Pork Chops with Orange-Soy Sauce

I was all set to make this recipe for Pan Seared Pork with Citrus Rum Sauce for dinner this week. Then SP told me we didn't have any rum. Oops. We have quite a few bottles of liquor, mainly for cooking not drinking, but apparently rum wasn't one of them.

So off to Google I went. Since I had a bag of oranges for the original recipe I was hoping to find a sauce that would allow me to use them up. This recipe for Pork Chops with Orange-Soy Sauce sounded good, with the bonus of being healthy and not needing to marinate ahead of time. Excellent.


SP and I were both really, really happy with this recipe. It took very little time to make and the results were delicious. I ended up reducing the sauce more than I wanted to and we were fighting over it when making up our lunches for the next day. The orange provided a nice fresh burst and soy sauce is one of my favorite ingredients because of the great depth of flavor. Definitely a winner in our book.

Pork Chops with Orange-Soy Sauce
Slightly Modified from Eating Well

2 tablespoons oil
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (took me 6 medium oranges to get 1 cup of juice)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
4 pork chops
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet until shimmering. Combine orange juice, soy sauce, garlic and thyme in a small bowl. Set aside.

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork chops to the hot skillet and sear until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Lower the heat and continue cooking, turning as needed to prevent burning, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the chops to a plate and cover tightly with foil.

Add the reserved orange juice mixture to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until the sauce is reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Return the chops to the skillet; heat through, turning to coat. Serve with the pan sauce.