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The Lowdown of The Best Fried Pork Chop Recipe
When your mama is from Mississippi, you know a thing or two about fried pork chops. I grew up eating them once a week, and my mama taught me how to fry them right.
I start by tenderizing the chops in buttermilk with a little hot sauce. Finally I dredge in seasoned flour and fry until they get golden and crispy. Once you try this fried pork chops recipe, you will know why the South regards this comfort food with so much respect.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Southern Fried Pork Chops
- Pork chops: I usually grab bone-in about an inch in thickness. That bone is gonna retain juiciness while they fry. I also look for some fat marbling.
- Buttermilk: This liquid helps tenderize and give some tangy flavor to those chops.
- Hot sauce: You gotta add some spice boos!
- Self-rising flour: The leavening creates a lighter crispy coating.
- Seasoned salt: We gotta get these chops well-seasoned so I love using this.
- Black pepper: This balances the salt with some mild heat.
- Ground garlic powder: I like adding a bit more savory flavor to our flour mixture with this.
- Cayenne pepper: I love the extra heat this gives the seasoned flour. Of course you can leave this out if you can’t take the heat.
- Paprika: Grab smoked paprika for this recipe.
- Neutral oil: I use vegetable oil or canola because it doesn’t have a strong flavor profile. It also helps get them golden brown with a crispy crust.
How to Make Fried Pork Chops
Southern Fried Pork Chops Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb bone in pork chops (about 3/4 inch in thickness) patted dry with paper towels
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- 1 1/4 cup self rising flour
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp seasoned salt plus to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper plus to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper can go up to 3/4 tsp if you like a lot of spice
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika can go up to 1 teaspoon
- 2 cups canola oil
Instructions
- Season pork chops with salt and black pepper to taste on both sides.
- Next whisk hot sauce into buttermilk and dip pork chops into buttermilk mixture. Allow to soak for an hour.
- In a large plastic bag, add flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and paprika and mix until combined.
- Put pork chops into seasoned flour and coat really well. If you want super crispy, add back into buttermilk and then back into seasoned flour. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let the chops set for at least 20 minutes with the flour before frying.
- Heat oil over medium high heat of about 350 F.ย ย
- Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes on each side depending on thickness of the chops.ย Make sure your chops are cooked to an internal temperature of 145ยฐF before you serve them up.
- Once fried, remove and add to a wire rack with a paper towel lined baking sheet before it to drain.
- Let the chops rest for 10 minutes to get back juicy them serve them up.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve with Buttermilk Fried Pork Chops
- Weeknight Dinner: Keep it cozy with some succotash, velveeta mac and cheese, garlic bread and an easy lemon loaf.
- Southern Sunday Supper: Get super country by serving this with collard greens or mustard greens, chitterlings, pinto beans and some hot water cornbread and peach cobbler.
Recipe Substitutions
- Pork Chops: While bone-in is my fave to use here, boneless works just fine. Just make sure you don’t overcook since they tend to be dryer.
- Flour: If ya ain’t got self-rising flour, all-purpose is just fine. You can also make your own self-rising flour! For every cup of all-purpose flour needed, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, whisk it up and sub it in.
- Buttermilk: If you ran out of buttermilk, use this sub. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to 2 cups of regular milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it curdles and use it for the marinade.
- Spices: Kosher salt along with additional spices can replace seasoned salt. Regular paprika is just fine to use instead of smoked and you can replace the cayenne with a few red pepper flakes.
- Oil: You just need a neutral oil here so vegetable oil, canola oil or even peanut oil will work. Just don’t use olive oil boos. The flavor is just too strong.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Gluten Free: Replace the self-rising flour with a 1:1 ratio gluten-free flour alternative. The crust might change a little but chops will still be hittin.
- Smother Them Up: After you fry them, create a gravy and make bomb smothered pork chops.
- Stuff Them: Use the stuffing from my crab stuffed salmon and create a incredible remix on the classic.
- Crunch It Up: You can make the crust even crunchier if you add some bread crumbs, panko or even crushed cornflakes to the dry ingredients.
Expert Tips and Tricks for Pan Fried Pork Chops
- Adjust As Needed: The spices in this recipe are like a guideline. You can adjust based on your preferences so it tastes just how you like it.
- Let the Chops Chill: After you bread the pork chops, let them rest for about 20 minutes. It helps the crust stay put when you fry.
- Quick Clean Up: I like to use a large plastic bag to dredge the pork chops in seasoned flour.
- Frying Heat: Make sure the frying oil is around 350ยฐ before you fry them up. If you put them in too early, the skin will be soggy. If the temperature is higher than 375ยฐF, your crust could burn before your chops even cook on the inside.
- Be Safe: Make sure your chops are cooked to an internal temperature of 145ยฐF before you serve them up. Grab the meat thermometer to check.
How to Store Breaded Fried Pork Chops
Make sure they are cooled to room temp then wrap plastic wrap or add to an air-tight container and pop in the fridge.
You can either reheat in the oven or the air fryer (my fave way). Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF and bake up to 15 minutes until heated through.
How long will they last in the fridge?
They will last for up to 4 days.
Can I freeze them?
Absolutely boos. I like adding leftovers to a zip-top resealable bag removing as much as possible. They should last for up to 3 months. When you want to reheat, just thaw in the fridge overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to grab a mallet so I can break down the meat more before marinating and cooking.
You more than likely overcooked them boo. Pork chops definitely vary in thickness, which determines how long it takes to cook them up. Overcooking happens quicker than you think y’all. A well done pork chop is fully cooked when it reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yep boos! You can. Make sure it cools down completely then strain with a sieve and store in an airtight container in a cool place.
Hello, I am loving your recipes! Thank you for sharing
Do we have to use self rising flour? Or can it be replaced with all purpose flour?
You can replace with all purpose if you need to.
Can I use regular milk if I donโt have buttermilk?
Yes you can.
Absolutely delicious!!!!! Tried this recipe because I was bored with plain old regular pork chops and I will definitely be making them again. My extremely picky hubby and 7 year old ate every bite.
Jocelyn, You are sooo bad – and thank you for it!
One of my family’s new favorite dishes! Usually, when I find a recipe online, I have to tweak it the next time I cook it, to make it just right. Not this recipe! It is perfect exactly the way it is!
I’m so so glad you enjoyed this!
I used Tapatio. Best pork chops I’ve ever had. Definitely making again. My boyfriend them and I can’t get enough.
My son-in-law ate so many pork chops as a child , he swore he wouldn’t ever eat another chop. I came across this recipe and prepared them as you directed. To My Surprise and my daughters’~ he loved them and now says “are they the ones you make off that website!?” Thank you for this fabulous recipe, we all love these pork chops.
What hot sauce did you use?
i tried this recipe last night and i loved it. My husband loved it. We will definitely be using your recipes again.
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it.
Omg these pork chops are so good!! I have never really been a big chef I can cook but not a wide variety of things.. but I saw your recipe for these and thought they looked amazing so I gave it a try and I have to say with a boyfriend and two year old daughter who both are very picky eaters they didn’t have anything left on their plate haha it was definitely a success thank you for sharing
Delicious!!!! I might try adding egg to the wash. Some of my batter fell off in cast iron skillet. This will definitely join our dinner rotation. Thank you for sharing!!!
Hooray so glad you enjoyed it. Make sure to let your pork chops set before frying too so the batter adheres really well.