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!
This recipe called for too much seasoning. I think it needs to be dialed down a bit. Also the pork chops ended up a but overcooked and dry, even though we tried reducing the baking time to account for the thickness of the chops. It sounded great in theory but in reality I wouldn’t make it again.
I’m sorry to hear that the recipe wasn’t a hit for you.
HELP. I just measured out all of the of the ingredients for the “Rub” – totals about 8 Tablespoons – and mixed it together. Do I put ALL of the rub on the 4 pork chops or only some ? It’s an awful lot of seasoning and I don’t want to over do it. Please advise ASAP.
You should have just over 3 tablespoons of the rub. I’m wondering if you may have accidentally clicked the scale recipe button and made x2 or x3 of the rub. If that’s what happened, simply use about 3 tablespoons on your 4 pork chops and save the rest for next time. It’s great on chicken, too.
Excellent, my chops were half-inch think so cooked them for 10 minutes and came out great.
Thanks, Zuheir! So happy they turned out!
I cooked as directed and these came out very dry. Added chicken broth and popped back in the oven on 350. Hopefully that will help.
It sounds like the pork chops were overcooked. Were the ones you bought 1 ¼ inch thick? If they were thinner, that would cause them to overcook and dry out.
I tried you recipe today, they were sooooooooo good!! Also very moist and juicy. This recipe is a keeper.
Awesome! So happy the recipe turned out for you!
A+
Thanks, Alan!
Hi! I love this recipe, this is the second time I made it and it turned out great. Am I supposed to flip over the pork chap mid-way through the 18 minute cook time? I used a cooking thermometer and i got the internal temp up to 140 degrees, but I didn’t flip them over.
Nope … just keep them in the pan on the same side for the entire cooking time. 🙂
I had pork chops that were only about a half inch thick so had to adjust time (went 12 minutes to be safe). I was worried it may have been too long and even though I could have tried a few minutes less, figured safe rather than sorry and under-cooking. I didn’t trust my meat thermometer. Anyway, excellent flavor! Moist…..Super easy! I used a good quality smoked paprika. Did not use onion powder because I was out, and my oil was a combo of Olive and Grape seed. They truly were terrific. Will be making them again soon.
That is so wonderful to hear!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe you are an angel making my life a little simpler + 71 came out great we loved it staying with my family to help out and wanted to please them this was the winner
You are very welcome! 🙂
For juicy pork chops is that 18 minutes both sides at 400 degrees
For pork chops that are 1 ¼ inch thick, bake them for 18 minutes total. 🙂
Made this for my family of picky eaters and plates were licked clean. Will be making this again! Thanks!
That’s wonderful to hear!
Delicious, easy, and something my whole family eats. It’s become a staple! Thank you!
Really happy to hear that everyone is enjoying the recipe!
I was looking for another way to prepare pork chops and found this recipe. I was a little skeptical about the ingredients but decided to give it a try. Wow!! My pork chops came out tender, juicy and very tasty. I got rave reviews on the flavor. This is a great recipe.
I’m really happy to hear you like the recipe!
This was simple, with pantry staples, quick, AND delicious! Amazing! Hard to believe dinner can be this good, this quick! 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
You are very welcome!
Are you supposed to cover these with foil?
Nope! They’re baked uncovered. 🙂
Best ever!
Yay!!