Walnut, Sage, And Pretzel Crusted Pork Chops

These Pork Chops are all the fall vibes.. They are so delicious and easy to make.

Crushed pretzels paired with dijon mustard, walnuts and sage make for the perfect fall inspired pork chop dinner. They are great for a any week night of the week and will be on your table in about 30 minutes.

When the cooler air starts to set in here I love pulling out all of my fall and winter time recipes. I am so excited to share with recipe with all of you. I created this recipe about 15 years ago. I don’t eat a lot of pork products (except bacon or sausage:-)…) and I just got in a rut with pork chops one day and this recipe was born. I have to say that this on one of a few of our favorite pork recipes. I usually pair it with fall sides like cranberry sauce, steam veggies, and my green chili mac and cheese but… it goes well with what ever you pair it with. So let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 – 2 cups Pretzels ( I use salted pretzel rods)
2/3 cup Walnuts
1 tsp Ground Sage
1 pkg Pork Chops ( I like boneless pork chops)
Salt and Pepper – to taste
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
Olive Oil Spray ( optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400*.
2. In a food processor combine the pretzels, walnuts, sage, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Blend until crumbly. You will have a mixture of pretzel pieces and a more powdery mixture. That is ok and it will help coat the pork chops later. Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl and set aside for now.
3. Season the pork chops lightly with salt and a little bit of pepper on both sides. You don’t want to over salt the meat because the pretzels are quite salty.
4. Brush the pork chops on both sides liberally with the dijon mustard. This is what the pretzel mixture will stick to.
5. Press the pork chops into the pretzel mixture and make sure they are will coated with the pretzel mixture. Place on a lined tray. At this point you can lightly spray the tops of the pork chops with oil spray if you want.
6. Bake at 400* for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 145 to 150 degrees. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

• If you are using thinly sliced pork chops I would check them around the 15 to 20 minute mark so they do not over cook and become dry. The internal temp should say 145 to 150*.
• Let the pork chops rest before serving so the meat has time to retain the moisture and it will stay tender.
• If you do not like or are allergic to nuts please omit them. You can sub out the nuts for sunflower seeds if you prefer.
• You can also use unsalted pretzels if you prefer as well.
• I like to bake these chops because I find that not only is it healthier but it stay a bit more crunchy. If you want to fry these I would recommend doing a shallow fry and letting them drain. I would mind the temp because the outside will burn before the inside gets done if the oil is to hot.
• You can sub out the dijon mustard for honey mustard as well OR maybe a spicy brown mustard.