Skillet Pork Chops with Tikka Twist Pan Sauce
Seared pork chops with a five minute pan sauce built in the same skillet. The blend goes into the broth, not the hot pan, so it turns savory and glossy instead of bitter.
Photography is illustrative. Every recipe is tested.
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick (6 to 8 oz each)
- 2 teaspoons Tikka Twist Signature Blend, Mild or Hot
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado or canola
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- Kosher salt and black pepper, go light on the salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
Contains: Soy, Wheat.
Using the blend
2 teaspoons
Whisk the 2 teaspoons into the cold broth before anything goes in the pan. The blend carries tomato powder, soy sauce powder and crystallized lime, and all three scorch within seconds on dry metal. Dissolved in liquid they bloom slowly and thicken the sauce.
Method
- 01
Pat the chops completely dry on both sides. Season lightly with salt and pepper, keeping the salt sparing because the blend in the sauce is already salted. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while you prep. A dry, tempered chop browns instead of steaming.
- 02
In a measuring cup, whisk 2 teaspoons Tikka Twist Signature Blend into the 3/4 cup chicken broth until no lumps remain. Set it next to the stove. This is your entire sauce base.
- 03
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet, cast iron or stainless, over medium-high until it shimmers. Use a 12 inch skillet and sear in two batches if the chops touch, because crowded chops steam instead of browning and you need those browned bits for the sauce. Sear 3 to 4 minutes on the first side and 2 to 3 on the second, checking early, until deeply golden and an instant-read thermometer reads 140F at the thickest point, away from the bone.
- 04
Move the chops to a plate and tent with foil. Rest at least 3 minutes. USDA guidance for whole-muscle pork is 145F followed by a 3 minute rest, which leaves the centre faintly pink and juicy.
- 05
Turn the heat down to low. The pan is still fiercely hot from the sear, and a hot dry pan burns the shallot and the fond in under a minute. Add the shallot and cook 1 minute, just until soft.
- 06
Pour in the blend and broth mixture, scraping the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Bring it to a brisk simmer over medium, since the blend is dissolved in liquid now and safe from scorching. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes until it reduces by about half and coats the back of the spoon.
- 07
Take the pan off the heat. Whisk in the cream, honey, cold butter and lime juice until the sauce is smooth and slightly thick. Taste it now and add salt only if it truly needs it.
- 08
Return the chops and any juices from the plate to the pan, spoon the sauce over the top, and scatter with cilantro.