Making Monday full of flavor is my goal!

thai pork chops with coconut rice I howsweeteats.com

I’m very sloooowwwly coming out of the weekend haze over here. It felt more like October over the weekend than August and I had a major Sunday blues moment last night. WHY do I still get the Sunday blues when I’m not longer in school, working for myself and love what I do? WHO KNOWS.

And that’s why today I’m going to tell you allllll about how these Thai pork chops are my new favorite dinner everrrr.

thai skillet pork chops with coconut rice I howsweeteats.com

I mean, favorite for now.

Pork chops are something I still don’t make regularly because I’m always so afraid of overcooking them. My mom makes PERFECT pork chops every single time and is really the only person I know who gets them right. She always uses boneless, center cut chops and they are rarely dry. In fact, they are never dry! That was my goal here.

The only different here is that I didn’t bread them – and we always bread them! And this was definitely an experiment to place on the table.

Eddie loves pork chops and while Max has only had them once or so, he loves them too. I wanted to give us a NEW and non-boring dinner option because I feel like I’ve been making the same things each week. With the launch of Sweet Peas Meals, I’ve been waiting to get my meal plans moving and grooving, but I’ve been so swamped that I haven’t made it a priority YET.

Like every single week! I’ve been pulling out the same old recipes and falling into a routine and I’m just like NOOOOO we need something exciting over here.

So before I jump head first into our August plan, I had to go ahead and make something NEW.

thai skillet pork chops with coconut rice I howsweeteats.com

The base of flavor here uses my favorite Thai marinade – of course. I can’t seem to ever use anything else when I want a Thai-inspired dish and it’s just SO good. Super peanutty and coconutty! Perfection in my book.

And, hello, the BEST part?! Well, in my mind… the best part? The coconut rice! I love making this rice. I make it constantly. Eddie eats it even though he doesn’t love coconut since it doesn’t have any coconut texture in it. The coconut flavor is mild, but just enough that after one bite you’re like… “this is good, what is that?!”

So now, no more weekend blues!

thai skillet pork chops with coconut rice I howsweeteats.com

Thai Skillet Pork Chops

4.98 from 34 votes
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup sweet chili sauce
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup lite canned coconut milk
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 4 garlic cloves pressed or finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoon-sized knobs of ginger grated
  • 2 limes juiced
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 pound boneless skinless pork chops
  • salt and pepper for seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped peanuts for topping
  • chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
  • fresh lime wedges for spritzing

coconut jasmine rice

  • 1 1/2 cups white jasmine rice
  • 1 cup canned coconut milk
  • cup water
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  • Combine the chili sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, sugar, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce and lime juice in a saucepan, whisking to combine. Bring to a boil, the reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
  • Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the pork chops with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Add the coconut oil to the skillet and once it’s melted, add the pork chops. Brown on both sides until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Pour half (or as much as you’d like) of the peanut sauce into the skillet. Place the skillet in the oven and bake the pork chops for 20 minutes. I usually bake 15 minutes covered, and the last 5 uncovered.
  • Serve the pork chops with extra sauce if you’d like, a garnish or cilantro, peanuts and fresh lime wedges.

coconut jasmine rice

  • Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and add rice, coconut milk, water and salt. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for 15-18 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, then stir in coconut oil.

Notes

(Note: My favorite jasmine rice is the brown jasmine rice from Trader Joe’s – all brands may have different cook times. Adjust the liquid and cook time according to your directions.)
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I appreciate you so much!

thai skillet pork chops with coconut rice I howsweeteats.com

Annnnd I think a coconut margarita would pair juuust perfectly.