Pork Chops and Wild Rice

Thick, bone-in pork chops seasoned overnight with a dry brine, then braised along with nutty wild rice, sweet bell pepper and onion. The result, succulent, flavor-infused pork chops and creamy wild rice smothered in a rich sauce.

Casseroles in some form have been around for years and as of recent there has been a rebirth of sorts in their popularity. My hunch, it’s our schedules. Juggling careers and family limit the time we have to prepare a home-cooked meal. Any options that allow you to prep and cook a meal in one pan brings a welcome break for our busy lives.

My Mom had two versions of this casserole, one she made with chicken and this one, using pork chops. The chops are seasoned simply with kosher salt and black pepper, then pan seared in bacon drippings adding another layer of flavor. Then bell pepper and onion are sautéed then stirred together with wild rice and with chicken stock, a touch of concentrated chicken base plus an old retro standby, a can of cream of chicken soup.

For the pork chops, I prefer to use bone-in as they tend to have more flavor. There’s a lot of controversy over this step but my Mom always rinses each chop carefully under cold water before she started cooking. The bones in pork can splinter while being trimmed by the butcher, leaving gritty pieces on the meat. You can use thinner cut pork chops, just cut the cooking time to 45 minutes to 1 hour.

I’m a big believer in brining, which is great for pork, poultry, and even shrimp. Brining infuses great seasoning into the meat and helps it from becoming dry while it’s cooking. For pork chops, I love an overnight dry brine of kosher salt and black pepper – simple and wonderful! It’s an easy step and the results are fabulous.

This is not a complicated dish, made in one pan and will satisfy the heartiest of appetites!

Pork Chops and Wild Rice

You can cook this dish in an electric skillet or start in a sauté pan on the stovetop and finish in a 350-degree oven.

4 to 6 bone-in pork chops, about 1” thick

1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ to 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

5 slices of bacon, cut into pieces

½ green bell pepper, seeded and chopped, about ¾ cup

1 medium sweet onion, chopped, about 1-½ cups

1-¼ cups wild rice

4 cups chicken stock

1 can cream of chicken soup (10.5 ounces)

1 tablespoon concentrated chicken base

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon sugar

Sprinkle each of the pork chops with about ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper. (If you cook 6 pork chops you’ll need all or most of the kosher salt and pepper.) Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the pork chops from the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. (Do not rinse the dry brine off the pork chops.) Cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat has been rendered and the bacon is starting to crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the same pan, sear the pork chops until golden on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter while you cook the vegetables.

Toss the bell pepper and the onion into the skillet and sauté until the vegetables are slightly soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the wild rice and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock along with the cream of chicken soup, chicken base, ground sage, parsley and sugar. Stir to blend together.

Nestle the pork chops in the rice and vegetable mixture along with the bacon.

Cover the pan and cook on low for 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the pork chops are tender, stirring the rice occasionally.

Serves 4 to 6.