Pan-Seared Pork Chop with Orange, Extremely Tender. This main dish combines the tenderness of pork chops with a sweet and sour, velvety, and fragrant sauce made from fresh oranges. It is an easy and quick way to bring a touch of elegance to the table! It’s a perfect dish for the winter season.
As the days get shorter and winter sets in, our kitchen is filled with the comforting aroma of citrus fruits.
This recipe for Pan-Seared Pork Chop with Orange, Extremely Tender is the perfect balance between savoriness and sweetness: the tender meat pairs with a velvety and bright sauce reminiscent of Mediterranean flavors.
It’s the ideal dish for an elegant yet extremely easy dinner to prepare, which will surprise your guests with its unexpected freshness!
If you want to use pork, you can replace it with Chicken Breast or Turkey or with veal slices.
Chops are a perfect main course for Sundays, holidays, but also for all other days. Not only are they tasty and easy to make, but they also present very well!
We can make the dish more elegant by placing thin slices of orange on the plate, just as I did, to enhance the fragrance and color. A recipe for a tasty, simple, quick, and economical main course… what more could you want?
As a Side Dish, I suggest a Creamy Celeriac Purée, a refined side dish or simple Crispy Roasted Potatoes in a pan, perfect for soaking up the sauce. Or a salad of Thinly Sliced Fennel and Oranges, a side dish that continues the citrus theme.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 52.13 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 1.31 (g) of which sugars 0.25 (g)
- Proteins 4.32 (g)
- Fat 3.06 (g) of which saturated 0.97 (g)of which unsaturated 1.20 (g)
- Fibers 0.26 (g)
- Sodium 154.84 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 220 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Pan-Seared Pork Chop with Orange, Extremely Tender
- 4 pork chop (Approximately 0.75 inches thick)
- to taste flour
- 2 oranges (For the juice and zest of 1 orange, 1 peeled)
- 4 oz white wine
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 knob butter
Tools
- Pan
- Lid
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Citrus Juicer
Steps
Pan-Seared Pork Chop with Orange, Extremely Tender
Prepare the pork chops by coating them with flour.
Then shake them well to remove excess flour.
Wash the oranges thoroughly, then squeeze the juice of one orange and set aside the juice in a small bowl.In a large, preferably non-stick pan, add a knob of butter and a drizzle of oil and melt it gently over low heat.
Place the pork chops in the pan and cook them on both sides for about 3-4 minutes per side, until they are well browned and sealed.
When the chops are ready, remove them from the pan and immediately place them in a sheet of aluminum foil. Close the sheet tightly to keep them warm and soft.
Peel the orange and extract some segments (without the white skin). Set them aside.
In the same pan where you cooked the meat, pour the white wine and let all the alcohol evaporate (it will take about half a minute).
Pour in the orange juice and grated zest. Salt to taste.
If you are using the prepared orange segments, now is the time to add them.
Cook the sauce for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring, until it has slightly thickened.
Take the pork chops (with their juices) and return them to the pan with the sauce.
Cook, turning them a couple of times and spooning the sauce over them for a few minutes.
The meat will be tender, and the sauce will have reduced, enveloping the chops.
The Pan-Seared Pork Chop with Orange, Extremely Tender is ready to be served at the table!
The meat will be very tender, very tasty, and the orange fragrance will make the dish delightful.
Curiosity
Did you know that the orange is not just a flavor touch in this dish but also has specific benefits when paired with meat?
Orange is rich in Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. Even though cooking reduces its quantity, the juice and zest still retain B-group vitamins, such as B1 and Folic Acid (B9).
Orange, in phytotherapy, is known for its ability to stimulate digestion. The acidity of citrus fruits (thanks to citric acid) helps to stimulate gastric juices, making meat-based dishes like chops easier to digest and less heavy.
Preservation
The Pan-Seared Pork Chop with Orange, Extremely Tender keeps well in the refrigerator for a limited period:
In the Refrigerator: Maximum 2 days after preparation.
In the Freezer: It is not recommended to freeze this dish. The orange sauce, due to its emulsion and the presence of flour (if used to thicken), tends to separate and lose its velvety consistency during thawing.
Transfer the meat and all the remaining sauce into a clean airtight container. Make sure the container is as full as possible to limit air contact.
The best way to reheat them is in a pan over medium-low heat.
Take the meat and sauce out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before.
Heat the sauce in a pan, and if it seems too thick, add a tablespoon of water or broth to soften it.
Add the chops and gently warm them. Do not heat for too long to prevent the meat from drying out!
Notes
What wine do I recommend.
For this dish, you need wines with good freshness/acidity and moderate tannin.
A light or medium-bodied red is often the best choice, provided it is not too tannic, to avoid clashing with the orange’s acidity.
Barbera (d’Asti or d’Alba): Excellent choice! Barbera is characterized by a pronounced acidity that perfectly balances the sweetness of the meat and the savoriness of the sauce. It is fresh, fruity, and has soft tannins.
Nero d’Avola (young, Sicily): If you are looking for a wine from Southern Italy, a young Nero d’Avola offers enough body for the meat, but has a fruity profile and good freshness that pairs well with the Mediterranean flavor of the orange.
White Wine Options (If You Seek Lightness)
Vermentino from Sardinia (or Tuscany): If you prefer a wine with more citrusy and savory notes, Vermentino is an excellent choice to create harmony with the orange.
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