I love pork chops, but every now and then I get tired of having them grilled with different spices. This recipe provides a twist to the traditional porky preparation by bringing some Southern soul to your skillet. It’s incredibly quick and the pan sauce couldn’t be any easier to prepare, so long as you use a light flouring on your chops before you do your initial searing of the pork. I guarantee you have almost all of the ingredients you need to pull off this meal sitting in your house and you can get this piggy to the plate in under 30 minutes.

Depending on the size of your chops, one is probably more than enough with a nicely portioned side. The recipe that follows should feed two.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Celery salt
• 2 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Preparation
1. Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, lemon pepper, celery salt and pepper. Mix the seasonings into the flour to even out the mix. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

2. Heat a large pan over high heat and then coat with two turns of olive oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.

3. Remove the pork chops from the pan and set aside.

4. Add about two large pinches of the remaining seasoned flour to the pan drippings. With a wooden spoon, mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and add a tablespoon of mustard (I used French’s Spicy Brown for this recipe). Mix the mustard quickly into the roux and add chicken broth.

5. Let the sauce cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken. Once the sauce begins to take on a thicker consistency, return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

It’s a great, quick meal. Serve with a side of potatoes or a long-grained wild rice.