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!
How about a jump to recipe button so I can avoid the endless ads, videos, suggestions, nattering.
You’ll find one at the top of the page, right under the recipe title. 🙂
lol pwned!
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I had all but given up on being able to cook juicy tender pork loin chops. These were so good!!! Will definitely be making this a regular dish at our house. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Wow, love this recipe, never fails! Made it over a dozen times, I use half tbl of sweet paprika and half tbl of smoked. I also add 1 tsp of coriander and blend it all together with some flour makes a fabulous coating.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
This recipe for the juicy baked pork chops is fabulous! First time I made it I didn’t trust the time and they were dry! I made it last night and just 18 minutes in the oven, they were amazing!!!
oops forgot to give it five stars! just recommending it to my daughters!!!
I doubled the recipe and am at a higher elevation so I had to cook it for about 25min. But otherwise I made this exactly as written and it was fantastic. The sauce was delicious over steamed broccoli. Plus my kids loved it so that’s a huge bonus!
Quick and easy and oh so good. A family favorite.
Easy recipe and the chops were so moist. Mine are always dried out whether I bake or pan fry them. So…many thanks. Next time I am going to brown them o each side before baking so they will look more cooked. Thank you very much. Was that spice powder mixture what is known as a rub?
Yes, the spices you add could be called a rub. So happy that you liked the recipe!
I never get pork chops tender but II have cooked with this receipe 10 out of 10.
Made these pork chops tonight and this is a true winner. I’ve been trying so many oven recipes and none gave me the juiciness I was looking for. Pork is rather bland and the rub gave it a nice flavour. I used smokey paprika which added another layer of favour. And bonus it only took a few minutes to put together and cooked in about 20 minutes so it’s great even when you’re pressed for time. It’s now in my go to favourite recipes
Excellent. I added much more oil in a bowl, then seasonings and put meat in and kept tossing/ stirring until all evenly coated then put in baking pan. All loved them.
Very tender & delicious! The only thing I would do different is leave the oregano out. That’s just my preference. Others may enjoy the recipe as it is.
Awesome recipe! The flavor is the great! I have to admit, I cooked the chops too long and they were a little dry. My fault. I had three 3/4″ fresh bone-in pork chops and two frozen 1/2″ chops. After reading the posts about cook time, I risked going a little longer (30 minutes). Big mistake. Stick to the original temp and time at a minimum. Also, I added a 1/4 cup of beef broth as a hedge to keep the meat moist. Did not need to do that as there was plenty of juice in the bottom of the glass pan when they came out of the oven. Still, the juice was used for the two left-over chops. Next time I will do a better job of either doing all fresh or all frozen and keeping the thickness of the cuts the same AND sticking to the time. Again, a great dinner and I will do it again.
Do you cook uncovered?
Yes, uncovered. 🙂
Everything but WHAT cut of pork chop you’re using!
My favorites are pork shoulder chop or pork rib chops but boneless pork loin chops work great, too!
Good stuff! Given that I started with a frozen chop, the cook time was closer to 50 minutes. I should note I was doing a single chop in Corning ware using a toaster oven, so the temperature was probably a bit lower as a result. No matter, I pulled it when the thermometer hit 145 or so.
Especially with pork, the rest time after baking is essential in order to allow the juices to redistribute as it cools other wise it may be tough.
Nice flavor, and literally tender enough to cut with a fork while still being fully cooked through. I’ll do this again rather than frying.
Such an easy recipe! Flavorful and juicy just as described. I’ll certainly be making this again!