Baked Pork Chops are juicy, tender, and super-flavourful thanks to the amazing butter sauce. You need less than 20 minutes to make this pork chop recipe.
You and your family will love these delicious Baked Pork Chops because this recipe is one of the best baked pork chops recipes I’ve ever made. You can pair it with Mashed Potatoes, Avocado Tomato Salad and Roasted Cauliflower. If you would like to try other pork chop recipes try this Oven Pork Chop, Air Fryer Pork Chops or this Pork Chop with Apples and Onions.
I’ve been making this recipe for years now and my family really love it. I’m sure, you’ll make this baked pork chop recipe many times too since it’s the fastest and easiest way to make pork chops in the oven. In only 5 minutes, you’ll prep everything, and in 10-12 minutes, this baked pork chops will be done and ready to eat.
And the butter sauce is super easy to make as well. Once you melt the butter in the microwave, simply add the minced garlic and chopped thyme, and give it a good stir. Then, pour this sauce over the pork chops, and bake it.
This garlic butter sauce is the queen of this baked pork chops recipe because it keeps the pork chops very juicy, tender, moist, and delicious. This recipe is also low-carb, paleo, whole30 (use ghee instead of butter), and gluten-free.
ingredients to make this Baked Pork Chops
What I love most about this baked pork chops is that it requires simple ingredients, yet it’s so flavourful. You need:
- Good quality butter – if possible organic or grass-fed or ghee
- Garlic – fresh is always best! You can use garlic powder, but I prefer and recommend fresh garlic.
- Fresh thyme – again, I highly suggest fresh thyme
- Salt and ground black pepper – You can rub the pork chops with salt and pepper, but you also can use other spices like paprika and onion powder if you prefer. I prefer just salt and pepper because the garlic butter sauce is already very flavorful.
- Pork chops – I recommend purchasing pork chops that has no antibiotics or added hormones. Try to pick an evenly thick cut so you don’t end up with overcooked tips. I like to buy at least 1-inch thick pork chops. Also, you make this recipe with boneless pork chops (loin chop or pork loin) or bone-in pork chops and even with thick cut pork chops. This recipe also works well with chicken breasts (see my garlic butter chicken breast recipe for reference.)
- Brown sugar (optional): I know many of you like to add a little bit of brown sugar in your seasoning mixture. I don’t add it, because I want to reduce the amount of sugar a consume. However, you can totally do it if you prefer.
How to make Baked Pork Chops
- First, preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat dry the pork chops with a paper towel to remove any leftover moisture from the packaging. Then, season the pork chops well with salt and pepper. The amount of salt and pepper depends on your taste.
- Prepare the butter sauce by melting four tablespoons of butter in the microwave or stove. Once it’s melted, add the chopped thyme and garlic. Stir well, and set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and when the skillet is really hot, add the pork chops, and sear them until they have a nice golden brown look, about 2-4 minutes per side.
- Pour the garlic butter mixture over the pork chops, and place the skillet in the oven. Cook until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145ºF. Don’t overcook them to avoid having dry pork chops.
- Remove the skillet from the oven, and using a spoon, pour some of the delicious butter sauce left in the skillet onto the pork chops before serving. Enjoy!!
Recipe Tips
- Season both sides of the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Don’t forget the edges.
- Freshly garlic will provide the best flavor. Sauté it in butter until fragrant before adding it to the pork chops.
- Allow the pork chops to rest for a few minutes after cooking. This lets the juices redistribute and keeps them moist.
- If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, sear the pork chops in whatever skillet you have and transfer them to a baking dish to finish in the oven.
What’s the best way to cook pork chops?
In my opinion, the best way to make juicy and tender baked pork chops is by searing them on the stove using a cast iron pan and then finish cooking them in the oven.
The reason is that the pork chops will have more flavor and a nice, brown, and beautiful crust on the outside, and they will be very juicy and tender inside. S
How Long to Bake Pork Chops
We recommend to bake your pork chops in the oven at high temperature to avoid them from drying out. We bake our pork chops at 425° F. At this temperature, 1-inch thick boneless pork chops take about 15 minutes to cook. Again, I recommend you use a meat thermometer to determine doneness and not rely on the general cook time.
How To Store Leftovers
To Store: These baked pork chops are great as leftovers. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
To Freeze: Once these baked pork chops have cooled to room temperature, transfer the baked pork chops along with any liquids (the garlic butter sauce) into a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: When ready to enjoy this easy baked pork chops, thaw it in the fridge overnight and then reheat leftovers on the stove or in the microwave.
Sides that go well with baked pork chops:
- Cauliflower in any form makes a great side! Try my golden cauliflower rice, creamy avocado cauliflower salad, mushroom cauliflower rice skillet, roasted cauliflower or even this delicious whole30 mashed cauliflower.
- Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes! If you’re not looking to keep things low-carb, serve your chops with some starchy root veggies. Potatoes au gratin, mashed sweet potatoes, regular creamy mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes or air fryer baby potatoes are some of my favorites.
- Other vegetables like crispy roasted green beans, side salad garlic parmesan roasted brussels sprouts, air fryer asparagus, grilled corn on the cob or this savory roasted butternut squash mash.
- Any side salad! A simple arugula salad or spinach fruit salad would pair really nicely with these pork chops. You could also do corn salad, pasta salad, quinoa salad, couscous salad, broccoli salad or some fresh, creamy coleslaw.
- Bread is always a winner. Add some low-carb dinner rolls and butter to your spread. Crunchy garlic bread or some cornbread with honey would also be super yummy!
More pork chop recipes to try:
- Instant Pot Pork Chops: Got an Instant Pot? Well, try this restaurant-quality pork chop with a gravy sauce in an Instant Pot! Ready in under an hour.
- Garlic Butter Baked Pork Chops: Check out my webstory on how to make this garlic butter pork chop recipe.
- Garlic Butter Pork Tenderloin Recipe: Perfectly cooked in a garlicky butter sauce, this garlic butter pork tenderloin is going to have you reaching for seconds.
- Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin: This balsamic roast pork is made with a savory balsamic glaze that is absolutely perfect for the holidays or a weekend dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pork chops are lean red meat and they are consider a good and healthy protein choice. Many cuts of pork are as lean or leaner than chicken, for example. They have nutrients like protein, selenium, zinc, and iron too.
This pork chop recipe is keto-friendly and can be prepared in many different ways, just don’t cook it with sauces that contains sugar.
For this pork chop recipe, you don’t need to cover the pork chops. But once the baked pork chops are done, remove and cover them with aluminum foil. Let the pork chops stand three minutes before serving.
My favorite herbs and spices to season pork chops are thyme, cumin, garlic, paprika, chili powder and of course salt and pepper. You can also play around and use sage, rosemary, and coriander.
This sear and bake method is a great way to keep pork chops from drying out. But, why sear pork chops before baking? Because searing the pork chops helps build a beautiful golden crust as well as helping lock in the moisture for when it bakes in the oven. Don’t overcooking them. Use a meat thermometer and stop cooking them once they’ve reached an internal temperature of 145°F at the thickest point.
Garlic Butter Baked Pork Chops Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized pork chops
- salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons melted butter use ghee if you're doing whole30.
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the butter, thyme, and garlic. Set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the skillet is really hot, add the pork chops. Sear until golden, about 2 minutes per side.
- Pour the garlic butter mixture over the pork chops. Place the skillet in the oven, and cook until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145ºF, about 10-14 minutes. The time depends on the thickness of your pork chops.*
- Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the pork chops before serving.
Tips
- Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the pork chop.
- Make sure to give your pork chops a few minutes to rest before cutting so they can redistribute the moisture.
- Thick cut pork chops are ideal as they won’t overcook as easily.
- To store: Store leftover pork chops in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: You can reheat leftovers on the stove or in the microwave.
- To freeze: Freeze the cooked pork chops in an airtight bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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Ps: When using a cast iron skillet in the oven, use a heat-resistant glove or oven mitt to safeguard your hands when handling the skillet. It gets extremely hot and can cause burns if touched without protection.
Mimi says
Nice recipe! Great ingredients. Thank you for not overcooking your pork!!!
Olivia says
Awesome 😉
Iris Weaver says
I am trying it with rosemary instead of thyme, I have no time for thyme 😂 I was out but I had rosemary
Olivia says
It works too.
Andrea says
We’re on vacation and don’t have cast iron skillets, plus we plan to make about 8 chops. Any recommendation for oven only? Baking dish?
Olivia says
It works well on baking dish. But it may not be very crispy since you need the cast iron skillet to sear the chop porks.
Steph says
Brown the chops in a skillet first then put into a baking dish, pour butter over chops. Works perfectly!!
Olivia says
Right? So good!
Alicia says
Made it, loved it, saved it. Through some small broccoli in the pan just before popping it into the oven. Full on dinner in one pan??? Yes, please and thank you!
Olivia says
You’re very welcome! Great idea you had to add broccoli in the pan too 😉
Jared says
Simple…easy…but if you’re a garlic and butter lover like me, this will be the best dang pork chops you’ll ever have. I personally used like 5.5 tablespoons of butter and 2 huge cloves but the 4 tablespoons still would have came out fantastic.
Taylor says
Did you use boneless or bone-in pork chops?
, but Olivia says
Yes I used bone-in pork chop, but you can make this recipe with boneless. Thanks for you question.
Sharon says
I made these for dinner tonight and they were wonderful!!! I used boneless chops and i was out of thyme, used parsley and oh my goodness I will be making these again, they cooked up perfectly and so juicy. I made risotto and had a fresh fruit salad, wonderful dinner. I am now going to try this with small steaks. yummy!!
Olivia says
Wow sounds like you had an amazing dinner. So happy to hear you like this recipe. Thanks for stopping by 😉
Ashlie says
I’m not a pork eater but I have to make it at work and this sounded AMAZING!!! I used boneless and had to sear them then transfer to a baking sheet for baking but I placed a layer of the paste on the pan then more on the top after placing them in. It smells amazing. Oh also didn’t have thyme so did a mix of Italian seasoning and extra basil.
Olivia says
Sounds delicious! Happy you enjoyed this recipe and thanks for leaving your feedback 😉
Rebecca says
These were delicious! (A little dry, but that was probably my fault) I turned this in to a “one skillet” meal by cooking the pork chops as instructed….once they were done, I took them out of the oven and set them aside (tented some foil over them) and set the skillet back on the burner on med-low heat. Tossed a pound of fresh green beans into that buttery, garlicky, porky goodness and cooked them till crisp tender – maybe 5 min.
YUMMO
Olivia says
That’s an awesome idea. Pork and green beans are great combo 😉
Laura says
This recipe is so easy and so good. My kids loved these pork chops (I used boneless). I used dry thyme because I didn’t have fresh and it was still wonderful!
Shelly says
Definitely don’t sear these for 4 minutes per side. You’ll cook them to well done in the skillet.
Olivia says
It’ll depend on the thickness of your pork chops.
Holly says
Made these last night & the kids (9&5) loved them! I’ll definitely be making them again – I didn’t have fresh thyme, so just used dried & it rehydrated in the butter/garlic sauce while the chops were searing. The chops were juicy and delish. Thanks for a great recipe!
Olivia says
Awesome to hear that 😉
Jay says
Dumb question from 1st time stay at home dad and thought this looked like something I could handle. Do you put the lid on the skillet while it is in the oven?
Olivia says
No you don’t need to put the lid. Thanks for your question 😉
Margie says
I’m a 72 year old grandmother. I’ve been cooking almost all my life. Guess what? I had the same question… 🙂
Marilyn Lang says
Wonderful dish I added 1/2 cup Plum flavored Merlot, fresh green beans and a few sweet peppers. The Merlot gave the dish slight sweet taste.
Olivia says
Mm.. sounds delicious 😉