These pork chops take about 15 minutes to make and come out of the air fryer moist, tender, and delicious. Although the sauce isn't necessary--the chops are good enough "as is"--the sauce does add a special touch and takes only a few minutes to prepare. You probably have the ingredients for the sauce in your kitchen, and, together, the ingredients form a piquant red sauce--similar to barbecue sauce, but not quite--that complements the pork. I usually rub the spice mixture into the chops early in the day and let them sit in the refrigerator until dinner time. The refrigeration time with the spice mixture helps tenderize the pork and gives the pork chops better flavor. If you can't do the refrigeration time (i.e., you have to get dinner on the table fast), don't worry about it. Just rub in the seasoning and continue with the recipe. It will be good! This is a "comfort food" recipe, and I usually serve the pork chops with mashed potatoes, polenta (ahem! corn meal mush!), rice, or noodles as well as a vegetable and/or salad. Enjoy!
Quick Air Fryer Pork Chops With Red Sauce -- Serves 4
4 boneless pork chops, about an inch thick
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of olive or canola oil
Cut a small piece of aluminum foil to fit the bottom of your air fryer basket and an inch or two up the sides. Spritz the foil well with non-stick cooking spray. Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and place them on the foil. In a cup or small bowl mix together the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, coriander, and paprika. Sprinkle half the mixture over the tops of the pork chops and rub it in a little with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Drizzle half of the oil over the chops. Flip the chops over and sprinkle the remainder of the spice mixture over them. Rub the spice mixture into the chops with your fingers or back of a spoon. Drizzle the chops with the remaining oil. You can cover the chops and refrigerate them or cook them immediately. When you are ready to cook, spritz the tops of the chops with a little non-stick cooking spray, put them into your air fryer basket (with the aluminum foil), and air fry the chops for about six minutes at 400 degrees. Flip the chops over and cook them for another six or seven minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 140-145 degrees. Remove the chops from the air fryer (using the foil as a sling) and cover them with foil to keep them warm. Let the chops sit for five minutes. Serve the chops plain or topped with the following sauce.
Red Sauce
1/4 cup of chopped onion
2 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of ketchup (yes! ketchup!)
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of minced dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon of sweet paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
In a medium bowl or measure combine the onion and water and microwave them for a minute and a half or until the onion softens. Stir in the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley, and paprika. Microwave the mixture for a minute and stir it well. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper if you'd like. Microwave the mixture for another 15-30 seconds and stir it again. Serve the red sauce on top of the pork chops.
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