WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!
These golden, crispy Taiwanese pork chops with an aromatic five-spice marinade deliver restaurant-quality Taiwanese comfort food right to your kitchen.
Jump to:
Watch how to make this
What makes this dish special
Pan-fried pork chops are a basic dish that can be modified and edited according to the culture. They can be served with sausage gravy for an American version, simmered in eggs and a soy sauce mix for a Japanese version, and topped with tomato sauce and melted Parmesan for an Italian version. The same dish even has numerous names according to different countries, including but not limited to Pork Milanese, Tonkatsu, and Pork Schnitzel. Today I'm preparing Taiwanese pork chops, pan-fried pork chops that have been marinated in a soy sauce-based mixture.
Taiwanese pork chops differ from other cultures' pork chops for two reasons: the marinade and the sweet potato starch. However, the basic idea is the same: coat the pork in a breading and pan-fry until golden brown. It's an easy-to-prepare meal that delivers on flavor!
Ingredients
- Bone-in pork chops: The bone serves multiple crucial purposes - it helps retain moisture during cooking, preventing the meat from drying out, and adds extra flavor through the marrow. Bone-in chops also maintain their shape better during frying and tend to stay more tender.
- Chinese five spice: This blend (typically star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds) provides a warm, aromatic, and slightly sweet-spicy taste.
- Star anise: While star anise is already a component of five spice, adding whole star anise intensifies that particular flavor note. It contributes a distinctive licorice-like sweetness and aromatic depth.
- Sweet potato starch: Crucial for achieving the signature ultra-crispy, light coating that Taiwanese pork chops are famous for. Sweet potato starch creates a more delicate, crunchier texture than regular flour or even cornstarch. It stays crunchy longer and doesn't become soggy as quickly. For the best results, use coarse sweet potato starch.
Substitutions and variations
- Protein: Try this recipe with chicken thighs for a fried chicken variation.
- Spicy: You can sprinkle red chili flakes on the pork chops after they're cooked or add them to the marinade.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free tamari in the marinade.
Recipe
Taiwanese Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops bone-in
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 2 star anise
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 garlic minced
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup sweet potato starch
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Make small slits around the edges of the pork chops, about 2 inches apart, to prevent the pork from curling when fried. Lightly pound pork chops with a mallet until ½-inch thick.
- Combine soy sauce, sugar, Chinese five spice, star anise, pepper, and garlic, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Pour marinade over pork chops, turning to coat. Let marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove star anise.
- Beat egg in a small bowl. Pour egg over pork chops, coating both sides evenly.
- Add sweet potato starch to a shallow bowl and coat pork chops with starch, making sure to cover it thoroughly. Shake off the excess and repeat with remaining pork chops.
- Add enough oil to fill a large skillet to a depth of ¼ inch. Heat over medium heat and carefully lay pork chops in the hot oil. Shallow fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip pork chop over and continue to cook on the other side until golden brown. Remove from oil and transfer to a paper-towel-lined tray to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining pork chops and serve with rice.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Marinate pork
I love it when an incredibly flavorful dish is also incredibly easy to prepare, like these Taiwanese pork chops. All you have to do is marinate the pork and cook it. Easy enough, right?
Start by preparing the pork. Cut slits around the edges of the pork to prevent the pork from curling up while cooking. Then, pound the pork with a mallet to tenderize the meat and allow even cooking.
Combine the seasonings for the marinade, including five-spice, star anise, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Pour the seasonings over the pork, turning to coat both sides. I like to marinate the pork in a ziploc bag so that I can easily flip over the pork while it's sitting.
To get maximum flavor, allow the pork to marinate for at least four hours and up to overnight.
Recipe tip
If you're short on time to marinate the pork, pound it thinner, about ¼-inch thick, and marinate for 2 hours.
Step 2: Cook
Once the pork is marinated, it is ready to be fried. Unlike other pan-fried pork recipes that use egg, flour, and panko, this version only requires egg and sweet potato starch.
Whisk an egg and pour it over the pork chops, mixing well to ensure each piece is well coated. The egg will help the starch adhere better.
Add sweet potato starch to a shallow bowl and dredge the pork chops, shaking off the excess.
When shopping for this item, make sure to purchase coarse sweet potato starch and not fine-grain. The coarser particles create a more pronounced crispy coating compared to the fine-grain; however, if you can only find the fine-grain, it will still work.
On that note, make sure that the package doesn't read "sweet potato flour," which is used more for baking and as a flour substitute.
Heat enough oil in a large saute pan to come up ¼-inch up the sides and carefully lay the pork chops in the pan. You may have to cook the pork chops in batches.
Continue to cook the pork until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side until golden brown.
The result? Beautifully browned chops in no time. Traditionally, Taiwanese pork chops are served on a bed of rice with several side dishes ranging from pickled cabbage, minced meat sauce, boiled eggs, pickled daikon, and seared tofu. But you can prepare any other sides to make it a complete meal.
Talk about an easy-to-prepare and balanced meal that is suitable for kids and adults alike!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: You can marinate the pork chops overnight and coat them ahead of time, but fry them just before serving.
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 3 days.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use boneless pork chops. Just adjust the cooking time slightly, as they may cook faster than bone-in chops.
Although cornstarch is more commonly available, it won't give you the crispiest coating and can become soft quickly after the pork has been fried. I recommend using tapioca starch instead.
I don't recommend baking the pork chops because they won't get that same crispy exterior. They also don't get quite as crispy in the air fryer, but they do reheat well in the air fryer.
More Taiwanese recipes
Looking for more Taiwanese dishes? Try these:
Jasline @ Foodie Baker says
I love Taiwanese food - I remember eating a bian dang (bento) with that yummy pork chop and a braised egg and vegetables. Can't wait to recreate this at home, thanks for the tips! 🙂
cma0425 says
I'm a huge fan of Taiwanese food too. Enjoy!
Lila says
Do you have a reliable recipe for Taiwanese style pickled cabbage? The photos I see online seem too fresh and light compared to what I ate in a Taiwanese restaurant... maybe what I had was just pickled longer but it was so delicious I can’t stop thinking about it!
Cherry on My Sundae says
Unfortunately, I don't. Not many places actually make Taiwanese style pickled cabbage but when they do, it's so good. If I create a recipe, I will let you know!
Raphael F. says
These pork chops were perfectly crispy and tender! Now that I know how easy they are to make, I'll be making them often!
Christine Ma says
I'm so glad it was a success!