Baked Pork Chops and Rice

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Easy Baked Pork Chops cook in the oven on a bed of rice. The seasoned pork chops are juicy and tender – a simple and comforting dinner recipe that you can pair with your favorite vegetable side dish.

Pork chop sliced with rice on a white plate.

Some days just need some simple comfort food like this baked pork chops and rice recipe. When my girls were younger, this is the kind of meal I loved to make because everything was always so busy. Fussy, complicated dinners just weren’t doable.

For this recipe, the rice and pork chops cook together in the oven. Of course, I like to brown the chops first on the stove so I use an oven-safe pan that can go from stove to oven. It cuts down on the dishes and when it’s done you have a main dish and a side dish. While it bakes, it’s easy to make a quick salad or another veggie side dish to go with it.

You don’t need a lot of ingredients. Just some simple pantry spices to season the meat and the rice along with a few fresh ones. It’s also on the lighter side because there’s not a heavy cream sauce. Just juicy pork chops on a bed of tender rice. The flavor is so good when you want a hearty dinner.

Ingredients

Minced garlic – I prefer fresh garlic, but you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder if you don’t have any on hand.
Salt and black pepper
Finely chopped rosemary
Oregano
Olive oil
Pork chops
Vegetable broth or chicken broth
Diced carrot
Long grain white rice
Water

How to Make the Dish

Combine the garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and oregano in a small bowl. Divide the mixture in half and sprinkle half of the seasoning mix on both sides of the pork chops. Reserve the other half of the spices for the rice.

Spices mixed in a bowl and coated on the pork chops.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven (or another oven-safe large skillet with tall sides) and brown the pork chops over medium heat to medium-high heat on both sides. You don’t need to cook them all the way through at this point, they will finish cooking in the oven. Once browned, transfer them to a plate.

Browning the pork chops in the dutch oven.

In the same pan, combine the broth, water, carrots, rice, and the rest of the spice mix. Stir and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Once it’s boiling, place the pork chops on top of rice mixture.

The rice mixture and broth in the dutch oven.

Cover the pan and bake the pork chops and rice. Take the pan out of the oven and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

The baked chops and rice in the dutch oven.

Recipe FAQs

My rice isn’t fully cooked. What happened?

Did you use long grain white rice? Other types of rice, including brown rice, could take longer to cook so be sure to use what is called for in the recipe.

If you did use the correct rice, did you bring the rice and liquid to a boil before covering and baking? If it wasn’t boiling, it will take longer to cook the rice in the oven.

Did you cover the pan and leave it covered for ten minutes after you baked it? If the pan is left uncovered while baking, the liquid will evaporate and the rice won’t cook properly. The ten-minute rest period after baking allows the rice to continue cooking so it’s done when you serve it.

I don’t have a Dutch oven. What else can I use?

You can use a large pan with tall sides that is oven safe. If you don’t have that, you can use a regular skillet or pan to brown the chops and boil the rice mixture. Once the rice is boiling, carefully pour it into a casserole dish or baking dish and place the pork chops on top. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil before baking.

What else can you add to this dish?

I like to use chicken or vegetable broth for a lighter flavor, but if you want a richer beef flavor for the rice, try using the same amount of beef broth.

You could add some sauteed chopped mushrooms, celery, or diced onion. Other kinds of herbs like fresh or dried thyme or parsley are good additions, too. Try garnishing the dish with some grated Parmesan cheese if you want some extra flavor.

What goes with baked pork chops?

I like to add a simple vegetable side dish like pan-fried green beans, sauteed chicory greens, or shredded brussels sprouts salad.

Save this recipe for the next busy day when you need a delicious dinner that’s not hard to make. The taste of the seasoned baked pork chops with the rice is perfection. Enjoy!

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The pork chop and rice on a white plate.

I love this all in a meal pot and baked rather than fried Baked Pork Chops and Rice dish, my family loved it too and I hope your family does also! Buon Appetito!