Cajun Stuffed Pork Chops!

My husband used to make these GREAT stuffed pork chops for me when we were first married!  It was such a treat! They were succulent, sweet, and spicy and I couldn't get enough of them!  We still make them together, for special occasions, or for a nice Sunday Supper!  We felt like cooking them up last night, and boy, were they AMAZING!  The house smelled incredible!  This is a recipe of Louisiana Chef, Paul Prudhomme!  He knows his stuff! I did alter recipe, just a bit, to make things easier and cut the cooking time, because the cooking time on his recipe made the chops too dry. I'll tell you the time he says, and the time we used to get them more juicy!

                                                       Cajun Stuffed Pork Chops!

The stuffing gets nice and crisp!  Tastes amazing!

6  1 3/4 inch thick Pork Chops with bone-in

For stuffing~

1 pound ground pork
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 large green bell pepper, chopped fine
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies and their juice
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1 cup chicken stock
1 bunch green onions, chopped fine
1 Tbsp minced garlic 
7 Tbsp unsalted butter-divided 3 and 4
2 apples, cored, unpeeled, and chopped fine
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp seasoning mix-recipe below

For seasoning mix~
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

Make up seasoning mix first. Mix well~

Cut pockets in pork chops all the way to the bone to hold stuffing.  Take out 2 Tbsp of seasoning mix, and put aside to put into stuffing.  Use the rest of seasoning to put onto and into chops.  We couldn't get 1 3/4 inch thick chops this time, because it was last minute, so I had to cut cooking time. These were about 1 1/4 inch thick.  Try to get the bigger ones~

Start making up the stuffing in large skillet. Brown ground pork with 3 Tbsp butter over high heat for about 3 minutes, then add onions, bell peppers, garlic, and the 2 Tbsp of seasoning mix. Stir well, and cook about 5 minutes, scraping up bottom of pan.  Stir in green chilies and continue to cook up until well browned!

See how nice and brown it gets?  So many flavors caramelizing up together! YUM!  Now add the apples, and chicken stock~let it cook while stirring, for about 3-5 minutes, then add the remaining 4 Tbsp butter, your 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 3 Tbsp brown sugar.  Mix well, and when butter is melted, add the bread crumbs.  Keep cooking for a couple more minutes, scraping up pan bottom!  All the flavor is on the pan bottom, you want all that! :)

Stuff each chop with about 1/4 cup or more with stuffing.  Place them into 13X9 inch pan, pocket side up!  Save the remaining stuffing to bake up with the pork chops for last 15-20 minutes.  Put chops into a 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.  Chef Prudhomme's recipe says to cook it for an hour and 10 minutes.  We cut the time to 50 minutes and we could have cooked them even less. We did have smaller chops, but I would highly recommend checking them around 40 minutes in!  Don't forget to bake up extra stuffing for last 15 minutes before chops are fully cooked! Serve the stuffed chops over a bit of the extra stuffing!  IT'S AMAZING!  Your taste buds will thank you!!

...ALL this yummy food was being cooked up under this beautiful rainbow!  Simply a great Sunday night with my awesome family!