Pork Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce
STUFFING
BUTTERED BROCCOLI
These tender strips of pork loin, breaded and fried until golden and dunked in a sweet honey mustard sauce are a favorite of family and friends young and old.
Ingredients:
For the Pork Tenders:
1 quart peanut or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
2 teaspoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
2 eggs, well beaten
6 Tablespoons milk
3/4 package Chicken in a Biskit crackers, crushed, or other seasoned crackers
8 4-oz boneless center cut pork chops/pork loin slices, tenderized *cut these into 3-4 strips per 4 oz. loin slice, lengthwise
additional seasoned salt or sea salt for sprinkling post-frying
For the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
2/3 cup honey
3 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Directions for Pork Tenders:
1. Heat oil to 350 degrees in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet.
2. Combine flour and cornstarch in a large glass baking dish.
3. Add Lawry’s and pepper. In a separate baking dish add beaten eggs and milk, mix together.
4. In a third baking dish, add crushed crackers plus 5 TBSP of flour/cornstarch mixture. Mix well.
5. Dredge each piece of tenderized pork in flour, shake excess.
6. Dip in egg/milk mixture, shake excess.
7. Dredge in cracker crumb mixture.
8. Place on clean plate and repeat with other pieces until complete.
9. When ready to fry, be sure oil is 350 degrees.
10. Fry 4-6 pieces or 1 large piece of meat at a time in 350 degree oil, for 2 minutes and until golden brown. Use a meat thermometer to test doneness, at least 145 degrees.
11. Remove to paper towel lined plate. Serve immediately with honey mustard dipping sauce.
Directions for the Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
1. Combine honey and mustard in a bowl. Stir well. Serve at room temperature.
*NOTE – this is the reason for the 50/50 cornstarch coating in this recipe. When it comes to coating chicken or pork for cooking — particularly for fried — flour is the common go-to, but if you want very crisp, crunchy skin, cornstarch is the better option. Cornstarch is a pure starch often used as a thickening agent for sauces and soups, and is commonly used in Asian cooking for stir-fries. When used to fry chicken or pork , it helps with browning and creates a super crisp crust that seals in the juices of the chicken or pork.
©iStock.com/PeteerS
The image featured at the top of this post is ©iStock.com/PeteerS.