4thick cut pork chops(bone-in or boneless is fine)
1(1 ounce)packet Lipton Onion Soup & Dip Mix (or other seasoning of choice, see notes below)
Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Whisk together the soup, broth, rice, garlic powder, dried chives, and onion powder. Transfer to the prepared dish.
Pat the pork chops dry; place on top of the rice. Sprinkle onion soup mix over the pork chops, to taste. If you don’t like a strong onion flavor or if you don’t want the chops too salty, use just a portion of the seasoning (not the whole packet).
Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Check the pork chops at this point. If they are done (and have reached an internal temperature of 145°F), remove them from the dish, cover with foil, and set aside to rest. Give the rice a stir. The rice will not be tender yet, so cover the dish again and return to the oven for about 25-30 more minutes, or just until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve with the pork chops. Garnish with herbs, if desired.
Video
Notes
Thick cut pork chops (bone-in or boneless) are my preference, since they don't dry out as easily in the oven. If you have thin pork chops, that's fine -- just pull them out of the dish sooner. The total cooking time for your pork chops will vary depending on the size, type and thickness of your meat. Bone-in chops often take a bit longer than boneless, and thick-cut need more time than thin chops.
The pork chops are done when they reach an internal temperature of 145°F. For thick-cut bone-in chops, this typically takes about 30-45 minutes in a 350°F oven. I like to remove the chops from the dish as soon as they reach 145°F so that the meat stays juicy. If you prefer your pork chops very well done, you can leave them in the dish for the full 1 hour (or until your rice is tender).
If you don't want to use onion soup mix, you can season your pork chops with just about any other seasoning that you enjoy. Other good options that I recommend include seasoned salt or my all-purpose seasoning ("house seasoning"). Really, any dried herbs or seasoning blend that you have in your pantry will be fine, but don't be shy with the salt and pepper. You want the chops to have plenty of flavor!
Onion Soup Mix: the onion soup mix has a fairly strong, salty flavor, so adjust the amount of seasoning that you use on your pork chops to your liking. If you prefer less onion taste, use only part of the seasoning packet.
Brown rice has a much longer baking time than the long grain white rice, so I don't recommend using brown rice in this recipe. I also do not recommend instant rice, since the instant rice has a much shorter baking time (and will not absorb all of the liquid).