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Boneless pork chops are cooked perfectly in a skillet, and dressed up with a Whole30 and Paleo-friendly smoky-chipotle sauce! Around here, we keep it quick, easy, and nutritious. This easy one-pan dinner is ready within 30 minutes, from start to finish.
Let’s add a bit of variety to your Easy Whole30 dinner recipes with these amazingly delicious Pork Chops! As a nutritionist, I am very mindful of the protein sources I cook on a daily basis. I know the importance of mixing up our animal proteins for optimal nutrients, and lean pork is such a great way to add in that variety. We get a healthy dose of B Vitamins plus selenium and zinc.
So while I don’t cook pork chops every week, I love adding them to our menu and cooking them in a large skillet. These Whole30 Pork Chops are another one of my favorites with their savory/sweet pairing, but these Smoky Chipotle Pork Chops with a creamy sauce might just be my favorite pork chop to date!
They make a perfect addition to your weekly menu as a healthy and quick dinner recipe with less than 30 minutes from start to finish. And if you love the ultimate ease and one pan method, my One Pot Gluten-Free in 30 minutes or less is a cookbook you will definitely want in your kitchen.
The Most Flavorful Pork Chops!
The whole family loved these, and consistently requests these to be in our regular rotation. The dry rub, the sauce, and the flavoring of a pan-seared, boneless chop were just perfect. I used my favorite flavoring combinations here: chipotle, lime, and cilantro. Canned coconut milk is used here to create the dairy free creamy texture. I think it perfectly balances out the spice with a hint of natural sweetness!
If you’re looking for more ideas, check out my other pork recipes for additional family-friendly and flavorful options
How to make Boneless Pork Chops in a Skillet!
Let’s first gather up a large cast iron skillet and our ingredients!
Ingredients:
- 4 Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
- Avocado oil or olive oil
- chili powder
- paprika
- cumin
- chipotle chili powder
- salt
- garlic clove
- canned coconut milk
- cilantro
- liquid smoke
- fresh cilantro
- lime
The directions:
To start I heated up my skillet while I prepared a quick and easy dry rub. Generously rub both sides of your pork chops.
Once the skillet is hot, add the oil and garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, then add the pork chops. Let the pork chops sear for 4-5 mins per side. Pork chops can be a bit tricky to cook, as you want them to be cooked through with just a tiny bit of pink on the inside. They will continue to cook once you remove them, but this allows them to retain flavor and juiciness.
While they were cooking, I blended up the sauce: coconut milk, cilantro, chipotle seasoning, and liquid smoke. Once both sides were perfect, I dumped the sauce into the pan scraping up leftover seasonings from the rub. It was perfect!!
Serving and Storing:
- Serve: these skillet pork chops taste amazing alongside roasted vegetables and rice (Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice for me). Garnish with some lime juice and fresh cilantro. These would also taste PERFECT over a bed of my favorite Skillet Potatoes
- Store in the fridge for up 5 days. This recipe will not freeze well because of the coconut milk component.
- Re-heat: gently over low heat on the stovetop.
Are these Skillet Pork Chops Spicy?
They were a bit spicy, but my kids still were able to eat them without complaints. Because my tolerance for spice is high, I rely on them to be the judge! We all thought they had just the right amount of kick. You can add more sauce to each pork chop for even more flavor and spice, or keep the sauce at a minimum to reduce the spice. I hope you enjoy!!
Looking for more Whole30 recipes? You can also check out my Whole30 Weekly Meal Plans + Grocery Lists!
Whole30 Smoky-Chipotle Skillet Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4-5 Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops, about 3/4 – 1 inch thick
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
For the Rub:
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper spice
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper spice
- 1 tsp liquid smoke*
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
For garnish:
- Juice of 1 lime
- Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Begin by heating a large skillet to medium high heat. Prepare your pork chops: Mix together ingredients for the rub. Rub each side of the pork chops with spices.
- Once skillet is hot, add the garlic and cook for about one minute. Now add the pork chops.
- Cook your pork chops for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the center reaches 165 degrees and is only slightly pink. Reduce heat to low.
- While the pork chops are cooking, mix together coconut milk, chipotle pepper, cilantro, and liquid smoke in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Once pork chops are cooked through, pour the sauce on top. Reduce heat to low, and scrape any bits of rub seasoning to add to the sauce.
- Garnish with juice of 1 lime and extra cilantro (optional) and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this 2nd recipe, they are soooooo really delicious!
i’m gonna say is— 5 stars.
The only chipotle powder I could find is chipotle pepper flakes. Is that what you are using? Do you think that will work?
Kristin, I think that could work. I do use a powdered form of chipotle spice that can be found in most grocery stores in the spice section. You can also use Adobo sauce from canned chipotles. But, work with what you have and let me know how it turns out!
These were absolutely scrumptious! My family was drinking the sauce with a spoon! Awesome!!
These look so good! Any ideas on how to replace the coconut milk and still keep it dairy free? I’m allergic to coconut. Thanks!!
Hi Bri! I would think about just omitting the coconut milk without substituting anything else, it still tastes delicious! If you still want that creamy texture, maybe a cashew milk?
We tried this recipe last night, and it was DELICIOUS. We grilled them and poured the sauce on top when they were done. Made it with a cauliflower puree, which worked perfectly with it. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed them Cara! We grilled them the other day and loved that variation too!
Would these work on the grill?
Yes, the only difference is that for the sauce, you would need to cook it separately on the stove top. It tastes best warm!
Would this work with chicken?
Absolutely!!
On my list for next week! These sound AMAZING! We made your maple Dijon chicken this week and literally it was my favorite paleo dish we have made yet!
Totally made my day, thank you Rachel! So glad you love the maple dijon chicken! This is a really yummy one too 🙂
Oh my gosh! YUM! These pork chops look SO good! I just love cilantro and lime! Such great additions! Thanks for sharing!
xoxo Cailee!
Thank you Cailee! Hope you enjoy 🙂
I was literally just thinking about pork chops this morning! That rub sounds crazy delicious.
Thanks Jennifer!! Great minds think alike ????