Oven Baked Pork Chops seasoned with a quick spice rub and baked to perfection. This easy baked pork chop recipe produces tender, juicy and flavorful pork chops every time!
Pork chops baked in the oven are a great and easy meal made with simple pantry ingredients, and only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish! Boneless pork chops are seasoned with a flavorful dry rub and oven baked on a sheet pan or baking dish to juicy perfection.
This oven pork chop recipe is one to have in your cooking repertoire, especially for busy weeknights or on weekends when you really don’t feel like cooking a complicated meal.
For a complete meal, we love serving these tasty oven baked pork chops with a simple salad, roasted fingerling potatoes, these tasty sauteed green beans or with maple oven roasted sweet potatoes.
The Best Baked Pork Chops
Most people think baking pork chops produces dry, tough and tasteless meat. The truth is that baked pork chops can be amazingly tender and juicy if you cook them at the right temperature and for the right time.
I get so many questions about cooking boneless pork chops in the oven, mostly from people who grew up eating dried up pork and are hesitant to even try baked pork recipes. However, achieving tender, succulent and never-dry pork chops is pretty easy – don’t overcook them!
The Secret To Juicy Baked Pork Chops
- Type of Pork Chop: Choose chops that are at least 1-inch thick. Thin chops tend to always dry up when baked. You can use bone-in or boneless pork chops for this recipe with great success.
- Cooking Time: All pork chops are not created equal. Some are thinner, thicker, have extra fat on the edges, etc. Think of the cooking time in this recipe as a guideline. To ensure succulent and juicy pork, you need to check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer a few times during the last part of the baking.
- Internal Temperature: Remove the pork chops from the oven when they reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving them or slicing them. During this period of time called “carryover cooking”, the temperature of the meat will rise to 145 degrees, which is the USDA’s safe temperature guideline for consuming pork chops.
Pork Chops Recipe Ingredients
This oven baked pork chop recipe uses a very simple dry rub that is super flavorful. However, feel free to customize the seasonings and spices if you prefer.
- Pork Chops: In this recipe, I use boneless pork chops that are 1-inch thick minimum. Bone-in pork chops are also an excellent option.
- Olive Oil: Canola oil, avocado oil and coconut oil can be used as well.
- Seasonings: Brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
How To Make Pork Chops In Oven
If time permits, season the chops and let them sit on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes while you make the rest of the meal. You can also season the pork and store them covered in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix the dry rub ingredients.
- Place the chops on a baking sheet and brush or drizzle the the pork chops with oil.
- Season the pork on both sides.
- Bake until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, the temperature will rise while the pork rests (read more about carryover cooking at the bottom of the post).
- Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Do You Bake Pork Chops Covered Or Uncovered?
I bake these easy pork chops in the oven uncovered.
What Temperature Should Pork Chops Be Cooked At?
The USDA’s safe temperature guideline for pork chops is 145 degrees Fahrenheit. I recommend you remove them from the oven when the temperature reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit and allow the pork to rest for a few minutes. During this resting time the temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees.
At What Oven Temperature to Bake Pork Chops?
For this easy pork chop recipe, I bake the pork chops in a 375 degree oven.
How Long Do You Bake Pork Chops at 375 degrees?
This pork chop recipe bakes in the oven for about 20 minutes. It is important to check the meat temperature with an instant read thermometer to prevent overcooking. I usually start checking after 17 minutes of baking.
Not all pork chops are created equal – the fat content, the exact thickness of the chop, how the pork was raised (organic, grain feed, etc), all have an effect on the exact baking time.
What is The Best Pork Chop for Baking?
When buying pork chops, you will find different cuts of chops. Let’s talk about them:
- Pork chops are a cut from the loin of the pig that runs from the shoulder to the butt.
- The name of the chop depends only by what area of the loin they are cut from. The rib chop and the loin chop are usually the most popular cuts. For this recipe, I used boneless loin chop.
- The best pork chops for baking are boneless or bone-in pork chops that are at least 1-inch thick. Don’t remove that fat layer at the edge, it will protect the edges from drying out.
Did You Know?
Pork chops are a cut from the loin that runs from the shoulder to the butt of the pig. However, the term “pork butt” – the cut mostly used to make pulled pork comes from the pig’s shoulder.
What kind of seasoning should I use for Oven Baked Pork Chops?
- When seasoning pork, the sky is the limit! Pork chops are incredibly versatile. They have a mild flavor and can take to different kinds of seasoning.
- For this easy pork chop recipe, I seasoned the pork with a simple dry rub made with brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika and Italian seasoning.
- Spices like cumin and chili powder are also wonderful seasonings for pork chops. Take a look at these Baked Pork Chops with Southwest Dried Rub. They are so flavorful and easy to make!
Pork Chop Recipe Tips
- Turn these oven baked pork chops into a sheet pan meal by adding a few veggies to the baking pan. Simply place the vegetables on the pan and drizzle/season with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Bake and voila! Red bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus and mushrooms work well. If you prefer adding potatoes or sweet potatoes, they must be cut into small pieces so they cook in the same amount of time as the pork.
- If you are following a Paleo diet, make Paleo Pork Chops by swapping the sugar with coconut sugar. For Whole 30 and Keto diets, remove the brown sugar from the spice mix and add 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder. You can also rub the chops with olive oil and a thin layer of mustard for added flavor!
- These pork chops can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- This baked pork chop recipe is gluten free!
Wondering what to serve with these delicious Boneless Baked Pork Chops? Here are a few side dishes for you:
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Easy Oven Baked Pork Chops
Ingredients
Dry Rub
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
The Pork
- 4 boneless pork chops (1-inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean up.
- In a small bowl, mix the dry rub ingredients.
- Rub the pork chops with the olive oil and season them with the dry rub. Make sure you rub the seasoning all over the pork chops (both sides).
- Place the pork chops onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 to 145 degrees. Please read notes about carryover cooking and decide at what exact temperature to remove the pork from the oven.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, tented with aluminum foil. While the meat rests – the temperature will redistribute (carryover cooking) and the internal temperature will rise about 5 to 10 degrees. Serve.
Video
Chef’s Tips
- The USDA’s safe temperature guideline for pork chops is 145 degrees.
- I remove the pork chops from the oven when they reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees. I let them rest for 5 minutes. During this resting period the temperature should rise up to 145 degrees (carryover cooking). Find more information in the post.
- If you prefer, remove the chops from the oven when they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
- For best practices, always use an instant read thermometer when cooking meats.
- Exact cooking times vary depending on the size and thickness of the pork chop.
- Bone-in pork chops (1-inch thick min) can also be used. Adjust cooking times.
Nutrition
Lori says
Can you use bbq sauce
Kathy says
Hi Lori, even though I haven’t try it, I think you should add the BBQ sauce the last few minutes of baking. If you want to get the BBQ extra caramelized, use the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes.
Cristina M. says
OMG, this made a crazy yummy rub that turned out some seriously juicy and tender pork chops that were cooked to perfection when removed at 140 degrees and left to sit till they reached the perfect 145 temp! Thank you sooo much for sharing!!
Kathy says
Thanks Cristina. So happy to hear that.
Gisselle says
The rub is crazy good and even though my pork chops were a bit on the thin side, they turned out perfect. Gonna buy me some thick ones on the weekend and make them again.
Devin says
Best pork chops we ever had. Juicy and the seasoning was on point.
Patti Miller says
Can these be done in an air fryer?
Kathy says
Hi Patty, I have not tested this recipe on an air fryer but since an air frier is just a convention oven, I’m sure it can be done.
Sandy Szarka says
We enjoyed this recipe so much that it’s our new go to recipe! It’s quick, delicious, and no more dry baked chops! Love it! Thanks so much!
Kathy says
Thank you sandy! So glad to hear that.
MJ says
My pork chops came out tasting very flavorful – perfect amount of sweetness with a bit of a kick. My toddler ate them up which is a very good sign. Since the chops I used were on the smaller and thinner side, I cooked them for about 20 minutes. They weren’t extremely tough but they didn’t come out as tender as I would have liked. I think next time I’m going to marinate them beforehand or maybe even sear them before putting them in the oven. Overall great recipe, the spices are spot on.
Kathy says
Hi MJ! Seasoning ahead is always a good idea.I am glad you enjoyed the flavors! This recipe is best made with thick pork chops. Thinner chops will not withstand the oven heat, even if you cook them for lest time. Pork is very lean so the meat surface dries up and gets tough pretty quickly.
Nikki Bailey says
Could I use vegetable oil instead of olive oil? Vegetable oil is all I have right now? Thank you
Kathy says
Absolutely!
Nicole says
Super easy and tasty. This will be our go-to pork chop recipe.
Kathy says
Thank you! That’s good to hear!
Jo says
What is the portion size for 1 serving?
Kathy says
1 pork chop per person.