MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - JUICE BAKED PORK CHOPS - 4 servings

We made these on Tuesday, May 13th, 2025. Dear Other Half had bought home pork chops that were very thick, and as neither of us wanted to fuss much in the kitchen, I found this relatively simple recipe at The Endless Meal hosted by Kristen Stevens. The original recipe is here.

I found Kristen's suggestions for cooking times very useful, including them below. 

"How long do pork chops take to bake at 400 degrees?

"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 making roasted pork chops, using an instant-read meat thermometer is the best way to tell if 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."

Other tips:

"Baking dish: Choose a baking dish that is just the right size for the pork chops. There shouldn't be too much room between them, or the juices will evaporate in the oven. If you don't have the right-sized baking dish, use a cast-iron or ovenproof frying pan instead. 

Elevation: This recipe has been tested at sea level. As elevation affects cooking time, you may need to cook your pork chops a little longer if you live at a higher elevation. 

Spice blend: You can switch up the spices in this recipe. If you have a seasoning blend you love, go ahead and use it!"

Juicy Baked Pork Chops - 4 servings

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 18 minutes

Total time: 23 minutes

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

Turn your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Measure the thickness of your pork chops so you know how long to bake them – see above for notes on that.

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.

Drizzle them with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

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.

Gregg made a sauce to drizzle over the pork  I don’t have the measurements but he used a little peanut butter and low-sodium soy sauce, plus a little hot sauce. 

We served it with a leftover baked potato from the day before, sliced them and sautéed in a little olive oil until they were brown and crispy.

Also a mixed salad went very nicely.

These pork chops came out of the oven perfectly. As they were thick, we sliced them thinly to serve. 

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE 12-23-24

Even though this is a recipe for lamb chops, we used it for pork chops instead, although I have left the ingredient list alone.  I came across the recipe at Living Lou hosted by Louisa. The marinade used was excellent and we knew it would be just as good using the pork chops we had just bought. I wanted something a little different, and found a recipe for the Greek-style marinade at Lou's food blog. 

The internal temperature needed for the pork is 145 degrees, instead of 135 for the lamb. We cooked the pork five minutes on each side to get the desired degree of doneness. You can look at Lou's recipe link above to read all her tips for making this dish.

Greek Lamb Chops - serves 4

8 lamb rib chops

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice, plus extra for serving

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

In a large glass bowl, whisk olive oil with lemon juice, garlic, oregano and salt. Add lamb chops and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to 6 hours.

Pre-heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb chops, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until browned and lamb reaches an internal temperature of 135F. Repeat with remaining lamb chops.

Lou's suggestion to serve with these chops was a  traditional Greek salad, and also homemade tzatziki on the side. These would also be just as nice with the pork chop.

Cooking the pork chops was a last-minute decision and all we were having that night was the last of the cheesy vegetable chowder we made. Gregg cooked the pork chops and we had a bowl of soup with it.

Here is the full address for the recipe, and I have added it in case you would like to copy and paste instead of using the link at the beginning of this page:

https://www.livinglou.com/greek-lamb-chops/

Thanks for looking everyone 

and I hope your day is a great one.