I like stuffed pork chops but, it seemed that every time I made them I over-baked them, to the point where they were dry and tough and the stuffing fell out of them while they baked.  I butterfly cut the chops, making a long, deep cut into the meat, which made them easy to stuff but, not very pretty when they made it to the table. 

This recipe calls for piercing a small hole into the side of the pork chops and maneuvering a knife inside of the chops to create a large cavity.  The pork chops were seared on both sides and then baked in the oven, covered, to help keep the meat moist and tender.

Prep time can be reduced, if you are in a hurry, by using prepared breadcrumbs, rather than making them from scratch.

Ingredients:

3 Tbs butter (divided)

2 Tbs olive oil (divided)

French bread (6 inch loaf)

1 green onion, chopped fine

2 tsp dried sage

2 tsp dried thyme

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 thick cut, bone-in, pork chops

Directions:

Cut French bread into ¾” slices

Melt one tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.

Brush bread slices with the melted butter and olive oil.

Toast the bread on a parchment paper lined backing tray in the oven, at 300° F.  Remove when bread has toasted and begins to turn golden brown. 

Allow the toast to air dry for a few minutes.

Crush the toasted bread, to make breadcrumbs.  Combine breadcrumbs with green onion, sage, thyme and egg.  Set stuffing mixture aside.

Insert a small, sharp knife into the center of  the edge of a pork chop (opposite side of the bone.) 

Cut a semicircle through the meaty part of the pork chop, while working the knife back and forth, using the insertion point as the center of the radial cut (see visual aid, below.)  Turn the knife blade to face the opposite direction and make another radial cut, to complete the cavity. 

Remove the knife and pack stuffing into the cavity.  Try to fill the entire cavity with stuffing.  Repeat the process with the remaining pork chops.

Sprinkle salt and cracked, black pepper on both sides of the pork chops.

Preheat oven to 350º F.

On the stove top, bring a large oven-proof skillet to medium/high heat.  Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan.  Once the oil is hot, lay the pork chops in the skillet and sear for three minutes.  Turn the chops over and sear for another two minutes. 

Add dollops of butter to the tops of the pork chops, (about two tablespoons of butter.) 

Cover the skillet with aluminum foil.

Bake the covered pork chops for 30 to 35 minutes in the oven.  Check the internal temperature of the pork chops.  It should reach 145º F.  Remove the skillet from the oven and remove the aluminum foil.  Allow the pork chops to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve the pork chops with anything you like.  Mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, cooked greens, apple sauce or, macaroni and cheese would all make great side dishes. 

I served the pork chops with potatoes au gratin.