Braised Pork Chops with Vinegar Peppers (cherry peppers) is a simple but delicious Italian-American dish that’s easy enough for weeknights but special enough for Sunday dinner.

Pork chops with vinegar peppers in black pan.

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One of the best flavor combos!

I’ve been eating (and making) pork chops and vinegar peppers (also known as cherry peppers), for years and find the combo of pork and pickled peppers to be one of the best matches ever!

In fact, I’ll often serve breaded pork chops Milanese with a side of cherry peppers because the combination is so great. These peppers have an amazing flavor!

We incorporate them into a variety of dishes, from orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe to Italian subs and chicken scarpariello.

These braised pork chops are especially great with a side of garlic sauteed broccoli rabe and some type of starch like crispy roasted potatoes or rice pilaf and plenty of crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce!

And yes, this is the dish that Vito made in the “Live Free or Die” episode of HBO’s The Sopranos.

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

Ingredients shown: chicken stock, olive oil, garlic, cherry (vinegar) peppers, parsley, pork chops, white wine, and cherry pepper vinegar.

Pork. Blade chops or shoulder chops are usually the most economical cuts for this dish but they do have a lot of connective tissue which means they’ll take over 1 hour to braise and become tender. You can also use loin chops which will take less time to cook and can actually be seared first then finished in the sauce for a short amount of time until they reach 135°F internally. You can also opt to braise the loin chops for the 60-90 minutes as you’d do for the blade or shoulder chops.
Peppers. I’m using jarred cherry peppers, also known as vinegar peppers. These peppers can range from mild to spicy so be sure to taste test the peppers to determine how many you’d like to use. If you’re not a fan of any spice, you may wish to use the sweet cherry peppers instead.
Wine. Use a dry white wine such as a sauvignon blanc.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

Remove the skin from 10 cloves of garlic and remove the stems and seeds from 4 large hot cherry peppers. Chop the peppers roughly and mince 1/4 cup of flat leaf Italian parsley. With paper towels, pat dry 6 1-inch thick bone-in pork chops and season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat a large pan to medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the chops to the pan.

Pork chops with vinegar peppers recipe process collage group one showing seasoning of pork chops, searing pork chops, and sauteing garlic cloves until golden.

Sear until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate covered with tented foil.
Lower the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons of olive and the garlic cloves and saute until the garlic is fragrant and golden.
Add the cherry peppers and give a stir.
Add 3/4 cup of dry white wine and 1/4 cup of vinegar from the cherry peppers and turn the heat to high. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce it by 1/3, then turn the heat to low. It’s entirely optional, but if desired, add a tablespoon of tomato paste here for extra body.

Recipe collage group two showing sauteing the vinegar (cherry peppers), bringing sauce to a simmer, simmering the pork chops, and the finished dish.

Place the pork chops and juices from the plate into the pan with the sauce.. Cover, leaving the lid cracked, and allow to simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the pork is very tender. Turn the chops every 20-30 minutes to achieve even cooking.
Once the chops are tender, add the parsley to the sauce and serve the pork chops with sauce spooned over the top of each chop. Enjoy!

Top tips

Shoulder (blade) vs loin chops. As mentioned in the steps above, a loin chop can be seared and then finished in the sauce until it reaches medium doneness (135°F) or braised until fork-tender. Blade chops, which contain plenty of connective tissue, will undoubtedly benefit from braising for 60–90 minutes or until tender.
Brine the chops. If time permits, salt and pepper the pork chops and place them in the fridge uncovered overnight. This will yield juicier chops. The salt can be added at a ratio of 1-1.5% of the total weight of the chops.
The sauce. If you’re nearing the end of the braising process and the sauce is almost evaporated, add a 1/2 cup of water or stock to the pan and stir to combine.
Use homemade stock. To amplify the flavor in any dish that calls for stock, I recommend using homemade. In this case, homemade chicken stock would be great, adds flavor, and gives you great control over sodium levels.

Pork chop with cherry peppers and garlic in white plate.

More amazing pork recipes

If you’re a fan of pork chops and cherry peppers, give these other delicious recipes a try!

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