Thick cut butterflied pork loin chops (hereinafter chops) were a great price at the local market. I entered the store with a weekly menu for which I needed about 10 items, then the menu quickly changed when these nice chops presented themselves in the cooler. Seriously 2 huge chops for $6. Yes!!

My foodie husband is of Italian heritage with a couple of generations in Puerto Rico, and I knew this warm spicy dish would appeal to his spice loving palate. Along with being delicious, a bonus is that this dish uses one skillet and includes vegetables, carbs and proteins in one fail swoop. These chops were pretty big, so I used the larger skillet. If your chops are a bit smaller, you could use the Dutch oven or a smaller skillet. The trick is to allow enough room for the rice to expand as it cooks.

To make these spicy chops (4 servings) you will need the following~

Iron skillet or Dutch oven (preferably with a lid)

Aluminum foil if your skillet doesn’t have a lid

2 tablespoons Olive oil, divided

4 pork loin chops or 2 butterflied pork loin chops

1 onion, rough diced

1 green bell pepper, rough diced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 can diced tomatoes (mine included garlic and basil) or for a little different flavor you could use 1 can of Rotel.

3/4 cup of rice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups water

Additional Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

I began by rinsing the chops, patting dry, and rubbing in a little salt and pepper on both sides. Then add a tablespoon of olive oil to an iron skillet and sear the chops for about 3 minutes on each side. This will help seal in the juices while they cook. Rather than searing, its more like sealing, because I don’t want them to get very well cooked prior to going in the oven or they will be overcooked.

Remove the chops from the skillet and set aside. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté until the onions are slightly transparent.

Then, add the chili powder, turmeric, salt and pepper and stir. I like the heat from the pan to wake up the spices for a half a minute. Remove from heat.

Add garlic, can of diced tomatoes or Rotel, rice and water to the skillet. Stir well.

Return the chops to the pan and push them down into the rice mixture so that they are not covered but well tucked in.

Cover the skillet/Dutch oven and place it in the oven for 30 minutes. Check for an internal temperature of 165 degrees on the chop and that the rice is tender.

If you would like the chops to have a little more color on top, you may want to run the skillet under the broiler uncovered for about 3-5 minutes. Watch them carefully!

Check to see if additional salt or pepper is needed. I have a tendency to under salt and usually provide additional salt at the table.

You can serve this dish straight out of the skillet or dutch oven if desired. We do! Colorful and flavorful!

Don’t you just love the versatility of iron? Stove top to oven to table. Hope you enjoy this one skillet main dish.

As always….Buon Appetito!

Kim Orsini

Iron Maiden – Black Skillet Cooking