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Air Fryer Chinese Salt and Pepper Pork Chops are an authentic restaurant quality dish, but at a fraction of calories from deep fried.
Air Fryer Chinese Saltand Pepper Pork Chops
One of our favorite dishes at our local Chinese restaurant is called Salt & Pepper Pork Chops. Deep fried, in all their glory and a zillion calories. Yummy! We order it every time we go out to eat Chinese Food. Well, we USED to order it…..now, I make it myself!
When I first called our local restaurant(s) to place an order (we keep trying new places), I asked for an authentic recommendation. Salt & Pepper Pork Chops, I was told. Hmmm, what is it I asked. Two pork chops fried with salt and pepper.
Well, okay, two of ’em??? For that price? How many people does it feed. A few. Two chops? Just two? Okay, I took the chance. The Styrofoam container was full to the brim. How can that only be two pork chops I wondered? I thought I heard wrong.
Cast of Ingredients for Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Pork Chops
We LOVED the dish. The Jalapeño Peppers were not even spicy. Wowza.
Next time I called another restaurant toplace aChinese Food order andagain, I asked, what is your best authentic Chinese dish. Salt & Pepper Pork Chops. How big is the order? Two chops. Okay, you know the rest. See that bowl above?
That is two bone in pork chops, that were cut into cutlets, sort of. Most of the meat is cut from the bone, but some meat remains on the bones. Yum!
They puff up and two chops, really does make quite a bit. We liked them so much in fact, I made an version. OMG, y’all, the Wings are soooooo good.
I mean really good. These Air Fryer Chinese Saltand Pepper Pork Chopsare as good as from your favorite Chinese Restaurant.
Crack open an egg and add the white part to a bowl. If you have a cat or dog, add the raw egg yolk to their food. 😉
Well, only if you want. I do sometimes, but then again, I feed a completely raw diet.
Anyway, add in the salt and pepper and Whisk the heck out of it, until the egg white is very frothy.
Another delicious pork recipe to try is myLow Carb Breaded Pork Chops in the Air Fryer.
Place the pieces of pork, including the bones (which should have some good meat on them) into the bowl with the Egg Whites.
Allow the pork to marinate for about half an hour in the Egg White Mixture. You probably want to put the pork into the refrigerator during this time. 🙂
Slice up the Jalapeños and Scallions
You can take this time to slice up the Jalapeños and the Scallions.
I don’t like a lot of heat, so I remove most of the seeds by running water over the Jalapeño slices.
The seeds are where the heat live.
The taste of seedless Jalapeño after stir frying is very mild and quite delicious.
Foodsaver Prepped for another Meal
Here is another tip. I am really big at shopping the sales. I also like to be able to pull something out of my freezer and have all the ingredients.
So, I bought extra Pork Chops and Jalapeños (we grow ourown Scallions), sliced them all up and used my Foodsaver. Into the freezer for another meal, ready to cook.
Properly Seasoned Air Fryer Basket
Before using your Air Fryer to make, well, pretty much anything, make sure you read my short article on how toProperly Prepare the Air Fryer for use.
This method will considerably cut down on sticking issues. Make sure never to use Pam when you season your Air Fryer Basket.
It will leave behind a coating, that is impossible to remove. Coconut Oil, Crisco, Canola Oil, all work well.
Transfer the pieces of Pork from the bowl with the Egg White mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Pour in the Potato Starch and make sure thePork is coated very well.
Use Silicone Tongs, not your fingers to handle the pieces of Pork. You want to make sure that the Potato Starch does not gunk up and get sticky.
You also don’t want to scratch your Air Fryer. If your Tongs get gunked up, make sure to wash the gunk off and dry them well before continuing.
Shake off any excess Potato Starch and carefully place the pieces of Pork into your prepared and seasonedAir Fryer Basket. You can see that my basket is glistening from the light coat of oil. This will help prevent the coating from getting stuck to the Air Fryer Basket. I grease up the sides too.
When “Air Frying,” I don’t usually use a lot of oil or have a heavy hand when I use my Oil Misterto spray the food. In recipes like my Air Fryer Crispy Honey Garlic Chicken Wingsrecipe, I don’t spray the Chicken at all. The skin from the chicken is enough to make chicken taste “fried.”
The quotes are because this is not a real fryer and food will never taste like deep fat fried food (darn it right?), but, it will be very close and in my opinion, just as good.
Spray a Good Mist of Oil over the Pork Chop pieces
The name Air Fryer, I think, leads to some peoplebelieving that you don’t actually use any oil. That is incorrect. Oil is usedquite often.
But, the amount isusually veryminimal. Giving these Air Fryer Chinese Salt and Pepper Pork Chops a heavy handed spray with an Oil Mister, probably only uses a few drops of oil.
Plus, I really want this recipe to taste authentic and deep fried. It will!
For this recipe, I like to useAvocado Oil, but Peanut Oil or Canola Oil will work well too.
Because the Air Fryeruses so little Oil, I do opt for the expensive good oils, as they will last quite a while. My Oil Misterof preference is the Glass.
It is a bit pricey, but it works really well. I am a strong believer that cheap stuff costs more in the long run, as things always need to be replaced over and over again.
Place the Air Fryer Drawer and Basket into the Air Fryerand make sure to give them a good shake by using a back and forth motion throughout the cooking process.
Shaking the Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings often will also help to prevent sticking.
Look at this Gorgeous Pork
After the initial cook, we will turn up the heat and cook for just a few more minutes.
While the Pork is getting the final cook, it is time to Stir Fry the topping.
How about some Air Fryer Pub Style Corned Beef Egg Rolls?
This will go fast, so, before you turn up the temperature on your Air Fryer, preheat your Wok or Cast Iron Chicken Fryer. You want it screaming hot.
Add a couple Tablespoons of Canola or Peanut Oil, the prepared Jalapeños and Scallions and some more salt and pepper. Using a Spatula,Stir Frythe veggiesfor about a minute.
When the Air Fryerbeeps, carefully remove the hotPork Chopsand place them in the Wok or Cast Iron Chicken Fryer and coat with the hot Jalapeños and Scallions.
Most of the oil will absorb into the Jalapeños and Scallions, so your Air Fryer Chinese Salt and Pepper Pork Chops will not be greasy, but the taste of the Jalapeños and Scallions will transfer to the Pork Chops.
Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Pork Chops w/Jalapeños
I guarantee these will taste just like the ones you get at your favorite Chinese restaurant, only better.
More Asian Chinese Air Fryer Recipes to Make:
- Dim Sum Air Fryer Chinese Shrimp Toast
- Air Fryer Chinese Take Out Sweet ‘N Sour Pork
- Air Fryer Spicy Bang Bang Chicken Wings
Have fun cooking!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Ultrean 8.5 Quart Air Fryer
- J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk
- Cilio Olivewood Spatula
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- Corelle Mixing/Serving Bowls
- Potato Starch
- Silicone Tongs
- Glass Oil Mister
- Cast Iron Chicken Fryer
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Here is your handy printable recipe:
Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Pork Chops
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Save Rate
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine: American Chinese, Asian, Chinese
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 351kcal
Author: Jill Selkowitz
Ingredients
- Pork Chops
- 1 Egg White
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 3/4 cup Potato Starch (or cornstarch)
- 1 Oil Mister
Str Fry
- 2 Jalapeño Pepper stems removed, sliced
- 2 Scallions (Green Onions) trimmes, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil (or peanut)
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Cast Iron Chicken Fryer
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Coat Air Fryer Basket with a thin coat ofOil. (See my article on How to Prepare and Season Air Fryer Basket.
In amedium bowl, whisk together egg white, salt and pepper until foamy. Slice pork chops into cutlet pieces, leaving a little on the bonesand pat dry. Add pork chop pieces to egg white mixture. Coat thoroughly. Marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Transfer pork chopsalarge bowl and add Potato Starch. Dredge thepork chopsthrough the Potato Starchthoroughly. Shake offpork and placeinto prepared Air Fryer Basket. Lightly spraypork with Oil.
Cook at 360 degrees for 9 minutes, shaking the basket often and spraying with oil between shakes. Cook an additional6 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the pork is brown and crispy.
Stir Fry
Slice Jalapeños thin and remove seeds. Chop scallions. Place in bowl and set aside.
Heat wok or skillet until screaming hot. Add oil,Jalapeño peppers, Scallions, salt and pepper and stir fry for about a minute. Add air fried pork pieces to the wok or skillet and toss them with the Jalapeño and Scallions. Stir Fry pork for another minute, making sure they become coated with the hot oil and vegetables.
Notes
Serve your Air Fryer Chinese Saltand Pepper Pork Chops with and P.F. Chang's Garlic Noodles.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Chinese Salt & Pepper Pork Chops
Amount Per Serving
Calories 351Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1802mg78%
Potassium 659mg19%
Carbohydrates 51g17%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 150IU3%
Vitamin C 18.9mg23%
Calcium 39mg4%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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