BAKED BREADED PORK CHOPS

We don't have pork chops often, but today they looked good in the store, so I bought some. I felt adventuresome, so I experimented. I wanted to bread the pork chops and bake them in the oven, and I wanted some good flavor. In my pantry was a box of Lipton Garlic Mushroom Soup Mix, and I decided to use it. After baking the pork chops for 20 minutes, I added liquid, recovered and baked for another 20 minutes. The flavor of these chops was great, but the added liquid softened the breading. If I make them again, I will just bake them straight through for about 35 minutes and we can always pour a gravy over them if we want. I think they would taste better with a crispy crust and that's the only way to get it. I purposely used part panko in the breadcrumb mixture to get a crispy crust, and then lost it when I added the liquid. They were still delicious and we enjoyed them -- live and learn. If you have mushrooms on hand, they would really be nice added to the gravy or to the pork chops while they bake. I didn't have any except for a few dried ones in the mix. I meant to take a photo, but when the chops got done I was tired and hungry and just completely forgot. Halfway through the chop I remembered, but the plate didn't look as appetizing then, so I decided to let it go. Here's the recipe:

Baked Breaded Pork Chops

2 center-cut thick pork chops
4 tsp. Lipton Garlic Mushroom soup mix (try to keep big pieces of mushrooms out)
1/2 cup biscuit mix or all-purpose flour
1 medium or large egg mixed with 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
1/4 cup Seasoned Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
optional: sliced fresh mushrooms
optional gravy: 1/2 cup water mixed with 1 Tbsp. soup mix

Rinse chops. Pat dry with paper towel. Spread 1 tsp. soup mix on each side of chops. Press the mix onto the chops with your fingers. Dredge chops in biscuit mix or flour, shaking off excess. Dip chops into beaten egg & liquid, then into the breadcrumbs and cheese that have been mixed together. (If you don't have Panko, then just use all Italian bread crumbs mixed with the Parmesan Cheese. You can buy the crumbs with the cheese already in them, but I just like adding my own.) Put 4 Tbsp. oil in large fry pan and heat to medium-high. Add chops and brown about 5 minutes on each side. Check carefully for smoke -- do not burn chops. (If you are adding the mushrooms, put them in the pan with the chops so they can give off their liquid. Otherwise, if you add them to the baking pan, the liquid from the mushrooms will soften the breading.) Put chops in baking dish (for 2 chops, I used a 10-inch deep dish pie plate) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake in oven, covered with tinfoil, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers about 155 degrees. Let chops sit on counter in pan for 5-10 minutes to continue cooking while you get the rest of the dinner ready. When you put chops in oven, prepare optional gravy if desired: Mix water and soup mix in 1 quart pot and cook at a low boil for the time chops cook. If desired, add sliced mushrooms to gravy. Yield: 2 servings
For 4 servings, double everything except the egg/liquid mixture.