Grandma’s sweet and sour pork chops recipe is super simple but really delicious. They take just 5 ingredients, and you end up with tender chops in a fabulous sauce. This is a dinner idea you will want to make on repeat.

Close up of a sweet and sour pork chop served with peas and noodles.

Sweet and sour pork chops feature juicy pork chops simmered in a wonderful sauce. They are a perfect meal for a busy night as they simmer away while you make the side dishes. There is very little effort or attention required.

As I was thumbing through my grandma’s recipe box, the recipe card for sweet and sour pork chops caught my eye. We are huge fans of pork chops in our house, and this looked like a fun new way to prepare them.

It seems people have some hesitancy around pork chops. Mostly, that is because they grew up eating over cooked pork chops that were dry and flavorless.

Close up of a tender pork chop after it has simmered in a simple sweet and sour sauce, ready to eat.

Bite of sweet and sour pork chop on fork, showing tender inside and thick tomato based sauce on the outside.

The key to a great pork chop is cooking it correctly. There are two ways to ensure your pork chops are tender, juicy, and delicious.

One way is to not overcook the pork chop. Use a meat thermometer and stop cooking the chop once it has an internal temperature of 145℉.

The other way is to slow cook them in a flavorful sauce until they are almost fall apart tender. That is the cooking method we use for both pork chops in mushroom soup gravy and these tasty chops.

Cooking Method

All you have to do is dredge your pork chops in a little bit of flour and brown them in oil. I used my large electric skillet to give myself plenty of room, but you can do this in batches in a standard skillet if you prefer.

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Ingredients including bone in pork chops, flour, oil, ketchup and bread and butter pickles.

Browned pork chops in a large electric skillet.

Just don’t crowd the pan. You want to get a little bit of color on the chops. However, they don’t need to be cooked through at this stage.

Then stir together some ketchup and liquid from some sweet pickles. This gives you a flavorful sauce with just two ingredients.

Measuring cup with ketchup and pickle juice stirred together to make a simple sweet and sour sauce.

Ketchup and pickle juice sauce poured over browned pork chips in electric skillet, ready to simmer.

The mix of sweet flavors with the sour vinegar and tomato from the ketchup gives you something reminiscent to BBQ sauce, but not quite. It is its own thing.

Simmer the chops on low in that sauce. That will give them a chance to get super tender without drying out.

Pork chops after they have simmered in the sweet and sour sauce, ready to be served.

Dinner plate of pork chop with sweet and sour sauce served with peas and pasta.

You end up with a wonderfully delicious source of protein for your meal, and it only took a few minutes of active cooking. The rest is just waiting for the magic to happen.

For more great dinner ideas, check out my collection of pork recipes for some tasty inspiration.

Dinner plate with a sweet and sour pork chop in red sauce served with peas and buttered egg noodles.

5 from 1 rating

Grandma’s Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings

Grandma's sweet and sour pork chops only take 5 ingredients to make. They simmer in a simple sauce that makes them extra tender and flavorful. Dinner doesn't get much easier than this!

Prep: 5

Cook: 30

Total: 35

Equipment

Presto 16-Inch Electric Skillet with Glass Cover

Ingredients

Instructions

Heat oil in large skillet or electric skillet over medium-high heat.
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Dredge the pork chops in flour seasoned with a little bit of salt and pepper.
6 pork chops, ¼ cup all purpose flour
Brown on both sides, working in batches if needed. Drain any excess grease.
Stir together ketchup and pickle juice. Pour over pork chops in pan.
¾ cup ketchup, ¾ cup bread and butter pickle juice
Cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until pork chops are done to your liking.

Notes

Any sweet pickle juice will work for the sauce.

Pork chops are done at 145℉. You can stop cooking them when they reach that temperature. However, because of the sauce, these will stay tender if cooked to a higher temp. Just keep cooking them low and slow until they get to your desired doneness.