These pork chops are tender, juicy, and you can easily customize them with your favorite spices and cooking broccoli in oven. With a few simple tricks, you can make juicy and tender pork chops in the oven.
Don’t cook chops straight from the refrigerator. Thirty minutes before you plan to cook, take the pork chops out of the fridge. The time out of the fridge lets you bring the meat up to room temperature, which helps the pork cook more evenly throughout. Use this trick for other cuts of meat like pork tenderloin or steak. Season the pork chops with salt 30 minutes before cooking.
This way, the salt has a chance to improve the flavor and texture of the meat. Pork chops are pretty lean, so seasoning with salt before cooking is essential for making the most flavorful chops. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, so the oven is hot before you slide in the chops. Pork is done when an internal thermometer reads 145 degrees F. The moment they are cooked, transfer them to a clean plate and loosely cover with foil. After 5 minutes, all the juices inside the chops will have distributed around the meat. Our Best Baked Pork Chop Tip The tips above are all important, but here’s our best advice for baking pork in the oven: Sear the chops briefly in a hot skillet before baking in the oven.
We use this method when making our apple stuffed pork chops, too! We’d love to tell you that lining raw pork chops on a baking sheet and sliding them into the oven to bake will make for a tasty chop, but after years of cooking proteins like pork and steak in our kitchen, we just haven’t had success with that method. Another option is to continue to cook them on the stove. Here’s our recipe for stovetop pork chops. Keep it simple and use salt, pepper, a fresh herb like thyme, and lemon wedges scattered around the pan.
This is what we’ve done in our photos, and the recipe shared below. For chili powder based seasoning, we love using a combination of ancho or our homemade chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper. We used this blend in our skillet pork chops recipe. We love using a blend of brown sugar, grated lemon zest, and smoked paprika for a sweet citrus rub. We use this blend to make our brown sugar baked salmon.
A combination of fresh herbs, Dijon mustard, and lemon is classic. Take a look at our lemon baked chicken thighs or our baked pork tenderloin recipe for inspiration. Italian seasoning, Za’atar seasoning, and taco seasoning are also excellent. Here’s our homemade taco seasoning blend. What Kind of Pork Chops Should I Use? When it comes to baking pork chops, the thicker, the better. Pork is easy to overcook, and when that happens, the results are less than ideal.
To prevent overcooking, choose pork chops that are at least 1-inch thick. If you can buy bone-in chops, do it! The bone helps reduce the chance of overcooking, and personally, I think the result tastes better than boneless pork chops. How Long Should I Cook Pork Chops in the Oven? The cook time for baked pork chops will vary depending on how thick your chops are. That said, they won’t need very long in the oven.
For example, boneless pork chops about 1-inch thick will need a 2 to 3 minute sear in the skillet and then 8 to 15 minutes of bake time in the oven. Pork is done when the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a thermometer, you will know they are done if the juices run clear when cutting into the chops. What Should I Serve With Pork Chops? Thanks to the fact that pork chops are lean and affordable, we cook them quite a bit.
Baked pork chops are a quick, healthy, and simple dinner. Our method ensures juicy, tender, and flavorful pork chops with little fuss. We ask you to cover the pork with foil or parchment during baking. By gently cooking the chops this way, they remain juicy and become tender. 4 teaspoon of fine salt per pork chop. Set the chops aside to rest for 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet — such as a cast iron pan — over medium-high heat.
As soon as the oil is hot and looks shimmery, pat the pork dry, and then add the pork. Cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. While the pork sears, scatter half of the thyme over the side of the pork chops that are facing up. Flip the pork so that the seared side is facing up. Scatter the remaining thyme over the seared side of the pork. Arrange lemon wedges around the chops, and then loosely cover with foil or tuck parchment paper around the pan. Slide the skillet into the oven to finish cooking.
If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the pork chops to a baking dish. Bake 8 to 15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 145 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the chop. Since cook time depends on the thickness of the chops, check for doneness at 5 minutes, then go from there, checking every 2 minutes. If you do not have a thermometer, you will know they are done, if the juices run clear when cutting into the chops. Transfer pork chops to a plate, then cover loosely with aluminum foil.