Shake and Coconut Bake Pork Chops with Rice

Dudes, like you have to check out this bodacious pork chop!  It’s been “Shake and Baked!”

What do you think?  Did I do the 80’s justice?  Ok fine, I’ll give it to you that we probably didn’t use the word “bodacious” on a regular basis, but I definitely knew a few girlfriends that had close ties with the word “like” and I also knew a lot of moms that pulled out the Shake and Bake for a fast and fab weeknight dinner.  I know you remember the good ol’ meat in a bag meal.  You simply shook it up and cooked it up.  Voila, dinner is served.

That’s why when Casey from Kitchen Play and the National Pork Board invited me to participate in a retro remake of pork chops for their December Progressive party, shake and bake seemed like the natural choice.  According to a recent survey, almost 90% or people are craving a bit of nostalgia this holiday season and what’s not to love about shake, flavor and bake?  This pork dish is a modern remake on an 80’s classic.  The coconut and lime juice gives the meat a hint of a tropical flavor and the “drop it all into a bag and shake it like you mean it” methodology is flexible enough for quick and simple weeknight fare or as a stress free holiday inspired dish.

Let’s get cooking shall we?

Begin by mixing together a can of coconut milk, a squeeze of lime juice and a dollop of dijon mustard in a bowl.

Grab up a gallon sized ziplock (your designated shaker) and fill it with a smattering of edible dry goodies; some bread crumbs and a handful of spices including ginger, garlic powder and coriander to name a few.  Shake it once or twice to mix the ingredients (and then shake it one more time just because it’s fun).

Dip your chop first in the coconut liquid…..

… And then drop it in the bag.  Need I explain what happens next?

Oh, and don’t tell anyone but I like to swing my booty and sing “you can’t touch this”  to my pork chops while shaking things up.   I swear it adds a few more crumbs to the outer coating when you put your full groove into it.

Heat up a little coconut oil in a pan and sear those coating cover chops for a couple minutes on each side to get a golden brown seal that would make even rapper Vanilla Ice crave a second glance.

Place the finished pork into an oven safe dish and slide it in to bake until the internal temperature registers at 145 degrees.

It used to be that you needed to wait until your pork reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees for it to be considered done, but the USDA recently revised their recommendation to 145 with a three minute rest.  Personally, this pork loving person couldn’t be more thrilled.  The lower temperature really helps retain all those delectable juices that elevate a chop from simply fine to seriously fantastic.

While the chops are baking, you can use the leftover coconut milk to make a quick and tasty rice accompaniment.  I don’t like to waste food if possible and this is a straightforward and gratifying way to not only create a scrumptious side dish, but also use up your extra dipping juice.  Simply add enough chicken broth to the coconut milk to equal 2 full cups of liquid.  Heat up to boiling on the stove and add one cup of uncooked basmati rice.  Cook according to the manufacturers directions and serve along side your finished pork.

And, like, now it’s time to put your mouth to the most righteous retro pork chop you’ll ever have the relish of tossing back in the 21st century.  Seriously dude.

The National Pork Board is also sponsoring a delicious giveaway at Kitchen PLAY. Simply recreate any one recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen PLAY to enter.  All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win a National Pork Board prize valued at $100 (6 prizes total).  The deadline is December 31, 2011. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!

Shake and Coconut Bake Pork Chops

Yield: 4 Half Pound Pork Chops and 2 Cups Cooked Rice

Total Time: 50 min

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Pork Chops (About 4 Chops)
1 13.5 Oz. Can Coconut Milk
1/2 Lime, Juiced
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
1 tsp Powdered Ginger
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Coriander
1/4 tsp Pepper
2-4 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Cup Chicken Broth (estimated to equal 2 cups total liquid with remaining coconut milk)
1 Cup Rice (I used brown basmati)

Directions:

In a bowl mix together the coconut milk, lime juice and dijon mustard.
In a gallon sized zip lock shake up the bread crumbs, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, coriander and pepper to mix.
Dip the each pork chop in the milk mixture first, coating completely, and then drop it into the bread crumb bag.
Shake it up good.
Heat up 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil on medium high heat.
Add the pork chops to the hot oil and let them sear for a minute or two on each side. Add another tablespoon or two of coconut oil as needed between chops.
Place the chops into a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chops reaches 145 degrees.
For the coconut rice, grab up the left over coconut milk and add enough chicken broth to equal 2 cups of liquid.
Add to a small saucepan, heat up to boiling and add a cup of the rice in. Cover and cook according to product directions.
Serve coconut rice with pork.

Note: I am working in conjunction with Kitchen PLAY and the National Pork Board and am being compensated for my time.  As always all opinions and recipes are my own.

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