Many people love these oven baked pork chops because they turn out incredibly tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. The chops are first seared on the stove to lock in all those delicious juices, then baked in the oven to perfection. Made with garlic, butter, and fragrant thyme, the seasoning creates a savory crust while keeping the meat moist and flavorful.
These delicious easy Baked Pork Chops are one of the best pork chop recipes I’ve ever made. But don’t just take my word for it. This is one of the most popular pork recipes on the internet, with over 500 comments and 4,000 positive-star ratings! It’s a winner in our home and a favorite among so many Primavera Kitchen readers.
I’ve been making this recipe for years now and my family really love it. I’m sure, you’ll make this baked pork chop recipe many times too since it’s the fastest and easiest way to make pork chops in the oven. In only 5 minutes, you’ll prep everything, and in 10-12 minutes, this baked pork chops will be done and ready to eat.
Want to try more pork chop recipes? I’ve created over 15 delicious variations for you to explore! Some of the all-time favorites include these Air Fryer Pork Chops, this flavorful Garlic Butter Pork Tenderloin, the sweet and savory Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin, Pork Chops with Apples and Onions, and even Grilled Pork Chops—perfect for warmer days!
Recipe Ingredients
- Good quality butter – After making this recipe so many times, I’ve found that using good quality butter makes a huge difference. It adds a rich, creamy flavor that enhances the dish, while also helping to create a smooth sauce. I always recommend using high-quality butter to get the best texture and taste.
- Garlic – I’ve tasted this recipe with both fresh and jarred garlic, and I’ve found that fresh garlic gives the best flavor. When freshly minced or crushed, garlic infuses the butter with a vibrant, aromatic essence that really elevates the dish. It’s worth taking the extra step to use fresh!
- Fresh thyme – again, I highly suggest fresh thyme.
- Salt and ground black pepper – You can rub the pork chops with salt and pepper, but you also can use other spices like paprika and onion powder if you prefer. I prefer just salt and pepper because the garlic butter sauce is already very flavorful.
- Pork chops – Try to pick an evenly thick cut, so you don’t end up with overcooked tips. I like to buy at least 1 to 2 inches thick. Also, you make this recipe with boneless pork chops (loin chop or pork loin) or bone-in pork chops and even with thick cut pork chops. This recipe also works well with chicken breasts (see my baked chicken breast recipe for reference.)
How To Make Baked Pork Chops
- First, preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat dry the pork chops with a paper towel to remove any leftover moisture from the packaging. Then, season both sides well with salt and pepper. The amount of salt and pepper depends on your taste.
- Prepare the butter sauce by melting four tablespoons of butter in the microwave or stove. Once it’s melted, add the chopped thyme and garlic. Stir well, and set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and when the skillet is really hot, add the pork chops, and sear them until they have a nice golden brown look, about 2-4 minutes per side.
- Pour the garlic butter mixture over the pork chops, and place the skillet in the oven. Cook until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145ºF. Don’t overcook them to avoid having dry pork chops.
- Remove the skillet from the oven. Drizzle some of the tasty butter sauce from the skillet over the pork chops. Do this before serving. Enjoy!!
At 400°F, boneless pork chops should bake for about 7 minutes per ½ inch of thickness, while bone-in chops need around 8 minutes per ½ inch.
So, for chops that are 1½ inches thick:
Bone-in: Bake for about 24 minutes. Again, I recommend you use a meat thermometer to determine doneness and not rely on the general cook time.
Boneless: Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.
How Do I Cook Pork Chops Without Drying Them Out?
In my experience, after testing this recipe many times, I’ve found that the sear-and-bake method is one of the best ways to keep pork chops from drying out.
But, why sear pork chops before baking? Searing the pork chops helps build a beautiful golden crust as well as helping lock in the moisture for when it bakes in the oven.
Why should I let the chops rest before serving?
Letting pork chops rest before serving helps the juices spread out, making the meat moist and tasty.
Do I Cover Pork Chops When Baking?
For this recipe, you don’t need to cover the pork chops. But once the pork chops are done, remove and cover them with foil. Let the chops stand three minutes before serving.
What To Season Baked Pork Chops With?
My favorite way to season pork chops is with salt, pepper and fresh herbs, plus of course butter and garlic. But you can also use other seasonings of your preference like paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and so on.
You can also play around with fresh herbs and use sage, rosemary, and coriander. So good!
My Favority
Cast Iron Skillets
They’re great for cooking on high heat, tough and super durable. Also, cast iron skillets retain heat evenly, which is great to cook perfectly any meal.
Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes! If you’re not looking to keep things low-carb, serve your chops with some starchy root veggies. Potatoes au gratin, mashed sweet potatoes, regular creamy mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes or air fryer baby potatoes are some of my favorites.
Any side salad! A simple arugula salad would pair really nicely with these pork chops. You could also do quinoa salad, couscous salad, broccoli salad or some fresh, creamy coleslaw.
Bread is always a winner. Add crunchy garlic bread or some cornbread would also be super yummy!
Garlic Butter Baked Pork Chops Recipe – Juicy and Tender!
Video
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized pork chops
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add the pork chops. Sear until golden, about 2 minutes per side.
- Pour the garlic butter mixture over the pork chops. Place the skillet in the oven, and cook until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145ºF, about 10-14 minutes. The time depends on the thickness of your pork chops.*
- Remove from the oven. Using a spoon, pour some of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the pork chops before serving.
Notes
- Thick cut pork chops are ideal as they won’t overcook as easily.
- When using a cast iron skillet in the oven, use a heat-resistant glove or oven mitt to safeguard your hands when handling the skillet. It gets extremely hot and can cause burns if touched without protection.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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Nice recipe! Great ingredients. Thank you for not overcooking your pork!!!
Awesome 😉
I am trying it with rosemary instead of thyme, I have no time for thyme 😂 I was out but I had rosemary
It works too.
We’re on vacation and don’t have cast iron skillets, plus we plan to make about 8 chops. Any recommendation for oven only? Baking dish?
It works well on baking dish. But it may not be very crispy since you need the cast iron skillet to sear the chop porks.
Brown the chops in a skillet first then put into a baking dish, pour butter over chops. Works perfectly!!
Right? So good!
Made it, loved it, saved it. Through some small broccoli in the pan just before popping it into the oven. Full on dinner in one pan??? Yes, please and thank you!
You’re very welcome! Great idea you had to add broccoli in the pan too 😉
Simple…easy…but if you’re a garlic and butter lover like me, this will be the best dang pork chops you’ll ever have. I personally used like 5.5 tablespoons of butter and 2 huge cloves but the 4 tablespoons still would have came out fantastic.
Did you use boneless or bone-in pork chops?
Yes I used bone-in pork chop, but you can make this recipe with boneless. Thanks for you question.
I made these for dinner tonight and they were wonderful!!! I used boneless chops and i was out of thyme, used parsley and oh my goodness I will be making these again, they cooked up perfectly and so juicy. I made risotto and had a fresh fruit salad, wonderful dinner. I am now going to try this with small steaks. yummy!!
Wow sounds like you had an amazing dinner. So happy to hear you like this recipe. Thanks for stopping by 😉
I’m not a pork eater but I have to make it at work and this sounded AMAZING!!! I used boneless and had to sear them then transfer to a baking sheet for baking but I placed a layer of the paste on the pan then more on the top after placing them in. It smells amazing. Oh also didn’t have thyme so did a mix of Italian seasoning and extra basil.
Sounds delicious! Happy you enjoyed this recipe and thanks for leaving your feedback 😉
These were delicious! (A little dry, but that was probably my fault) I turned this in to a “one skillet” meal by cooking the pork chops as instructed….once they were done, I took them out of the oven and set them aside (tented some foil over them) and set the skillet back on the burner on med-low heat. Tossed a pound of fresh green beans into that buttery, garlicky, porky goodness and cooked them till crisp tender – maybe 5 min.
YUMMO
That’s an awesome idea. Pork and green beans are great combo 😉
This recipe is so easy and so good. My kids loved these pork chops (I used boneless). I used dry thyme because I didn’t have fresh and it was still wonderful!
Definitely don’t sear these for 4 minutes per side. You’ll cook them to well done in the skillet.
It’ll depend on the thickness of your pork chops.
Made these last night & the kids (9&5) loved them! I’ll definitely be making them again – I didn’t have fresh thyme, so just used dried & it rehydrated in the butter/garlic sauce while the chops were searing. The chops were juicy and delish. Thanks for a great recipe!
Awesome to hear that 😉
Dumb question from 1st time stay at home dad and thought this looked like something I could handle. Do you put the lid on the skillet while it is in the oven?
No you don’t need to put the lid. Thanks for your question 😉
I’m a 72 year old grandmother. I’ve been cooking almost all my life. Guess what? I had the same question… 🙂
Wonderful dish I added 1/2 cup Plum flavored Merlot, fresh green beans and a few sweet peppers. The Merlot gave the dish slight sweet taste.
Mm.. sounds delicious 😉
Riquisima! Mil gracias!!
Gracias!
made this for lunch just now, perfect timing + temp for the chop, it came out so juicy. I had it with brussels sprouts and potatoes, cause it’s what I had. Also, I added some gochugaru, a Korean spice, to give the meat a little kick. Thanks for the post and recipe!
Love that you added Korean spice. It should be delicious 😉
Easy to make, great taste and texture and a hit with family.
Glad to here that. Thanks for stopping by 😉
I can’t wait to try this recipe.
You’re gonna love it 😉
Delicious, elegant and SIMPLE! (YAY!)
Awesome 🙂
Can i use garlic powder
Yes you can.
My family of four adults ALL rated this at 5 stars (Really a 10 since we go by a 0-10 scale at our house!). Wonderful flavor, and couldn’t be easier. I served it with caramelized saute’d Brussels sprouts, roasted asparagus and baked sweet potatoes, with heirloom tomatoes on the side. YUM! Really and truly had it all on the table in under 30 minutes!
Wow thank you. I’m so happy to hear that 😉
About how long in the oven? I know you say depends on the thickness, but what would be the range?
It’s hard to say but maybe it should be around 10-12 minutes.
Followed recipe to the “T” but still didn’t get the tender, juicy chops that I longed for. Chops were aesthetically pleasing but not as tender as I had hoped.
Try brining the chops first. 1 TBS salt dissolved in 2 qts water. Brine for 15-30 minutes, or up to 4 hours. Drain. Can decrease the salt in first step if bribed. Chops will be moist and tender.
Followed the recipe, just added a touch more butter. They are delicious. Cooked Jasmine Rice and cabbage., put a little of the butter garlic on the rice. Delicious. 5+ stars. I have been told that I am a great cook.. Very tender.
Love your sides 😉 Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for stopping by.
These simple to make pork chops were absolutely delicious and received 2 thumbs up from the kiddies, even my 18 month old! I will definitely keep this recipe in rotation on my meal planner. Thanks!!
It’s awesome to hear that even your kids liked this recipe. Thanks for stopping by 😉