This Quick and Easy Asian Pork Chops recipe has been in the family for years. My great grandmother made up the method and taught it to my mom, who taught Sarah and me how to make it.
Tried and true, Asian Pork Chops are an easy 30-minute meal great for weeknights and lazy meals when you want something packed with flavor without too much effort.
Check out more Quick & Easy Recipes here!
Note: This Asian Pork Chop recipe was originally published in January 2014. Our older recipes are some of our family’s favorites, so we have updated this recipe with new photos and stories!
Asian Pork Chops: Family Origins
Growing up, my parents both worked full-time jobs with long commutes, and I’m honestly not sure how they pulled it off most of the time.
Come to think of it, I guess Sarah and I were pretty independent kids. Out of practicality and my mother’s no-fuss parenting approach, we started making our school lunches pretty young—as much out of a certain pickiness as budding cooks (getting the right ham to cheese ratio on a brown bag sandwich was important) as it was from my mom’s lack of time.
So when my mom came home after a long day of work and still needed to put a full meal on the table, these Quick and Easy Asian Pork Chops were a regular in her rotation. And not once when these pork chops showed up on the table did anyone complain, because not only were they fast, they were tender and delicious.
Making an Asian Pork Chop Dinner in 30 Minutes
Here are a few tips to pull off a successful 30-minute Asian Pork Chop dinner:
- Center cut, bone-in pork chops are key, as they have the right amount of fat. The fact that they’re on the bone also means they don’t dry out as quickly when cooked.
- As for the marinade, it’s easily made with a pretty average set of Asian pantry items. Just make sure to get the pork chops marinating right away, because they only need 20 minutes, and you can assemble the rest of your dinner in that time!
- While the pork chops are marinating, make your rice and wash your veggies. Then, cook the pork chops on a super hot skillet until they’re cooked through, transfer them to a plate to rest, cook your veggies in the same pan, and bam, dinner is on the table. The veggies soak up all the yummy extra flavor and saves you an extra pan to wash.
So weekday warriors, please enjoy this recipe! I have a feeling Asian Pork Chops will be on the menu for many weekdays to come.
Asian Pork Chops: The Recipe
Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a shallow dish, including 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder, and 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine.
Marinate the pork chops in this mixture for 20 minutes to an hour. Not too long, or they may become too salty!
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet or frying pan over high heat.
Sear the pork chops on one side for 1 minute (discard any leftover marinade).
Turn the heat down to medium-high and continue to cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through but juicy.
Allow the seared pork chops to rest for a few minutes before cutting them. Set them aside on a plate.
While the pork chops are resting, you can grab any leafy green vegetables of choice and saute them (maybe with a little garlic and extra oil if you need it) in the same pan you cooked the pork chops in.
Season to taste with salt, grab some steamed rice, and voila! Dinner is served!
Quick and Easy Asian Seared Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (preferably low sodium)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 center cut pork chops (about 1-inch thick, 10-12 ounces/280-340g)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients from the soy sauce to the wine in a shallow dish. Marinate the pork chops in this mixture for 20 minutes to an hour.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Sear the pork chops on both sides until cooked through (you can discard any leftover marinade). It should take 5 minutes per side for 1-inch thick pork chops, as long as they were at room temperature when you started cooking them.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!
My family uses a similar marinade, no measurements of course, but sometimes my own versions go a little off the rails (too much white pepper, too many add-ins, etc.). I like to use this recipe when I need to “reset” my ingredients and ratios for my soy marinade.
I do the same thing. I usually like to put a little bit of curry powder in the marinade too :-)
I’ll have to try curry powder!! Thanks, Judy!
Hi there! Is there any way I can use air fryer for this recipe?
I think it will dry out the meat, Tiff.
No flavour and very dry don’t try
Hi Annie, they are very flavorful. What brand of soy sauce did you use?
Loved it. It was a good change from our usual marinade. Thank you
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, Sakura :-)
Pork chops were on sale at the local supermarket so I decided to give this recipe a try. I used to love to go to the Chinese restaurants for pai guo fan, but I am gluten sensitive and allergic to soy, so that is out of the question. Found a soy free “soy” sauce so I”ve be cooking a lot of Chinese food lately. The marinade kept the pork chops juicy and tender. I will definitely cook this one again!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Tasty & easy. Happy Chinese family members (a demanding jury and the key metric)!
How great is that!
Too salty.. I think only need to leave it in maybe 10-15 mins. Maybe 20 mins is too long. And probably best to put down size or weight of pork-chop as some can be much smaller than others. This way the recipes is clearer for beginner cooks. But I normally love all your recipes.
Please do adjust the recipe to your own taste, Celia.