It doesn’t get any easier than these Herb Lemon Baked Pork Chops! Tender and absolutely delicious, serve these up with rice and veggies, or on a salad! 271 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Easy Herb Lemon Baked Pork Chops Recipe
Sometimes you land on a recipe that you instantly know will become a regular on the weekly meal plan. These Easy Herb Lemon Baked Pork Chops are smack dab in the middle of that category. While this may be a 30-minute meal, there are only about 5 minutes of hands-on prep time. That means that while the pork chops are practically cooking themselves, you can throw together some toasted rice and a grape and kale salad.
You’re welcome.😉
These chops are fantastic straight out of the oven, but also work really well served cold. The second time I made these, I did so first thing in the morning, then stored the pork chops in the fridge for the day. When dinner time rolled around, I thinly sliced the chops and served them on top of a green salad with some quinoa, crumbled feta cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette.
Quick and versatile wins the day.
How to make these oven baked pork chops:
- Typically, I use bone-in pork chops because they tend to retain the moisture very well. Truth be told, I was looking for the bone-in version for this recipe, but they were out of them at the store. I was unwillingly thrust into the world of boneless chops. And it turned out brilliantly!
- Coat the pork chops with a mixture of oregano, thyme, rosemary, paprika and minced cloves, and toss it all with some fresh lemon juice.
- Let the pork chops rest for 15 minutes while the broiler heats and the flavors soak in.
- Cook under the broiler for 4 to 5 minutes per side until they are cooked, with a bit of pink in the center (more on that in a second). Take care not to overcook, as the meat tends to dry out quickly.
Should pork chops be pink in the middle?
- Times have changed and it’s no longer recommended that pork be cooked until every iota of flavor is scorched out of it. Hallelujah!
- The USDA and the National Pork Board recommend cooking pork chops to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, with a 3-minute rest time after cooking.
- At this temperature, the pork chops will be a bit pink in the middle, which means that the pork will be perfectly juicy and flavorful.
Other pork chop recipes:
Herbed Pork Chops with Garlic Butter (Cookin’ Canuck}
Easy Broiled Pork Chops with Zucchini Corn Salsa {Cookin’ Canuck}
Grilled Pork Chops with Cilantro Lime Sauce {Taste & Tell}
Rosemary Apple Pork Chops {Tasteaholics}
Easy Herb Lemon Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 5 ounces each boneless pork chops
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Trim any fat from the pork chops. Place the pork chops and garlic in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle the salt mixture over the pork chops and garlic, and turn to coat.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the pork chops. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Place the pork chops on the baking sheet.
- Broil the pork chops until just cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Sprinkle the pork chops with parsley. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on March 2, 2017, and has been updated.
Disclosure: This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I love how they are a lighter choice packed with tons of flavor!
Matthew Cetta says
Such a healthier option!
Amanda | The Chunky Chef says
I love how flavor packed these pork chops are!!
Michelle says
I have some pork chops in the freezer from our meat CSA friends…this looks like the perfect recipe to use them with!
Michelle | A Latte Food says
I love pork chops! These lemon herbs one look insanely amazing!
Jenny | Honey and Birch says
I bet this has so much flavor!! I would love to add these pork chops to a salad.
Sarah H.P. says
Made this for dinner during the week and it turned out great! I used pork tenderloin instead of chops but it still came out really nice! Definitely a healthy weeknight option that will be added to my dinner rotations! Thanks!
Kruiden Bestellen says
This is an awesome recipe. Extremely tasty! Thanks for a new recipe