For Ultra-Crispy Fried Pork Chops, Grab A Box Of Cornflakes

Cornflakes may be a cereal, but only eating them for breakfast is a major missed opportunity.  Although there are some myths about their invention, they've been a morning staple since they were first created in 1894. Like many foods, this crunchy cereal has transcended its original purpose and made its way into the rest of our meals. Cornflakes are an especially great way to ramp up the crunch factor on fried meats, so the next time you want to fry up some juicy pork chops, bust out the cereal box.      

Breadcrumbs work just fine for breading and frying meats, but they tend to be a bit boring. When you use cornflakes as a breading for pork chops, you get a crunchier texture than you'd get from plain old breadcrumbs. They also add a delicate corn flavor that pairs great with pork. 

It's super easy to use cornflakes as a breading — all you've got to do is put them into a zipper-seal plastic bag, squeeze the air out before you zip it closed, then run a rolling pin back and forth over the bag until the cereal is crushed to the texture you want. From there, you bread the pork chops just like you would if you were using plain old breadcrumbs. If you want to add a spicy kick, mix in something like cayenne pepper. Pan-fry them or bake them until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, and you're ready to eat. 

You can use either boneless or bone-in pork chops for this meal, and if you are cooking them for lunch, try pairing them with a flavorful French onion pasta salad or a creamy potato salad. If you're planning a pork chop dinner, you've got tons of side dish options. Baked potatoes, roasted vegetables, macaroni and cheese, rice pilaf, or an old-school scalloped corn would all work well.

If you have leftover pork chops, they are easy to reheat — which means you might want to make extras so you can save time on another meal later in the week. To reheat them, you'll want to pop them in the oven to warm up. Just heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, put the chops on a lined baking sheet, and give them about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness. You can also reheat them on the stovetop by heating a lightly oiled pan and re-frying the pork chops for a few minutes on each side.