If you want to cook pork chops that are tender, delicious, and saucy in less than 30 minutes, make Chuletas A La Jardinera. They’re quickly going to become a favorite.
Chuletas a la jardinera are pork chops stewed with vegetables like carrots, corn, and peas. Made almost with the same ingredients as my garden vegetable rice.
In Puerto Rico, we season with all purpose adobo, and we add color with the sazon with recao and achiote.
Every time I make this recipe, I go with white rice Puerto Rican style, which is perfect for absorbing all that good sauce. Or make a Puerto Rican arroz con jamonilla or a rice with corn.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Made with simple ingredients you probably already have at home.
- It is super customizable, add or remove any vegetables you want.
- This is a one-pan recipe that cooks in under 30 minutes from start to finish!
Recipe Ingredients
- Seasonings- The seasonings used are adobo, sazon, black pepper, and thyme.
- Oil- 1 tablespoon of oil is used to mix all the seasonings, as it helps to season the pork chops more easily. The other tablespoon is to pan-fry the pork chops.
- Pork chops- I used 4 pork chops. Bone in because boneless tends to come out drier. This is because boneless pork chops are leaner, resulting in drier meat.
- Garlic paste- I used 1 teaspoon of freshly minced garlic. If you use pre-made garlic minced from a tube from the supermarket, you can use more because they tend to be milder in flavor.
- Tomato sauce- I added ¼ of tomato sauce, but you can also use tomato paste. Just use half of what the recipe indicates for sauce.
- Sofrito- I used 2 tablespoons of a classic sofrito, which is one of the base flavors in Puerto Rican foods. If you don’t have any, you can use a sofrito alternative.
- Water- The cup of water is added to have more broth, or as we call it in Spanish, caldito. This is good to keep the pork chops and vegetables juicy.
- Mixed Vegetables- I used ½ cup of corn, ½ cup of mixed peas, diced carrots, and ¼ cup of green beans. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables. But if using fresh carrots, you must dice them into small cubes to ensure they get tender. You can also add small pieces of potatoes, onions, and peppers.
How To Make Chuletas A La Jardinera
- Photo 1: Mix all the seasonings and garlic with 1 TB of oil. Rub all the pork chops with the seasoning mix.
- Photo 2: In a large pan over high heat, add the rest of the oil and sear the pork chops for 3 minutes per side, set aside. This will give the pork chops a nice color and flavor to the broth.
- Photo 3: Add and cook the sofrito and tomato sauce. Add water and pork chops and cook for 6 minutes. Make sure to cover the pan while it cooks. This will help to cook the pork chop faster with the steam, and it will also keep it moist.
- Photo 4: At the end, add your vegetables and finish cooking. You want to add the vegetables now and not in the beginning to avoid mushy vegetables.
Stephenie’s Recipe Tips
- Keep the pork chops covered to prevent them from getting dry.
- The broth is good not only for keeping the chuletas juicy, but it is great for going over the rice.
- You can add more vegetables to this recipe if you like.
- In this recipe, you can also make it like the baked chop recipe or the steamed pork chops, but with vegetables and without sazon.
Recipe Questions
Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to marinate the pork chops before cooking. You can season the pork chops and cook them right away, and you’ll see how delicious they are.
While it is the most common way, you don’t have to. You can bake, air fry them, and even grill the pork chops. Then you just have to add the chuletas to the vegetable mix so the juices can penetrate the pork chops.
Use an airtight container, or you can even use the same pan you used to cook the chuletas. Hey, that means fewer dishes! Keep in your fridge for no more than 4 days.
Delicious Sides to Also Make
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Chuletas A La Jardinera With Mixed Vegetables
Ingredients
Instructions
- Take 1 tablespoon of oil and mix in the adobo, sazon, black pepper, thyme, and garlic paste. Rub the seasoning paste on the pork chops until they’re fully covered.
- In a large pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook the chuletas for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Lower heat to medium-high. Add the sofrito and tomato sauce. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Add the pork chops and water. Cover the pan and cook for 6 minutes.
- Add vegetables, stir, and cover. Cook for another 6 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
- You can add more vegetables to the recipe if you like.
- Keep the pork chops covered to prevent them from getting dry.
- Store for up to 4 days in your fridge.
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