Keto-Friendly Pecan-Crusted Pork Chops Recipe

With the ever-increasing popularity of the keto diet, the demand for recipes that help dieters get their ideal combination of macros is skyrocketing. Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye has devised this simple pecan-crusted pork chop recipe, and with a low carbohydrate content and high fat and protein content, this dish is a delicious keto-friendly dinner option for both keto followers and everyone else. 

The mixture of nutty toasted pecans and salty meaty pork make this simple dish full of flavor with little effort. Pecans are a great keto-friendly nut choice, but did you know that there are several different varieties? Pecans are native to the Americas; some varieties were cultivated by Native Americans hundreds of years ago, while others were developed more recently. For this recipe, the Caddo variety of pecan would work well, as it has a high oil content, which releases strong aromas when roasted, which means it lends itself really well to savory dishes.

The rich crunchy texture of the pecan coating and the juiciness of the pork chops make a wonderful pairing and offer a great, different way to enjoy this popular cut of meat. Read on to find out how easy it is to make this keto-friendly pecan-crusted pork chop recipe. 

To begin this Keto-Friendly Pecan-Crusted Pork Chops Recipe first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will want pecans, garlic powder, mustard powder, dried Italian herbs, salt, pepper, an egg, pork chops, and oil for frying.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the whole pecans into a food processor and grind them until they are fairly finely ground but still retain some chunky texture.

Mix the freshly ground pecan nuts in a wide bowl with the garlic powder, mustard powder, dried Italian herbs, salt, and pepper.

Break the egg into a large bowl and whisk it with a fork. Dry the pork chops gently with some kitchen towel.

One at a time, place the pork chops into the whisked egg to throughly coat, and then transfer them to the seasoned pecan mixture and press them into it, making sure both sides are well covered.

Heat up a large, heavy-bottomed pan to a medium heat, and add the oil. Add the pork chops to the pan and fry them for a minute or two either side to seal the pecan nuts and create a lovely golden crust.

Transfer the pecan-crusted pork chops from the pan to a medium-sized oven dish and then bake them for 15 minutes until they are just cooked through.

Remove from the oven and allow the pork chops to sit for 5 minutes before serving along with keto-friendly dishes.

You may well have heard of the keto diet by now; after all, it is becoming ever more popular. Its followers cite benefits such as weight loss, and improved levels of energy, but, what exactly is it? The term "keto" is short for 'ketogenic' and the central idea behind it centers around optimizing the levels of macronutrients, namely carbohydrates, protein, and fat, to keep the body in a state of ketosis. 

According to keto dieters, the body's ideal ratio of these macros amounts to 70-75% fat, 15-20% protein, and just 5-10% carbohydrates. Because of this, the main objective in devising recipes to help keto dieters is usually to reduce the proportion of carbohydrates, finding ways to substitute carb-based ingredients for either fat-based or protein-based alternatives. This recipe has replaced a coating of low-fat and carb-heavy breadcrumbs, which are typically used to coat meats, with low-carb and high-fat pecan nuts; giving consumers that classic and delicious crunchy coating with all the keto-based diet benefits. 

This recipe uses thick-cut pork chops to create a quick and delicious keto-friendly meal. However, it is possible to substitute in other cuts of meat as well. When choosing which cut of meat to use, it is important to remember that not all cuts of pork are the same. Because of the different thicknesses and fat contents, some cuts of pork are much better suited to cooking at higher temperatures for shorter periods of time, while others are much better braised in sauce or roasted at lower temperatures over a longer period of time.

Because this recipe calls for the meat to be pan-fried and then oven-cooked, the tougher cuts with more connective tissues are not suited to this dish. They risk drying out, or simply ending up too chewy and tough. For this recipe, we recommend opting for pork steaks if you are unable to source any pork chops, as this cut is naturally more tender and similarly at its best when cooked for a shorter period of time over a higher heat. 

If you like, you could even use a different meat altogether, but the principle of choosing a more tender cut still applies. Braising steak would end up far too chewy for this dish, but a nice cut of sirloin steak will give you the same deliciously juicy results as a pork chop.

The use of pecans in this pork chop recipe gives the dish a lovely crispy texture as well as a deliciously nutty taste. This simple swap means there is no need to use carb-heavy breadcrumbs, making the dish suitable for those adhering to a keto diet. However, if you are having trouble sourcing pecans, or you would simply like to experiment with different flavors, there are other nuts that can be substituted for the pecans.  

An important aspect to consider when substituting the pecans is how well the nuts will respond to being cooked. The best nuts for roasting are pecans, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, or pine nuts — so there is plenty of variety. It's also worth bearing in mind that certain nuts are more keto-friendly than others. The likes of cashews and almonds have a surprisingly high carbohydrate content; brazil nuts and macadamia nuts are better options on that front. Whichever nuts you decide to go for, remember to be careful when pan-frying them as they are all quite delicate and prone to burning. A golden crust of nuts is an incredible addition to pork chops, but burned nuts will likely end up needing to be scraped off and put in the trash.