Juicy Baked Pork Chops (easy recipe that always turns out tender)
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These oven baked pork chops are the most popular baked pork chop recipe on the internet for good reason: they’re easy to make, tender, super juicy, and flavorful. A few simple ingredients and pantry-staple spices are all you need to make this incredible dinner.
I’ve been told I’m an expert at making pork chops and have more than 16 pork chop recipes for you. Try these smothered pork chops and pan-fried pork chops next. Or go for my popular baked pork tenderloin!
Let’s give it up for easy and delicious pork chop recipes! This is one of my family’s favorite dinner recipes, and we go back to it repeatedly. The flavorful pork chops always turn out tender and juicy. After you make these baked pork chops, you’ll make them again and again. The recipe is speedy and easy to prepare and is a great one to keep in your back pocket for when you need dinner stat or can’t figure out what to make tonight. You can use boneless or bone-in pork chops – it’s your choice!
In this recipe, I keep it simple and don’t sear the chops on the stove. Instead, they go straight into the oven. From my experience, this makes the chops more tender and saves an extra step of work. And with the gorgeous color of the spices, you won’t miss the sear. Serve these with a big salad and some potatoes roasted in the oven at the same time as the pork chops. It makes for the best dinner.
Why you’ll love these baked pork chops
- 100% juicy pork chops. ← truth!
- With these chops, in just over 20 minutes you can be sitting down to a delicious dinner.
- The easy spice rub, made with spices you probably have in your pantry right now, makes the chops taste amazing.
- Pork chops are a budget-friendly protein option. Knowing how to cook them so they don’t dry out will make your dinners less expensive and more delicious.
- The kitchen-staple ingredients mean you shouldn’t have to run to the grocery store to make our recipe.
- Easily made with bone-in or boneless pork chops. Choose whichever you like best!
How long do pork chops take to bake at 400 degrees?
The biggest trick to making oven-baked pork chops is not overcooking them. Since pork chops are lean, they will dry out if left in the oven for too long. But don’t worry, here’s an easy way to know exactly how long you should cook your chops.
Boneless pork chops should cook for 7 minutes per ½-inch of thickness in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven. If you use bone-in pork chops, cook them for 8 minutes per ½ inch.
- Boneless pork chops 1 ½ inches thick should be baked for 21 minutes.
- Bone-in pork chops 1 ½ inches thick should be baked for 24 minutes.
If you’re new to roasting pork chops, using an instant-read meat thermometer is the best way to determine whether they are fully cooked. Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. We use our meat thermometer to make sure the meat doesn’t overcook.
What spices are the best with pork?
This spice blend is made with simple ingredients and you can use it on both chicken and pork. It’s a delicious way to create flavorful pork chops. It’s my go-to recipe and I’ve made it so many times and never get tired of it. Here are the pantry staples it is made with:
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Oregano – you can substitute Italian seasoning if you’d like
- Salt – sea salt or kosher salt
- Black pepper
It’s a basic spice rub that takes only a couple of minutes to make and has so much flavor. I recommend doubling (or tripling) the amounts so you can have some on hand for other dinners. Try sprinkling a little bit on some potatoes or sweet potatoes and baking them at the same time as your chops.
Pork recipes often call for brown sugar, but it is really not necessary. There is no reason to take a lean cut of meat and add a bunch of sugar. These chops are sugar-free and delicious.
What to serve with your oven baked pork chops
I like to serve these with a simple green salad and a veggie side that gets roasted on a baking sheet in the oven alongside these delicious pork chops. For a great meal that the whole family will love, try adding one of my favorite side dishes:
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Broccoli
- Basmati Rice or brown rice
Store and Reheat
Store: I love a good pork chop sliced over a salad for lunch, so sometimes I make extra to have leftovers. They will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in your fridge.
Reheat: I like to slice them thin and warm them briefly in a pan over medium heat. You can also use a microwave.
Freeze: Yes! If you’d like to meal-prep, these baked pork chops will keep for at least three months in the freezer.
Watch how to make baked pork chops:
Juicy Baked Pork Chops (easy recipe that always turns out tender)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 4 boneless pork chops
Instructions
- Turn your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Measure the thickness of your pork chops so you know how long to bake them – see notes.
- In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and oregano.1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon salt
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over both sides of the pork chops. Sprinkle the spice mix evenly over both sides of the pork chops, then place them in a baking dish – see notes. Drizzle them with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.2 tablespoons olive oil, 4 boneless pork chops
- Bake the pork chops uncovered for 7 minutes per ½ inch of thickness, or until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit – for 1 ½ inch pork chops, you'll bake them for 21 minutes. Once you remove them from the oven, let them rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.
Last step:
- After you make this recipe, take a picture with your phone and share it in the comments section below. I love seeing it when you make my recipes!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Delicious! Made this exactly as instructed. So tasty and juicy. Husband loved it and wants it again very soon. Thank you for sharing this. Definitely a keeper!
Perfection!
Thank you!
Love this recipe – easy and fabulous!
Thank you so much!
After 8 minutes on 400 degrees my thin 1/2 inch bone-in pork chops were still raw. I noticed in the video and the cook time in one place in the recipe says 18 minutes, and in another place as well as the comments says 8 for bone-in. I’m going to go out on a limb and say it must be 18 minutes?
I’ve read and reread the comments and watched the video but don’t see anywhere that it says 8 minutes. If you let us know where you saw that we’ll get it fixed. They should be cooked for 7 minutes per ½ inch of thickness … so 18 minutes if you have 1 ¼ inch thick chops. 🙂
My family loved these the first time I made them. Unfortunately I had not saved the recipe so now when,by popular demand, I am making them again, I had to search for the recipe! Fortunately I remembered the word “juicy” and found it! This time I am definitely screen- shotting it to save! Thanks!
Glad you were able to find it again!
I cooked the porkchops in a small glass dish like the video but did not end up with a sauce. The video looked like way more oil than just 1 table spoon. They are boneless but only about 1/2 inch thick or little over. What did I do wrong?
Some pork chops will release more liquid than others. I suspect that you did nothing wrong at all.
Surprisingly juicy and tasty! Will add this recipe to our collection. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Cathy!
Is the spice mixture just equal parts of all ingredients?
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons EACH: onion powder and garlic powder
1 teaspoon EACH: salt, pepper, and oregano
🙂
I made this recipe tonight and the bone-in chops I used were juicy and delicious.
Thanks for letting us know, Joanne!
This was yummy!
Thanks, Jessica!
I just made these- doubled the recipe for my big family- it is AMAZING!!!! There was not a drop left. Thanks!
Horray!
Decent recipe, pretty obvious stuff. The paprika is a nice addition. Could use a searing step and either preheat a baking sheet to transfer the chops to or sear in an all-metal pan and transfer the whole shebang to the oven.
You could definitely sear these if you want the extra step. Just make sure to reduce the cooking time in the oven so that they don’t overcook.
Thanks for this recipe. I always pan fry mine and everyone says they’re delicious, but I needed a baked recipe, as you noted, to cook with vegetables, as well. I had five chops just over a half an inch so with your time measurement of 8 minutes per half inch for bone-in chops, I thought ten minutes would work. As most comments I read here and on other sites suggested, it’s best to test the temperature. At ten minutes, they were low. Around 128, 118, 120 in different chops. I needed another ten minutes, altogether 20 minutes for them to all come together around 138 – 145. Even with the rest, a couple of chops still had a little too much pink around the bone after serving. I also added a half tsp. more to all the spices suggested since again, I was making six, not four, but it was too much, so I left some aside. Lastly, I needed more olive oil but maybe b/c I used a brush. Maybe not. Still, overall, very good, not dry, flavorful and something I will make again.
You’re right, it’s always best to check with a thermometer.
This recipe confused me. The instructions say to bake them for 18 minutes, but in the notes it says only bake for 7 minutes per 1/2 inch + extra minute for bone-in. I assume my thin bone-in chops should bake for 8 minutes? Others say theirs weren’t done in that time so… ??
If your chops were only ½ inch thick (which is unusually thin) then 8 minutes should do it.
I made these last night for the first time. They were absolutely delicious and tender. I will be trying this spice combo on chicken and steak also. Love it!!
Yes! That spice mix is good on just about everything. Roast veggies, too. 🙂
Recipe sounds good and all the comments reinforces it. We’re trying this tonight and have 1” thick boneless chops. How long do you recommend for them to be done?
15 minutes should do it. 🙂
I am going to make this tonight but was wondering if the pork chops need to be turned while baking. Thanks
Nope … no need to turn it. 🙂