Honey-Habanero Pork Chops With Carrots

By Ali Slagle

Published Sept. 24, 2024

Honey-Habanero Pork Chops With Carrots
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(2,093)
Comments
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In this sweet-and-spicy skillet dinner, lean boneless pork chops and carrots are glossed in a simple yet impactful trio of honey, habanero chiles and lime. The combination of ingredients is classic throughout the Yucatán, like in cochinita pibil, for a reason. Habanero chiles and honey are hot and sweet, sure, but they’re also upbeat, floral and fruity. Charring the chiles alongside the pork adds a hint of smokiness, while lime zest and juice add even more high notes. Eat on top of grits or mashed potatoes.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4thin (½-inch) boneless pork chops (about 1½ pounds total)
  • 1½ teaspoons paprika
  • Salt
  • ¼cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed
  • 4medium carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1lime
  • 2habanero chiles, halved and seeded
  • ¼cup honey
  • Chopped cilantro, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

509 calories; 28 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 22 grams sugars; 38 grams protein; 715 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pat the pork dry and season all over with the paprika and a big pinch of salt. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add the carrots, season with salt and stir occasionally until crisp-tender and charred in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Scrape the carrots onto a plate and zest the lime over the top. Cut the lime in half.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over medium-high. Add the pork and the chiles. Cook, pressing the meat with tongs to prevent buckling, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until firm to the touch, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer the pork to the plate (leave the chiles in the skillet).

  4. Step 4

    Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the honey and juice from half the lime. Stir constantly until thickened and dark like maple syrup, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the pork, carrots and any resting juices back to the skillet. Turn to coat in the glaze. Serve sprinkled with the cilantro.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,093 user ratings
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Comments

Taylor

My husband and I really enjoyed this! We don’t eat a lot of pork, and the flavors had me nervous as they are all independently strong flavors, but it worked so well. Delicious served with mashed potatoes. One note- I have no idea how the carrots would ever be cooked in 3-5 min, I thinly sliced mine with a mandolin and cooked everything in a large cast iron, but it took a good 10-15 minutes.

Ari G

The habaneros released so much capsacin into the air we had to leave the house.

Corinne Glover from Crozet, Virginia

Okay, that was bloody fantastic! Followed exactly as Ali Slagle advised and it is just awesome. I am so putting this in the Keeper File and sending on to various relatives and friends. Served with lightly cheesed grits and a simple side salad of bitter greens and our house dressing. A lovely intro to Fall Cooking. Bravo!!!!

JB

The sauce was unexpectedly mild despite using 3 habaneros, but still tasty! Definitely would make again (but maybe with habaneros from a different source, because I can only assume I just got weirdly mild habaneros from the grocery store somehow). Note: Definitely turn on your vent fan, the spice that got in the air while the habaneros cooked certainly cleared my sinuses and probably would be a bit much without ventilation.

Amy

This was really good! I made a couple of changes to make it easier. I knew I wouldn't get carrots done in the amount of time on the recipe, so I roasted them in the oven, then stirred them into the sauce at the end. When the chops were done, pan was way too hot to add honey, so I deglazed with a splash of vermouth, then continued with the sauce as written. This was delicious and my husband loved it. The lime zest and cilantro really tie it all together. Def put the fan on while cooking.

A Reader

The pork needs more than a generous pinch of salt. And the peppers blackened fast, well before the chops were done, so I pulled them early and returned them after removing the perk. The citrus and honey, along with deseeding, toned down the spice levels quite a lot. Anyone with even a moderate tolerance to spice could handle this just fine. More habaneros could be added without having them overwhelm the dish. Overall a great dish, I will make this again.

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