meat. Don’t forget to rub the pork chops down with olive oil first so the meat stays juicy and the rub clings to the surface of the chop. These rubs also work great for pork steaks.
Breading Pork Chops for the Air Fryer
For a crispy dinner treat, bread the pork chops with breadcrumbs before crisping them in the air fryer. Mix panko bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, black pepper, chili powder, and salt to make a tasty breading. Dip the pork chops in beaten egg first, then roll them in the seasoned crumbs. Only bread the pork chop you’re about to cook. Wait until the current chop is done and out of the fryer before breading the next one or the coating is likely to slide off while the meat is cooking. Take care when flipping the pork chop so the breading isn’t disturbed.
Recipe Variations
Try different rubs to give the pork chops a twist without altering the cooking process. Cajun seasoning adds a punch of spice to the meat, while chicken or fish coatings can pull double duty as a breading for pork chops as well. If you want to serve the air fryer chops with a sauce, wait to add it to the dish until the meat is cooked and out of the fryer. These appliances don’t do well with excessive juices or sauces added to the mixture, so you’ll get better results from adding them at the end.
Easy Air Fryer Pork Chops Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless or bone-in pork chops, about 3/4th of an inch thick
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4th cup olive oil
Instructions
1. Take the pork chops out of the refrigerator and let them come up to room temperature. This should take around 10 to 15 minutes. Pat the surface dry with a paper towel.
2. Rub the pork chops with olive oil. Mix the rub together in a separate bowl, then sprinkle it over the pork chops. Rub the seasoning into the surface until each chop has a thick coating of it.
3. Bring the air fryer up to temperature at 400 degrees. Place one or two pork chops in the frying chamber. Make sure there’s at least ½ inch of space between them. Fry for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pork chops are 140 degrees F inside. Flip at least once for even cooking.
Notes
Pork chops need to reach 145 degrees F for food safety reasons, but they will rise another 5 degrees after being removed from the air fryer.
Conclusion
Put your new air fryer to good use whipping up some delicious and juicy pork chops. You can find the best cuts of pork here at Chicago Steak Company for any cooking method, including this one.
Easy Air Fryer Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 boneless or bone-in pork chops, about 3/4 of an inch thick
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Take the pork chops out of the refrigerator and let them come up to room temperature. This should take around 10 to 15 minutes. Pat the surface dry with a paper towel.
- Rub the pork chops with olive oil. Mix the rub together in a separate bowl, then sprinkle it over the pork chops. Rub the seasoning into the surface until each chop has a thick coating of it.
- Bring the air fryer up to temperature at 400 degrees. Place one or two pork chops in the frying chamber. Make sure there’s at least ½ inch of space between them.
- Fry for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pork chops are 140 degrees F inside. Flip at least once for even cooking.