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!
It doesn’t say to cover or not in the oven?kathy
Uncovered!
Delicious! Great tip about sizing the baking dish to just fit the chops. Thanks so much.
Made this recipe last week and my kids loved it! My daughter asked if I can do the same seasoning on the grilled chicken tonight!
Fantastic! We use the same seasoning rub on chicken and salmon and it’s so good. Here it is on chicken thighs https://www.theendlessmeal.com/juicy-baked-chicken-thighs/
I finally tried these, and they are fantastic!
I’d been holding off because I don’t have garlic powder or onion powder, and keep forgetting to add them to my grocery list, but I ground up dried chopped onion and dried granulated garlic as best I could without a mortar and pestle, and it worked terrifically well.
I have wonderful spicy paprika from Hungary that a friend brought me, but it would work just as well with a less spicy version.
Eighteen minutes turned out to be the perfect amount of cooking time, too, even though my pork chops are much thinner than called for in the recipe, only about 1/2″ thick.
This will be my go-to recipe from now on – much less messy than dealing with panko breadcrumbs, although I do love a good porkchop done with those.
I really enjoyed these flavourful and juicy pork chops.
Finally! I’ve searched for a good pork chop recipe for literally 40 years. This is THE BEST recipe for tender, juicy pork chops and I will definitely be serving these quite often. Thank you the endless meal!
You’re very welcome!!
Easy & delicious! The chops were tasty, tender, and juicy.
It was absolutely delicious!!! I used a thinnish pork loin chop, bone in, and it came out great.
Very easy, fast and the seasoning gives it the perfect flavor. My family loves it so I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I really enjoyed this recipe as did my 16-year-old son. My wife thought it was tasty, but too spicey to her liking. I will share this recipe with my siblings and intend to make it again. Thanks for sharing.
Where is the oregano amount????
1 teaspoon 🙂
Hey I have a pork roast that I was going to cut into chips but I can’t cut it lol
So my question is how long would I cook my roast for it’s about 4-5 pounds I have my eye on this recipe if I was doing chops?
A pork roast is an entirely different beast!
Ok first off the internal temp of a pork chop is required to 145 to serve to to someone. So you may want to change that at some point before you make someone sick.
The temperature of meat continues to rise after it comes out of the oven, which is why we find that 140 is the perfect temperature. They’re 145 by the time we eat them. 🙂
My husband and I have been married for forty seven years and I have never made a good pork chop (one of his favorites) everrrrrrr. This is a great recipe and my one and only recipe from now on! Thank you so much!
These chops were really tasty and juicy!! Every bit as good ? as you said ? they would be! My boyfriend said delicious ? and he does not hand out compliments!
The whole family LOVED this recipe! I’ll be making it again, NEXT week!!