Transforming Leftover Breaded Pork Chops: 19 Creative Ways to Give Them New Life

There’s nothing better on a cold winter night than warm, tender pork chops. For extra decadence, serve them with oven-baked potatoes and red wine. But what do you do with all the leftover pork chops that no one wants the next day? Do you make cold sandwiches or microwave chops for lunch? If neither of those sound good, don’t worry—pork chops are one of the most versatile foods you can eat. Just cut them up and mix them with fresh ingredients for a whole new taste.

According to Tasting Table, there are at least 23 delicious recipes you can make with Thanksgiving leftovers. Usually, this means turkey, but if you’re in Gen Z, pizza is changing the history of Thanksgiving. There’s a lot you can do to make that cold turkey, fruit, and veg look better, from simple club sandwiches to party favorites like butternut squash bruschettas and cranberry brie bites. The same applies to pork, especially if winter is around the corner. Here are the many things you can do with leftover pork chops.

One of the easiest ways to use up leftover food and pantry items is to make fried rice. Mashed says that making pork fried rice is easy and quick. All you need to do is remember a few simple steps. First, boil the white rice. Then, let it cool down while you get the other things you need: peas, carrots, green onions, garlic, a couple of eggs, and grated ginger. For a real Chinese taste, get a bottle of Chinese rice wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil to go with your fried rice. Of course, dont forget the leftover pork — chop it up into bite-sized pieces.

Before frying anything, mix all sauces together in a small bowl. Then, heat up a big wok and add one spoon of vegetable or olive oil along with the carrot slices. After a couple of minutes, add the pork, garlic, and grated ginger. The pork is already cooked, so don’t wait too long. You don’t want dry, chewy pieces in the end. Add the rice, sauce mix, peas, onions, and anything else you want to add for flavor or get rid of from the fridge after a few minutes. Finally, cook the eggs, fried or scrambled, and mix them into the rice in any way you like.

Loaded (or mini) nachos

You can choose between loaded nachos and something else. Loaded nachos are a great, hearty meal, but they’re hard to share, especially if the party is big. You can change it up and make mini nachos instead. This means cooking them in separate, smaller piles. But the ingredients don’t change. Once again, the star of the show is leftover pork chops cut into small pieces. Mashed says that you can add diced tomatoes, red onion, red and yellow peppers, olives, sour cream, guacamole, jalapeños (if you want it spicy), and any kind of shredded cheese you like. But we think you can get even crazier with the toppings for nachos. Instead of sour cream, try tzatziki, beans, chili, or even fried eggs.

Nothing needs to sit on the stove before it goes into the oven because the pork chops are already cooked. Fill a baking sheet with tortilla chips, cheese, pork, vegetables, and more cheese (make sure you get all that melted goodness at the end). Then cover the top with foil. As you might expect, the only ones that don’t go into the oven are the guacamole and cream/tzatziki. They’re always served fresh, on the side. The tray should stay in the oven for about 10 minutes at 375 F, then you can enjoy.

This is a slightly fancier meal, as it requires ingredients you might not already have at home. But once you do have the ingredients, its very quick and light, which might come in handy after overindulging in pork chops the night before. As per Tasting Table, the heart and soul of a Thai pork salad is its vinaigrette, which is made from fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, lime leaf, and fresh herbs ( such as mint, lemongrass, chiles, and any other fresh, sweet, spicy, or sour ideas you have).

The salad itself is a mix of fresh lettuce, radishes, scallions, shallots, and roasted peanuts. And dont forget the lime wedges on the side. If you have pork chops left over, you can either cut them into thin slices and add them to the salad, or you can sear them in a pan first for a naughtier, warmer salad. Either way, youll obtain a very fresh and pungent take on the obsolete pork chops.

Turning your leftover pork chops into a hot pot pie can have an amazing effect on a party of hungry guests, and its also super effective: Similarly to the hash, it gets rid of several other leftovers in your fridge or pantry — if you have some puff pastry lying around, even better. Tasting Table gives the recipe for a chicken pot pie that works perfectly with pork, too.

Melt some butter in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Then add some onion, garlic, and mushrooms, if you have them. This is a great comfort food. Cook them until brown, then add potatoes, carrots, and celery. Then add some flour on top, but keep stirring because this is where lumps are likely to form. Once everything seems to be getting along, add the milk, stock, and pork chops. Cut them into small cubes so they cook nice and tender.

Leave this tasty mixture over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, then let it cool down. Finally, put the pie together. If you have the right dishes and kitchen confidence, you can make one big pot pie or several small ones. The latter might make for a stunning dinner party presentation, but both are equally delicious and comforting.

Adding Caribbean flavors to leftover pork chops is guaranteed to disguise them into a brand-new dish. Our Puerto Rican pork mofongo recipe is pretty much perfect in this respect. A good green plantain, or several of them, peeled and cut into tiny pieces, is the star of any mofongo. The same goes for your leftover chops: Break them apart into thin shreds or small cubes.

Cover your pork with Caribbean seasoning: sazon, adobo, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Fry the plantains until they turn golden. In a different pan, fry the pork in vegetable oil for a few minutes to make sure all the spices mix well. Now, prepare your pilon, otherwise known as mortar and pestle. Make sure the dish has extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and ground garlic at the bottom before you add the main ingredients.

Then, add the plantains and smush them with the pestle until turned into a chunky paste. Make sure you leave a hole or valley in the middle — thats where the pork goes. Sprinkle it with some leftover grease from cooking the pork. You can also fry some bacon, break it up into little pieces, and sprinkle that on top if you’re really feeling fancy. The dish is almost done. Turn it over on a plate and sprinkle it with any herb you like, like oregano, cilantro, mint, or both.

Lo Mein is too often associated with takeout food, but its easy to make at home, and its definitely a quick way to reinvent your leftover pork chops. Tasting Table shares Chinese Tuxedo chef Paul Donnellys recipe for a perfect mapo pork lo mein — simply replace the ground meat with the pork chops and cut these into tiny pieces that will soak up that delicious marinade. Speaking of the marinade, make it from fish sauce, soy sauce, granulated sugar, garlic, and baking soda. Let the pork sink in while you make the mapo sauce.

Turn ginger, chile, and garlic into a paste, using a food processor or a mortar and pestle. Fry it in a pan for about one minute, then add the chili paste and sweet bean sauce. Cook for two more minutes. After that, add the pork and cook everything together for five minutes, or until it looks golden and caramelized. This is the last step. If you like your lo mein pretty spicy, add some Lao Gan Ma, which is spicy chili crisp.

Then, of course, dont forget to cook your lo mein noodles. However, wait until the very end. They shouldn’t take more than four minutes to cook, and they’re best when they’re hot. Put it all on a plate or mix it all together. Then add the mapo pork on top of the noodles.

Possibly the easiest recipe of them all, the Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich is an excellent — and tastier — alternative to the regular leftover pork chop with mayo on toast. According to Tasting Table, there are just about a million ways you can make a Banh Mi, from classic grilled chicken to crispy fried fish and the original charred pork and cold cuts. Of course, the last one is what you want to revamp those chops.

Before you can make the perfect Banh Mi, you need to toast both halves of a baguette or fry them on one side only to get the perfect fluffy-crispy contrast. Put some mayonnaise on the bottom of the bread. Then put pork loaf slices (or any kind of ham you like), pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber (or gherkins, or both), peanuts, red onion, jalapeños, cilantro, and shallots inside the sandwich.

To make those leftover chops Vietnamese, simply cut them into thin bits, throw them into a skillet at high heat for a couple of minutes, then add some red nuoc cham sauce on top. Now, theyre ready to go into the Banh Mi sandwich and take it to the next level.

There are many Asian dishes that are based on pork. If you have leftover pork chops that you want to make juicy again, try making them into a soup. Vietnamese or Japanese? Your choice.

If you want to go for a fragrant pork Pho, start by toasting all your spices for a couple of minutes (via Mashed): cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, star anise, cloves, grated turmeric, and ginger. Then, add bone broth — or beef stock — and fish sauce, bring it to a boil, then let it all simmer for about an hour. Cook a big batch of vermicelli noodles, then add to the broth, along with the leftover pork chops (cut into bite-sized pieces). Add toppings to your liking: Bean sprouts, fresh cilantro and mint, basil, and Sriracha all make for classic Vietnamese options.

If youre more into the Ramen game, though, heres what Mashed recommends: Bring six cups of chicken broth to a simmer along with ginger, garlic cloves, red onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, and lemongrass. Meanwhile, soft boil as many eggs as there are dinner guests, and cook your ramen noodles. As for the leftover chops — heat them up and slice them thinly, so as to imitate a shoyu ramen pork slice. Strain all the spices from your broth, plate the noodles, then add the broth, the pork, and toppings such as jalapeño, onion, cilantro, and bean sprouts.

Pork and potato hash

Since meat and potatoes are usually a given in non-vegetarian families fridges during winter, this recipe is easy to make — you simply combine everything you have at home and turn it into something fresh. So for a tasty pork and potato hash, you can use leftover potatoes, too, as long as theyre not too old (according to USDA, cooked potatoes are okay to store in the fridge for three to four days). Needless to say, the pork chops work perfectly for the recipe; you can turn them into small cubes or just cut them into medium-sized chunks — cubes are easier to eat, but chunks make for a more aesthetically-pleasing presentation.

First, heat up a skillet and melt a dollop of butter. Sauté little bits of onion and celery, then add milk, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce. For a more flavorful twist, you can even add a little cream of mushroom soup to the mix. While this mixture simmers, throw in the potatoes and pork, and add diced carrots and peas. Over low heat, let all the juices mix well for 10 minutes. Then, add spices (like salt, pepper, and paprika) to taste. This recipe is sure to make the dry pork chops you have left into juicy winter comfort food.

Preparing Cuban sliders with leftover pork chops basically earns you a glorified leftover sandwich: theyre bite-sized, warm, and much more party friendly. And before you cut them into pleasant-looking cubes, you can start off with a regular Cuban sandwich. As Tasting Table suggests, the foundation of a perfect Cuban sandwich (or slider) comprises fresh white bread, pork, pickles, and cheese. Oh, and a panini press.

Get a fresh loaf of Cuban bread or even medianoche sandwich bread if you can. The rich taste and texture of these breads go well with the pork and melted cheese that’s coming next. If not, white French or Italian bread will do just fine. Halve the loaf, just like you would for any regular panini. At the base, place the pork — but dont just throw the leftover pork chops in there. Make sure you break them into tiny pieces that mimic the roast pork normally used in Cuban sandwiches. Then, add pickle slices and as much cheese as you can handle. If you want to go all out, you can even add cured ham to the mix before putting it in the panini press. Then, without getting too hot, cut it into squares that you can eat. Let the cheese melt all over your plate.

Stir fries are a slightly healthier, more vegetable-rich recipe that completely transforms those leftover pork chops. As per Mashed, you can go for the five-spice pork stir fry recipe: Dont worry, you dont have to actually go hunting for fennel, ground cinnamon, star anise, clove, and Sichuan peppercorns — most large supermarkets sell Chinese five-spice powder. Once you have this at home, chop up the leftover pork into small chunks and cover each and every one of them in five-spice powder.

Then, create a sauce mixture out of soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, and red pepper flakes. Next, heat up your wok and fry the pork for about five minutes. Add ground ginger and garlic, along with any vegetables you want or have, once it’s nice and crispy. Red pepper, snow peas (or any peas as long as they’re in their pods), carrots, and mushrooms are the ones that are used most often. Cook it over low heat for a few minutes, then add the sauce, and youre done. You can serve the pork stir fry with white noodles or rice. You might even forget it’s a leftover recipe because the dish tastes so different from the pork chops.

How to upgrade Pork chop leftovers

FAQ

What to do with dry pork chop leftovers?

How to make leftover pork chops juicy?

How long can breaded pork stay in the fridge?

What to eat with leftover pork chops?

Add some eggs and vegetables for more taste, and pair it with your other favorite Chinese dishes. Ingredients include: White rice, onions, eggs, peas, bean sprouts, soy sauce, and pork chops. 5. Leftover Pork Chop Mexican Casserole This recipe is ideal for those weeknights when you need a meal that is quick, easy, and can use up pork chops.

How do you cook leftover pork chops?

The same goes for your leftover chops: Break them apart into thin shreds or small cubes. Cover your pork with Caribbean seasoning: sazon, adobo, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Fry your plantains until golden, and in a separate pan, fry the pork in vegetable oil for a few minutes so that all the seasoning mixes in nicely.

How to make leftover pork chops tender?

There are a few ways to make leftover pork chops tender. One way is to cut them into thin strips and then cook them slowly in a pan with some broth or water. Another way is to shred them using a fork or chop them into small pieces and then cook them in a pan with some broth or water.

How do you reheat breaded pork chops?

Simply sauté the pork chops with some veggies like onions, peppers, and mushrooms. How do you reheat leftover breaded pork chops? The best way to reheat leftover breaded pork chops is to place them on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-12 minutes.