Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops

These authentic Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops otherwise known as “Chuletas Fritas,” are juicy, tender and hyper flavorful. Pair them up with rice, pasta, potatoes, veggies or salad for a full meal. Bonus: Quickly fried and on the table in less than 20 minutes!

(Grab your FREE list of 47 Puerto Rican Recipes of Authentic Dishes, here!)

Pork chops by far are a favorite in my home but Puerto Rican “chuletas fritas” are had at least once a week at a minimum!

Puerto Rican pork chops are just really flavorful and delicious, especially fried.

Have adobo, garlic, paprika, oregano and oil at home? Then you can make these!

I like to use fresh garlic but if you only have garlic powder, that will work too. 

Now here’s the thing….

If you like boneless pork chops, yes, this recipe will still be delicious, but in my opinion, they just won’t be as delicious! 🙂

Let me explain…

Puerto Rican fried pork chops are just tastier and much more juicer with the bone in!

So for me, whenever I make Puerto Rican pork chops I like to buy rib cut pork chops or a loin chop. However, with everything going on in the world now a days, they were a bit harder to find so I used sirloin chops. 

(Grab your FREE list of 47 Puerto Rican Recipes of Authentic Dishes, here!)

Ingredients You Will Need

2 ½ lbs bone in pork chops (about 6 pork chops)
1 ½ teaspoon adobo
1 ½ teaspoon paprika
2 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
oil for frying

Note: Some people like to use a packet of Sazón on their pork chops but I love them with just adobo and garlic marinade. Feel free to add a packet to marinade if you like! 

How to Make Puerto Rican Fried Pork Chops

Mash garlic and oregano in a mortar and pestle. 
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to garlic and oregano. Stir ingredients together. 
Note: If you do not have a mortar and pestle you can add ingredients to a small food chopper to blend together or finely mince garlic with a knife. 

Rinse pork chops and lay them on a cutting board or plate. 
Top all pork chops with a teaspoon of the garlic and oregano mix.  
With your fingers or using a spoon, spread garlic all over the surface of pork chops. 
Repeat process on the other side of pork chops. 
Now, sprinkle all pork chops with adobo on both sides. 
Followed with paprika on both sides. 
Set chops aside. 
Preheat a frying pan with ¼ cup of vegetable or corn oil for 2-3 minutes. 
Carefully, add 2-3 pork chops to the frying pan depending on how big your pan is. (DO NOT OVERCROWD PAN OR PORK WILL BOIL MORE THAN ANYTHING and that is not good!) 
After 5-7 minutes, flip pork chops to cook on the other side. 
Cook for 7-10 minutes. 
Once pork chops are cooked, drain on a plate lined with paper towels. 
Serve immediately. 

*Two other delicious Puerto Rican Pork Chop Recipes you have to try are Chuletas a la Jardinera (Garden Style Pork Chops) and Chuletas Guisadas (Stewed Pork Chops).

What to Serve With “Chuletas Fritas”

Puerto Rican Rice and Beans (Arroz con Habichuelas)
Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn
Ensalada de Papa (Potato Salad)
Arroz con Gandules (Pigeon Peas and Rice)
Ensalada de Coditos (Macaroni Salad)

(Grab your FREE list of 47 Puerto Rican Recipes of Authentic Dishes, here!)

📖 Recipe