These juicy oven baked pork chops are made with a simple brine that makes them extremely tender.
Preparing them is quite easy as all you have to do is brine and season the meat before baking.
This will not only give the pork chops some flavor but also help them to retain their moisture during cooking.
They are fantastic as a holiday dinner or just a weekend meal for pork lovers in general!
Anyways, it’s time to hop on and see what makes these easy oven baked pork chops so special.
My recipe for juicy oven baked pork chops
In my experience, the secret behind making great juicy oven roasted pork chops is to use a brine.
The brine hydrates the cells of the meat and helps it to hold on to more water.
For this recipe, I like to use a simple brine of water, brown sugar and kosher salt.
After I make the brine, I place the pork chops in an airtight ziploc bag and soak them for at least an hour.
In case you don’t have enough time to brine the pork chops, you can add a teaspoon of kosher salt to the rub instead.
Even though you can sear the pork chops before baking, I’ve found that searing doesn’t affect their juiciness.
Ingredients for baked pork chops
This recipe is made with a few simple ingredients you’ll most likely find in your pantry.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pork chops – For this recipe I’m using 1-inch thick boneless pork loin chops. You can also use pork cutlets or thinner pork chops but you’ll have to adjust baking time. I personally prefer using thicker pork chops since they’re easier to cook.
- Brine – The brine for the pork chops is made of water, brown sugar and kosher salt. It will help the meat become more tender and allow it to absorb more flavors.
- Seasonings – The pork chops are seasoned with a simple rub of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and oregano. If you want to switch things up you can replace the oregano with thyme and add a few lemon wedges to the baking pan.
- Olive oil – The olive oil along with the dry rub will add a thin crust to these pork chops. You can use vegetable oil isntead of olive oil here as well but olive oil will improve the taste.
How to make the best oven baked pork chops?
Check out the recipe card at the end of this article for detailed, step-by-step instructions.
- Dissolve the brown sugar and kosher salt in two cups of heated water.
- Add four more cups of water.
- Place the pork chops in an airtight ziploc bag and fill with the brine.
- Let the meat soak up the marinade for at least 1 hour. I let mine marinate one and a half hours.
- Season the pork chops with the dry rub.
- Drizzle some olive oil on both sides.
- Bake in the oven at 350°F (177°C).
How long to bake pork chops?
The time you’ll need to fully bake pork chops in the oven will mostly depend on the thickness of the meat.
Thick boneless pork chops usually take between 20 – 22 minutes to cook in the oven at 350°F (177°C).
Thin 1/2-inch pork chops on the other hand will need 10 minutes lessto be done, or about 10 – 12 minutes.
If you’re using bone-in pork chops then you’ll need 25 to 30 minutes for thicker pieces and around 16 to 18 minutes for 1/2-inch chops.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that searing and breading will also affect baking time.
For seared pork chops you’ll need to reduce baking time by roughly 2 – 3 minutes, while for breaded chops you’ll need to add 3 – 4 minutes more.
All of these estimates are based on an oven running at 350°F.
If you increase or decrease the temperature of your oven you’ll also need to alter cooking times.
In general, it’s better to cook pork chops at 350°F/177°C than 400°F/205°C since at higher temperature they dry more easily.
Anyways, you can check how long you’ll need to bake pork chops at different temperatures here.
Tips for baking pork chops in the oven like a pro
- Use an instant read thermometer to check the doneness. Pork chops are done when they reach an internal temperature of 145°F (roughly 63°C). However, you can take them out once they reach 140°F/60°C as carryover will increase their temperature with another five degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wrap the pork chops in aluminum foil and let them rest for five minutes. This will spread the juices and make the meat more moist.
- Let the pork chops rest for 30 minutes after you take them out of the refrigerator. This is often overlooked but very important since it will let them reach room temperature and cook more evenly.
If you’re into tasty pork recipes then you’d want to check out my recipe about steamed pork buns without a dedicated steamer.
What to serve pork chops with?
Even though these oven baked pork chops are brimming with flavor, they get even more delicious when you combine them with a side dish.
Here are some of the best side dishes you can serve with your pork chops:
- Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
- Shredded Potato Casserole
- Glazed Carrots
- Garlic Butter Mushrooms
- Creamed Corn
- Green Bean Casserole
- Creamed Broccoli with Bacon
You can check this article if you want to find more vegetable-based side dishe ideas that pair well with pork chops.
Also, if like easy and cozy dinner recipes with pork meat check how I roast it alongside sauerkraut in the oven.
Or maybe take a look at my tender Oven Baked Pork Spare Ribs recipe which is super low effort but turns out amazing every time.
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Juicy & Tender Oven Baked Pork Chops
Equipment
- 1 Food Thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 4 boneless 1-inch pork chops
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
For the brine:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 6 cups cold water
Instructions
- Heat two cups of water and stir in the salt and brown sugar. Mix until they're fully dissolved.
- Add the rest of the water.
- Put the pork chops inside an airtight bag, then fill it with the brine.
- Let the meat soak up the marinade in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. This will moisturize the meat and make it more tender.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Take the pork chops out of the brine and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Mix the dry seasonings in a small bowl, then rub the spice blend on both sides of each chop.
- Season with salt and pepper. You don't need to add much salt, since the meat will have absorbed some of the salt from the brine.
- Drizzle olive oil on each side of the chops.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
- After you take the chops out of the oven, wrap them in foil and let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. This will prevent them from drying out.
Video
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Nutrition
I do my best to provide you with the nutritional information for recipes but I'm not a certified nutritionist. The nutritional information provided should only be treated as an estimate since it will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.