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!
Very good, but I’m glad I followed the suggestions here and halved the salt. I think I will reduce it more next time I make it. It also took longer to make than expected. My chops were in the oven 40 minutes before they were done. Very tasty.
These pork chops were delicious! I made a couple of changes to the rub: used half the salt, and for paprika, I used 1/2 T smoked paprika and 1/2 T paprika. I put the spice rub and olive oil in a gallon ziplock bag, and marinated the chops for several hours before baking. I served them with cherry tomato caprese salad, watermelon and no bake chocolate pb cookies. Wonderful. Will make again soon!
This recipe is easy and delicious. I’ve put it on regular rotation.
So eas!y, so good! Thank you!
So delicious. My second time to make. Even the picky eater likes them.
I used pink salt. Wouldnt change anything else.
I really enjoy the way you write your recipes.. very informative, detail oriented. Thank you so much for sharing. Bon Appétit!
Wow SO good! Even my Husband loved them, and he is always skeptical of anything easy. Took only 5 minutes to prep. Next time I need to put them in once the oven is preheated though – I was being impatient because I wanted to shower while they cooked. Putting them in before it got to temperature meant they were an internal temp of 150.
The rating it gets is correct perfect for cooking for guest I’ll change slightly for my personal taste but wonderful base but excellent as is I cooked 2 chop 3/4″ seared oven top in cast iron over medium on electric range 1min each side added fresh onion sweet pepper and squash other side of lodge then oven 5min then flip chops first stir vegs then 5min rest and eat
My chops really came out juicy, I need a little more seasoning next time I think but otherwise wowww. Thank you
Juicy and delicious!!
they were so juicy and tender. My husband loved them and he doesn’t like pork chops!!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! It is so easy and the pork comes out looking just like the picture you provided. I put the pork into a Ziplock bag, dump the oil and spices in, and mix them around that way so that the spices fully cover the pork. When I am ready to cook the pork, I take the pork out of the bag, lightly spray oil on the pan, and place the pork in the pan. Then, I chop up an onion into large slices and put it around the pork while baking so it can soak up some of the juices as well. My family gets excited whenever I cook this dish and jokingly call it “crack” because it is so delicious they want to keep eating it. If there are any leftovers (which doesn’t happen often!), the pork does not taste “porky” the next day. I have made this dish more than twenty times now, but I just realized I never thanked you which is why I am posting now. This dish has become my family’s favorite pork dish, one they request regularly. I didn’t have a signature dish until I started making this one. Now I do! Thank you!
Hi Mary, thank you for all the kind words! We’re so happy that you like this recipe!
Does this recipe make enough gravy in the pan to use over rice?
Thanks.
There are some pan juices for sure, but not lots for rice.
Fabulous chops! New family favorite.
Made these for dinner tonight. They are excellent! Very moist and flavorful. The only thing I will do differently is add less salt. A bit too salty for us. I will definitely be making these again! Thanks for the recipe 😊