Are you in the mood for a meaty dish that’s crispy, breaded, and bursting with flavor? These Pork Cutlets come with a delicious cherry sauce you can enjoy any day of the week! This paleo-friendly and The Myers Way® approved recipe will satisfy your tastebuds without derailing your health. It’s even better because it’s gluten-free. These pork cutlets use tapioca starch and cassava flour to give it that crispy exterior. Paired with thyme-flavored cherry sauce, this dish perfectly balances notes of herb and fruit.
You can serve these crispy pork cutlets at a family cookout or an elegant date night. Made with simple ingredients, this sweet and savory culinary masterpiece comes together in less than an hour.
Traditional Pork Cutlets
When you think of traditional pork cutlets, you might imagine greasy, deep-fried breaded pork. Oftentimes, these contain more breading and fat than actual pork! Bread crumbs contain gluten and are off-limits for those following The Myers Way®. Traditional pork cutlets are also usually fried in unhealthy fats such as canola oil.
However, these crispy pork cutlets are healthy, delicious, and The Myers Way® approved. That’s because they are lightly coated with a mixture of cassava flour and tapioca starch. Both are great gluten-free, grain-free alternatives to flour. Cassava flour and tapioca starch are both made from the root of the yuca plant. This gives the cutlets a light, crispy coating without adding inflammatory wheat flour or breadcrumbs.
I season the flour mixture with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to give the pork cutlets more flavor. Look for an Italian seasoning without red pepper flakes. Or, you can make your own by combining equal parts of dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, and dried rosemary.
Also, I use olive oil to pan-fry the pork cutlets. Olive oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and can promote a healthy heart!1
I use boneless pork for this recipe. Pork has protein to help build and repair muscle tissue. It also contains thiamin, niacin, B vitamins, and phosphorus, which are essential to many body functions, including energy levels and hormone balance2
Pork is a healthy addition to any diet, especially when paired with other healthy, clean-eating ingredients. My thyme-flavored cherry juice sauce is a great example! It’s so delicious, and I made it, especially for these pork cutlets.
Cooking Pork Cutlets
In order to get pork cutlets to cook evenly, I use boneless pork and flattened them with a meat mallet. You want them to be about ½ inch thick all around. The least messy way to do this is to place your pork cutlets in between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. This helps prevent splatters as you pound the cutlets down to size.
If you don’t have a meat mallet, you can use a hammer to gently pound the pork cutlets. You can even use your knuckles!
Flattening the cutlets to about ½ inch allows them to cook evenly and quickly. All you need is a couple of minutes per side. Also, you will pan-fry the cutlets over medium-high heat. This is key to making sure the pork cutlets stay nice and juicy on the inside. It also helps prevent overcooking.
How do you know when your pork cutlets are done cooking? The National Pork Board recommends cooking pork chops to an internal temperature between 145 F to 160 F.
Health Benefits of Cherries
Cherries are the flavor of summer. These summer stone fruits grow on trees, typically in the Northern parts of the United States. They also grow well in California. They’re highly nutritious and come in different tartness levels. Some are more sweet, while others favor a sour tang. There are also many health benefits of cherries. For example, cherries are an excellent source of antioxidants. Their high levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene support healthy immune function3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6259571/[/note]
Additionally, they contain fiber to promote healthy digestion. If you have the option to buy fresh, always choose fresh cherries! However, frozen cherries work too if you can’t find fresh cherries, or if you’re making this during the off-season.
Cherry Sauce
I serve these pork cutlets with a tasty thyme-flavored cherry sauce. It’s so simple that it comes together in less than 10 minutes! To make the sauce, start by sautéing fresh garlic and thyme in the same skillet where I cooked the pork. After the herbs are sautéd, deglaze the pan with cherry juice. Deglazing the pan loosens any bits stuck from cooking the pork cutlets. It also gives the sauce extra flavor. Next, I thicken the sauce with tapioca starch. It’s a great gluten-free thickener. You’ll notice the cherry juice turning into a thicker sauce within minutes. Thickening the cherry sauce also helps it stick to the crispy meat.
To sweeten your sauce, you can add a tablespoon of honey. However, if you are following The Myers Way®, you’ll want to skip the honey and opt for pure stevia leaf. You can also add a few frozen cherries to the sauce as it’s cooking to make it even more special!
What To Eat With Pork Cutlets
This recipe makes four servings. For best results, spoon the cherry sauce over the pork cutlets right before serving. That way, the meat stays crispy. If you have leftovers, reheat in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 F. Reheat the sauce separately in a small saucepan.
I like to serve these pork cutlets with cheesy cauliflower bake. They would also be great with a few veggie tots on the side. Enjoy!
Pork Cutlets with Cherry Sauce
Course:
Servings
4
Prep Time
10
Cook Time
25
Ingredients
For the pork cutlets
- 4 boneless pork chop
- 1.5 tsp 7.39 ml sea salt
- 1/3 cup 80.00 ml Cassava flour
- 1/3 cup 80.00 ml tapioca starch
- 1 tsp 4.93 ml ground black pepper
- 1 tsp 4.93 ml garlic powder
- 1 tsp 4.93 ml Italian seasoning
- 3 Tbsp 44.36 ml extra virgin olive oil
For the cherry sauce
- 2 Tbsp 29.57 ml shallots minced
- 1 Tbsp 14.79 ml thyme
- 1 cup 240.00 ml cherry juice
- 1 Tbsp 14.79 ml tapioca starch
- 1/2 cup 120.00 ml cherries or frozen cherries
- ground black pepper to taste
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Trim off any fat from the pork chops. Place the pork chops between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use a meat mallet, a small hammer, or your knuckles to pound the pork chops until they are about ½ inch thick. Season each pork chops with a pinch of salt.
- In a shallow bowl or a deep plate, combine the cassava flour, tapioca starch, 1.5 teaspoons salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning, and mix well. Dredge the pork cutlets in this mixture.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Carefully place the pork cutlets into the olive oil and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes per side, or until the pork cutlets are golden brown and fully cooked. Set aside on a plate.
- Add the minced shallot to the same skillet and stir fry for 2 minutes, making sure to scrape off any bits from the pork cutlets. Add the fresh thyme leaves and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the cherry juice, then slowly add 1 tablespoon tapioca starch, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and reduces to about ⅔ cups. Add the cherries and season with salt and pepper. Serve cherry sauce over the pork cutlets.
