Fried pork chops and collard greens are a match made in heaven. Put them both on a buttery, flaky biscuit, and you've got amazing Southern comfort food. Stone ground mustard, a tomato slice and a sunny side up egg finish off this epic brunch recipe.
Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Servings 8Biscuit Sandwiches
Ingredients
Collard Greens
1bunch collard greens
2Tbbacon fat
1yellow onion
2Cchicken stock
½tspsalt
¼tspground black pepper
2Tbapple cider vinegar
Pork Chops
1lbboneless center cut loin chops
½Cpanko bread crumbs
½CItalian seasoned breadcrumbs
1Tbseasoned salt or Cajun seasoning
2egg whites
canola oil
salt and pepper
Garnish
tomato
whole grain mustard
eggs
Instructions
To make collard greens
Begin by removing the leaves from the center stem of the collard greens. See the photo above for a visual reference. As you remove the leaves from the stem, tear the leaves into large or 2 to 3-inch pieces. The greens will shrink down considerably when cooked. Place the torn leaves in a strainer and rinse them well.
Half and then thinly slice the onion. Put a large saucepan or small Dutch oven over medium heat. The Staub Cocotte I've linked to above is such a worthwhile investment for slow cooking like this recipe. Add the bacon fat and allow the fat to become hot.
Once the bacon fat is hot, add the thinly sliced onions and saute for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the rinsed greens and chicken stock and immediately place a lid over the pan to allow the greens to start wilting down. After 2 minutes, remove the lid and stir the greens and onions to combine well.
Season with salt and pepper and place the lid back on the pot. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. After 45 minutes, add the apple cider vinegar and stir to combine. Lid the pot again and allow the greens to simmer for another 15 minutes. Turn the heat down on low to keep the greens warm until ready to serve.
To make pork chops
Cut each pork chop in half to create a more square piece. Using a mallet (like the one I've linked to purchase above), lightly pound each pork chop piece to about ¾-inch thickness. Season both sides of the pork with salt and pepper.
Create a breading station by first adding 2 egg whites to a small mixing bowl and whisking until frothy. Separately mix the panko, breadcrumbs and seasoned salt in a large shallow bowl and set aside.
Bread each pork chop by first dipping each piece into the egg whites. Flip the pork over to make sure all sides are thoroughly coated in egg white. Remove from the egg whites and shake off any excess. Then place the pork chop into the breadcrumbs and press down gently. Repeat on all sides until the pork chop is totally coated.
Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to have ¼-inch across the whole pan. Test to see if the oil is hot by adding a few breadcrumbs to the oil. If the crumbs rise to the top and start to bubble right away, the oil is ready.
Fry the pork chops for 3 minutes per side. Turn down the heat if the breading starts to darken too quickly. Work in batches if necessary to make sure you aren't overcrowding the pan. Once the pork is browned on both sides, remove the chops from the pan and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
To make biscuit sandwich
As I mentioned in the post above, the sunny side up egg is totally optional, but it's a really lovely way to finish your sandwiches. For a sunny side up egg, heat a nonstick pan over medium-low heat and add about 1 Tb of butter per egg. Crack as many eggs as needed into the pan. Season the eggs with salt and pepper to taste.
As the egg white starts to cook, gently move the egg white to expose very small spots of the pan underneath and then allow the uncooked eggs whites to fill the gap. Repeat this process all around the egg white. and cook for a couple of minutes or until the whites are cooked but the yolks are still soft and runny.
Split a biscuit and first smear the bottom half with stone ground mustard. Next place a fried pork chop half and then top with a neat pile of cooked collard greens. Top the greens with a slice of fresh tomato and lastly the sunny side up egg.
Notes
*Here is a link to my Buttermilk Biscuit recipe. Don't be afraid. Making your own biscuits is easier then you think!