Pork chops and rice baked together in one dish is an old-fashioned supper that never goes out of style. Long-grain rice is toasted in butter with onion and celery, covered with beef stock and topped with seared bone-in pork chops. Under foil in a hot oven, the rice cooks in the stock and the juices from the meat, so it comes out savory, tender and full of flavor. The whole dinner takes about an hour, and most of that is oven time.
How to make baked pork chops and rice: Heat the oven to 425°F. Brown 1 1/2 cups of long-grain rice in butter with onion and celery and spread it in a sprayed 9×13-inch dish. Pour in 3 1/2 cups of beef stock. Season 4 bone-in pork chops, sear about 2 minutes per side and set them on the rice. Cover with foil and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender. Rest 3 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Meat and side in one dish. The rice cooks under the chops.
- Flavorful rice. Toasted in butter and baked in beef stock.
- Juicy chops. A quick sear, then a covered bake.
- Simple ingredients. Rice, stock, onion, celery and pork.
- Hands-off. Once the foil is on, the oven does the work.
Ingredient Notes
Pork chops. Four bone-in chops. The bone helps keep the meat moist.
Long-grain rice. One and a half cups, uncooked. Do not use instant or brown rice here.
Butter. Three tablespoons of salted butter, to toast the rice.
Onion and celery. A 1/2 cup of each, chopped.
Beef stock. Three and a half cups. It gives the rice a deep, savory flavor and a rich brown color.
Worcestershire sauce. Two tablespoons, optional, for extra depth.
Vegetable oil. Two tablespoons, for searing.
Salt, black pepper and garlic powder. To season the chops.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, uncooked
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 3 1/2 cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 bone-in pork chops
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Garlic powder, to taste
How to Make Baked Pork Chops and Rice
1. Prepare the dish. Heat the oven to 425°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Brown the rice. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the uncooked rice, onion and celery. Stir and cook until the rice begins to brown slightly and the vegetables soften a little. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.
3. Add the liquid. Pour the beef stock evenly over the rice. Add the Worcestershire sauce, if using, and stir gently.
4. Season and sear the chops. Heat the vegetable oil in the same skillet over high heat. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Working two chops at a time, brown them for about 2 minutes per side. Do not try to cook them through in the skillet.
5. Cover and bake. Place the chops on the rice, pushing them down gently so a little liquid covers them. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.
6. Check doneness and rest. Check that the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Use a food thermometer: the pork chops must reach at least 145°F, and a casserole should reach 165°F. Keep baking if it is not there yet. Let the pork chops rest at least 3 minutes before serving.
How to Tell When the Rice and the Pork Are Both Done
With two foods cooking in one dish, there are two things to check. The baking time gets you close, but ovens, dishes and chops all vary, so look and measure before you serve.
| What to check | How | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| The rice | Lift a corner of the foil and taste a few grains from the middle of the dish | Tender, with no hard center |
| The liquid | Tilt the dish slightly | The stock is absorbed, with no pool running to the corner |
| The pork chops | Thermometer in the thickest part, away from the bone | At least 145°F, then a 3-minute rest |
| The dish as a whole | Thermometer in the center of the rice | 165°F, the mark for a casserole |
If the rice is still firm or soupy, put the foil back on tightly and bake for a few minutes more. If the chops are done first, you can lift them onto a plate and cover them while the rice finishes.
The quick sear at the start is for color and flavor only. Two minutes a side will not cook a chop through, and it is not meant to. The oven finishes the job.
Tips for Success
Why brown the rice first?
Toasting the dry grains in butter gives them a nutty flavor and helps them stay separate as they bake.
How tight should the foil be?
Very tight. The rice cooks in trapped steam, and if steam escapes the grains stay hard.
Can I use brown rice?
Not as a straight swap. Brown rice needs more liquid and more time, and this recipe is written for white long-grain rice.
Can I use boneless chops?
The recipe calls for bone-in chops. Boneless ones cook faster, so check their temperature early.
Why push the chops into the liquid?
A little stock over the edges keeps the meat moist under the foil.
Should I add more salt to the rice?
Taste your stock first. Many beef stocks are already quite salty.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow, covered containers. They keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat, covered, to 165°F, with a spoonful of stock or water over the rice so it does not dry out.
What to Serve With It
Add a green vegetable or a salad, and dinner is complete. For more pork chop dinners, try the smothered baked pork chops, the French onion pork chops or the honey garlic pork chops. If you like chops with potatoes, there is pork chop supreme with potatoes and the smothered pork chop scalloped potato casserole. And for a slow cooker day, make the slow cooker smothered pork chops.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I tell when both the pork chops and rice are done?
The rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, the chops read at least 145°F and the center of the dish reads 165°F.
How do you bake pork chops?
Here they are seared for color, set on rice and stock, covered with foil and baked at 425°F.
Can I use brown rice without changing the liquid or baking time?
No. Brown rice would need changes to both, and this recipe has not been written for it.
How should I store and reheat leftover pork chops and rice?
Refrigerate within 2 hours, keep for 3 to 4 days and reheat, covered, to 165°F.
Final Notes
I use the same skillet for the rice and the chops, so the browned bits from the butter end up on the meat. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Baked Pork Chops and Rice
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter salted
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice uncooked
- 1/2 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1/2 cup celery chopped
- 3 1/2 cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce optional
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 pork chops bone-in
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- garlic powder to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the uncooked rice, onion and celery. Stir and cook until the rice begins to brown slightly and the vegetables soften a little. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.
- Pour the beef stock evenly over the rice. Add the Worcestershire sauce, if using, and stir gently.
- Heat the vegetable oil in the same skillet over high heat. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Working two chops at a time, brown them for about 2 minutes per side. Do not try to cook them through in the skillet.
- Place the chops on the rice, pushing them down gently so a little liquid covers them. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Check that the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Use a food thermometer: the pork chops must reach at least 145°F, and a casserole should reach 165°F. Keep baking if it is not there yet. Let the pork chops rest at least 3 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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