• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Marge Perry's A Sweet and Savory Life

  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • Calendar
  • About
  • Contact

Pork Chops with Port Wine Sauce: Dinner in 20 Minutes and Under 400 Calories

February 14, 2017 By Marge Perry Leave a Comment

I hadn’t thought about this dinner in a while– you know how that is: you get attached to a dish for months on end, you make it nearly every week, and then, somehow, you just forget about it.

Most cooks make the same three to five weeknight meals over and over, week in and week out. It makes perfect sense: you know how to prepare them, you know you (and the people you cook for) like them, and at the end of a long day, you don’t have to think too hard to get any one of them on the table. It also makes grocery shopping easier– you know exactly where those ingredients are the store shelves and can grab them quickly.

The other night, I had these pork chops again for the first time in a while, but not because I made it: my students did. I had included the recipe as part of a new class I designed for ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) called 400-Calorie Fast Weeknight Meals. When we all sat down to eat together at the end of the five hour class, the students declared this was their favorite recipe. I’m going to have to add it back in to my personal rotation.

When I do, it won’t look or taste the same every time. I often tweak my stable of basics based on what I have on hand, my mood, or just a need to do something a little different. Here are some of the variations I do with this recipe:

  • Substitute boneless chicken breasts or thighs for the pork chops.
  • Use cherry rather than plum preserves.
  • Season the pork more robustly: add 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • Add halved grapes and sliced almonds to the pan after the pork chops cook on the first side. (The grapes wilt just the right amount in the time it takes to finish cooking the pork).
Print Recipe
Pork Chops with Port Wine Sauce
Servings 4
  • 1 medium shallot, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1/2 cup Port
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup plum preserves
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 bone-in center cut pork chops, about 1 3/4 pounds
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
Servings 4
  • 1 medium shallot, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1/2 cup Port
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup plum preserves
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 bone-in center cut pork chops, about 1 3/4 pounds
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  1. Bring the shallots, Port and sugar to boil in a medium saucepan; boil until the mixture is reduced a scant ¼ cup. Add the broth, return to a boil and reduce to ¼ cup. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the preserves, ¼ teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper and cook 2 minutes. Cover and keep warm.
  2. Combine the coriander, garlic powder, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and sprinkle over the pork.
  3. Heat the oil over medium high; add the chops in a single layer and cook 4-5 minutes per side (a meat thermometer inserted horizontally should register 145F). Serve with the sauce.
Recipe Notes

357 calories, 33 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 572 mg sodium

Filed Under: A Sweet and Savory Life, Beef, Pork and Lamb, Fast and Easy, Recipes

Reader Interactions

Get More Updates!

Sign up to get exclusive updates & tips!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

I make my living writing, teaching and speaking about food and travel. In the name of work, I (have to!) eat a lot, meet interesting people (many of whom, like me, are passionate about their work) and travel near and far to see where and how food is made, grown or raised. I am saved from a life of extreme obesity by the fact that I truly love to exercise, but I am always one forkful away from not being able to button my jeans. Mine is a sweet and savory life.

I share it with my husband and co-author, David Bonom. Check out our new book, Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day

To learn more about me, click here →

Subscribe

sign-up here for email updates!

  • Want to see a cool trick for poaching eggs? Check out this video we did for Anolon. The trick comes at :22!

  • Craftsy Blogger Awards - Winner Best Tutorials Badge

    Popular Posts

    How to Cook Tender, Juicy (not dry!) Chicken Breasts

    Grilled or Roasted Spice-Rubbed Chicken Thighs: My Go-To Easy Dinner

    Strawberry Frosted Cupcakes

    Disclosure statement

    Do you have Chicken Anxiety??

    Become a Chicken Master! Make moist, tender, juicy, safe chicken each and every time. My online Craftsy video class, All About Chicken will show you how. Click here to learn more-- and get a special reader discount of half price.

    Footer

    Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day, our latest cookbook, is available wherever books are sold (including on Amazon).

    Want to see more of my work? Click on "Articles" at the top of the page for links to our recipes, articles and videos in magazines, websites, and social media.

    Feel free to connect/follow via any of the social media buttons below or drop me a line here through my contact page. Read More…

    More From the Blog

    Subscribe

    sign-up here for email updates!

    Copyright © 2023 asweetandsavorylife