Sweet and sour pork chops cooked with peppers and pineapple in a simple from-scratch sauce and baked in the oven for perfectly juicy chops!
Preparation for this recipe takes 10 minutes and cooking time right around 30 minutes, making this dish a superb and easy midweek meal.
Sweet and Sour Chops
To say that I am fond of Chinese takeaway-inspired sweet and sour recipes is a bit of an understatement!
Growing up sweet and sour chicken balls or sweet and sour pork balls, were my takeaway of choice when we were treated to a takeaway.
These sweet and sour pork chops play with similar ideas but include a darker, richer and more “grown-up” sweet and sour sauce.
It’s supremely simple and it is similar to the one that I use in both my sweet and sour tofu and sweet and sour pork tenderloin recipes.
I pair the thick-cut pork chops, similar to the ones that I use for my Normandy pork chops recipe, adobo pork chops and brown sugar pork chops, with sweet peppers, and onions. Then I add a pineapple ring for the ultimate retro experience!
It is baked in the oven and the whole thing is done and dusted in right around 40 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What sort of pork chops should I use?
I usually use thick-cut, centre loin chops for this recipe because they have a good balance between flavour and tenderness.
You want them to be around 25mm or 1″ thick. I usually French trim mine by scraping away the fatty meat from the rib bone at the end, this is optional.
How do I stop pork chops drying out?
This is usually an issue when you use pork chops that are too thin and then over-cook them
Buy thick-cut pork chops from a butcher and then get yourself a meat thermometer. You are looking for an internal temperature of around 63°C or 145°F.
Can I use fresh pineapple?
You can, although I usually used tinned. I do this because a whole pineapple is a challenge to use up when cooking for two.
Be sure to buy tinned pineapple in juice rather than syrup and you can use it for the pineapple juice in the sauce.
If you have any pineapple leftover, how about trying my gloriously retro pineapple chicken curry?
What is Chinkiang vinegar?
Chinkiang vinegar is black rice vinegar, I use it in a lot of my Chinese inspired recipes, so don’t worry about only using it once!
You can substitute it for any rice vinegar, although you will lose some of the complex flavours that it brings to a recipe.
Serving Suggestions
If you are ok with a lighter meal then these sweet and sour pork chops are the perfect dish for you.
However, they can be bulked out really simply, if you have planned in advance then some egg fried rice is a great option. But some steamed or boiled plain rice works equally well.
I am particularly fond of serving this Anglo-Chinese version of a takeaway with some form of potato. The sweet and sour sauce is awesome with salty potatoes.
It is particularly good with chip shop style chips, sans the salt and vinegar of course, but it is also great with my fried new potatoes.
Noodles make another great side for this recipe, something like this plain chow mein would be ideal.
Equipment Used
I only recommend specific brands of equipment if I think that it will make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- 28cm or 11″ heavy-based pan or cast iron skillet.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Sharp kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Oven.
- Mixing bowl.
- Whisk.
- Quick read meat thermometer (optional).
Sweet and Sour Pork Chops Recipe
These sweet and sour pork chops make for the perfect midweek meal, loads of flavour a superb 'from scratch' sauce and lots of veggies!
Ingredients
- 2 Thick Cut Pork Chops
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 150g (1 Cup) Onion
- 100g (1 Cup) Carrot
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 2 Pineapple Rings
For the Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Ketchup
- 1 Tbsp Chinkiang Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Pineapple Juice
- 50ml (3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Water
- 1 Tbsp Cornflour
Instructions
- Heat an oven to 220°C or 425°F with a cast iron skillet. If you are not using a cast iron pan, do not place it in the oven and heat the pan over a medium-high heat and then sear the pork on one side before transferring to the oven.
- Deseed and slice the peppers into strips around 1cm (~½") thick.
- Peel, top and tail the onion, then cut into 8 wedges.
- Cut the carrot into thin strips 3-5mm (~¼") thick, then into lengths around 4-5 cm long.
- Season the pork chops with salt.
- By now the oven and the pan should be hot, add the cooking oil and then sear the pork chops on one side for 2-3 minutes, then flip and return the pan with the pork chops to the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
- Whilst the meat is cooking whisk together all of the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce.
- After 10 minutes remove the pan from the oven and set the pork chops aside, throw the vegetables into the hot pan and stir, then place the pork chops on top of the vegetables.
- Place a pineapple ring on top of each pork chop then pour over the sauce and return to the oven and cook for 10 more minutes or until the thickest part of the pork reaches 63°C or 145°F.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 591Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 1307mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 5gSugar: 32gProtein: 45g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Kathy
Sunday 31st of December 2023
Still in the oven. Smells good, but I'm not sure if I missed something in the recipe. I only seared the chops in the hot pot, perhaps I should have heated my burner to high before taking the chops out of the oven??. I have an older glass top so takes a while to heat. Followed the rest as advised (except for pineapple pieces that needed to be used). After 10 minutes was not at 120 degrees yet. Added another 10 minutes. Was at temperature, but meat was a little tough. It was frozen from a local butcher, between 3/4 and 1 inch thick. I'll try it again tweaking a bit.
Brian Jones
Sunday 31st of December 2023
Hi Kathy...
Thanks for your feedback, I've tweaked my instructions a little to hopefully make things a little clearer, the pork should cook for 20 minutes in total with a sear in a hot pan to get things moving.
Brian
Amanda
Thursday 7th of March 2019
This sauce looks INCREDIBLE. I will be making this soon!
Brian Jones
Thursday 7th of March 2019
It is rather good... Enjoy:)
Beth Neels
Wednesday 6th of March 2019
That sauce looks simply amazing! Thick and sticky! This is such a great idea! I love that it a baked dish as well! Makes it so easy!
Brian Jones
Thursday 7th of March 2019
It's certainly super simple.
Ramona
Wednesday 6th of March 2019
This looks absolutely incredible Brian. I love the pineapple addition - mmmm - I cannot wait to try it.
Brian Jones
Thursday 7th of March 2019
Thank you :)
Julie Wunder
Wednesday 6th of March 2019
Those pineapple slices on this look DREAMY!!! Love the rich color of the sauce too.
Brian Jones
Thursday 7th of March 2019
Thanks Julie