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!
My pork chops are very thin,about one four
Inch almost most like breakfast pork chops
They are loin chops boneless, how long
do I bake them for ? Thank You!
If they are very thin, it might be a better idea to quickly sear them instead. It should only take a few minutes per side.
I made this tonight with a few modifications because I had 6pcs of chops to work with. I added an additional half of a tablespoon/teaspoon of each seasoning & placed seasoned chops in the fridge because I was not ready to cook. Once ready, I chopped onions, garlic and added rosemary to the bottom of the baking dish. Placed the chops on top, drizzled with olive oil and baked! I had to bake it longer because of the extra chops (about 24min) but it came out AMAZING!!! Served it with mashed potatoes and Red Lobster cheesy biscuits. My hubby said it was the best meal I’ve made in a while lol. Safe to say, this will be added to our rotation. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Absolutely the best ever. Thanks
I was very impressed!
Delicious, Thank u so much,love love the recipe. If anyone loves pork,juicy tender u have to try this recipe. 🤗🥰
Great recipe. I used rosemary instead of oregano because I don’t like oregano. And I substituted about 1/4 of the paprika with smoked paprika. Turned out juicy and delicious!
No, you’re not undercooking them ! Let them rest for 3 to 5 minutes before serving . Enough time to finish soaking noodles to stir fry !
Dry at 14 minutes. Would cook for less time.
I made this! Great taste and I followed the recipe to a t. Except I just baked it on metal drain pan. Excuse my ignorance but not sure what to call the utensil as I now am cooking alone
Excellent recipe! Will use it again and again!
Best and easiest pork chops ever. I used about 1 1/4″ bonless chops and baked for 17 minutes!!!
Made these last night. We had thick chops, about 3/4”. Baked as suggested in a small baking dish so the juices collected around the chops. These were the most moist pork chops I’ve ever eaten. They had reached around 150 degrees by the time I took them out but were still very moist. Only thing I changed was to use Italian Seasoning instead of Oregano because I don’t particularly care for oregano. This is a keeper.
Italian seasoning always has oregano in it.
Where is the juice at lol. I guess I cooked them too long
I didn’t have the olive oil but I had some spray on olive oil so I used that. My chops weren’t as thick as the ones in the video but they did the job. Looking back I should have used a 9×11 pan instead of a cookie sheet. They were still nice and juicy plus my Darling Bride and Beyond Awesome Son loved them. Definitely worth the time.
Excellent! Chops were tender and juicy. I will be making this again!
WOW! These chops really are wonderfully juicy and delicious. Just made them for the first time. So easy, the family loved them, and I’ll be adding this recipe to our favorites. I’ve never baked pork chops before, always broiled. But baking them will now be my go to!