Marinated Pork Chops with Fried Eggs

Here’s a not-so-secret secret: one of the easiest and tastiest marinades in the entire world of cooking has three ingredients: honey, soy sauce, and black pepper. Mix those together in a sturdy bag, add the meat, and refrigerate to let the sweet, salty, spicy marinade do its thing. Little pork chops are so appreciative.

As great as these chops are all by themselves, you want something to round out the dish. Here, it’s nutty, chewy black rice on the bottom and a runny fried egg on top. Oh yeah.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 4-oz boneless pork chops, trimmed and pounded to about 1/3-inch thick
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 4 large eggs, divided
• 1 cup cooked black rice (or basmati rice)

Trimmed, Pounded Chops

Preparation

1. Combine the honey, soy sauce, and black pepper (to taste) in a sturdy zip-top bag. Add the pork chops, seal, and turn several times to coat. Refrigerate 2-4 hours.
2. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, swirling to coat. Remove the pork chops from the bag, letting the marinade drip off. Add the chops to the pan and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sear until browned on the bottom, 2-3 minutes. Turn and sear on the other side until golden brown and just done, 1-2 minutes longer. 
3. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 the butter. When the butter begins to sizzle, crack 2 eggs into the skillet and fry until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny (or until desired degree of doneness). Repeat with the remaining butter and 2 eggs.

Chops in Marinade

Beginning to Cook

Cooked Chops

Divide the rice on each of 4 plates. Place 1 pork chop on top of each and place 1 egg each on top of the chops. Sprinkle the eggs with salt and serve right away.

Marinated Pork Chops with Fried Eggs