This recipe makes the juiciest baked pork chops you’ve ever had.
Moist, tender, and packed with flavor, these baked pork chops are seasoned with pantry staples and are quick to make.
Ingredients for Baked Pork Chops
- Easy to prep and perfectly juicy, oven-baked pork chops are delicious.
- A quick brine ensures that the chops are perfectly seasoned and extra tender.
- The homemade pork rub helps them to caramelize beautifully.
Pork Chops – Choose lean ¾-inch center cut pork chops or pork loin chops. If the chops are thinner or thicker than ¾-inch, the cooking time will need to be adjusted.
Brine – A pork chop brine is a blend of salt and sugar with water and it breaks down tougher proteins while allowing the meat to absorb the flavors. A brine is not required but I do recommend it for the most tender and flavorful pork chops.
Seasonings – A simple blend of seasonings makes a quick rub. Brown sugar for sweetness, garlic powder & mustard powder for flavor, and paprika for a hint of savory flavor.
You can change things up with honey in place of brown sugar, try onion powder instead of garlic powder, or add oregano, black pepper, or other fresh herbs to the mix.
Shortcut Tip
If there’s no time for brining, add one teaspoon of kosher salt to the rub.
How to Make Baked Pork Chops
- BRINE: Bring the brine to a boil and cool (per the recipe below). Brine the chops at least 30 minutes, up to two hours.
- RUB: Season pork chops with the brown sugar rub.
- BAKE: Bake according to the recipe below.
How Long to Bake Pork Chops
Depending on the side dish being baked with these pork chops you can alter the cooking times for the oven temperature.
- 450°F – bake 14-16 minutes
- 400°F – bake 17-19 minutes
- 375°F – bake 22-25 minutes
- 350°F – bake 35 minutes
Tips for The Best Baked Pork Chops
- This pork chop recipe uses ¾-inch thick boneless loin chops, if your chops are thicker or thinner, the time will need to be adjusted. Bone-in pork chops will need a little bit of a longer cooking time.
- The brine makes chops tender and adds flavor – if you skip the brine, add salt to the rub.
- Just like pork tenderloin, it’s okay if the chops are a little bit pink in the middle.
Do not overcook: The baking time will depend on thickness, use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. Pork chops should be baked to an internal temp of 145°F. Remove them from the oven at 140°F as the temperature will rise as they rest (carryover cooking).
Keep leftover cooked pork chops in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Sides for Pork Chops
Find the perfect sidekicks for these oven baked pork chops!
Did you love these Baked Pork Chops? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Juicy Baked Pork Chops
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops* ¾-inch thick
For the Brine
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 2 cups ice
For the Rub
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the water, salt, brown sugar, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the ice to the brine and cool completely.
- In a large bowl or freezer bag, pour the cooled brine over the pork chops and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- Remove pork chops from the brine and pat them dry with a paper towel. If the pork chops have a fat cap on one side, make small cuts into the fat to help them cook evenly.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, garlic powder, mustard powder, and paprika. Apply the rub to both sides of the pork chops and massage it into the meat.
- Place the seasoned pork chops on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 16 minutes.
- Turn the oven to broil, and broil the pork chops, 4 to 6 inches from the heat, for an additional 2-4 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F.
- Remove the pork chops from the oven and place them on a plate to rest for 5 minutes before serving, allowing the temperature to rise to 145°F.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Pork
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Since the bake time will also depend on thickness, use a meat thermometer to test for doneness.
450°F – bake 14-16 minutes
400°F – bake 17-19 minutes
375°F – bake 22-25 minutes
Broil for the last 2 minutes to add a little color and if desired.
Cook pork chops to an internal temp of 145°F. Remove them from the oven at around 140°F as the temperature will continue to rise as they rest.
Best pork chops I’ve ever made! Making them for the second time tonight!
Excellent recipe!
I’m a working Teacher-Mama. :) Can I leave the pork chops to brine all day while I’m at work?
Hi Natalie, I recommend brining for no more than 4 hours because the pork chops are at risk of getting mushy. Other readers have tried to brine their pork chops for upwards of 12 hours though with success. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Great job
Going to try this recipe this weekend. I’m an inexperienced cook so this is a rookie question, but can someone please go into more detail about the broiling process at the end of the bake? I’ve never done that before! Many thanks!
Most ovens will have a broil setting which is about 500°F (on a high setting). Broiling is often used towards the end of cooking to brown the top of a dish.
In this case, I turn the broiler on to high (or 500°F) and allow it to get hot, the element in the top of the oven will usually turn red. Add the pan to a rack closer to the top of the oven so the chops are about 5 inches from the element (be sure it doesn’t have parchment paper as it can burn). Keep a close eye on it as it can go from brown to burned quickly!
On my oven, if it gets too hot, the red element may turn off so I open the oven door just a bit to keep it the element on the top red hot. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Thanks Holly, it worked great! My oven has a hi broil option. I did sear the top side a bit (user error, too close to the element) but they still tasted delicious!
Can you use a baking sheet/cookie sheet to bake these or does it have to be more like a 9×13 casserole dish?
Hi Whitney, a baking sheet will work great for this recipe too!
Instead of a wet brine, try dry brining. To do this take your pork chops out of the fridge about 5 -6 hours before you want to cook them and sprinkle with salt on both sides. The amount of salt you use is about 20% more than you would use if you sprinkled them with salt just before cooking. You can also add your dry rub ingredients at the same time. Put the chops back in the fridge on a rack and pull them out just before cooking. With wet brining, you need to let the brine cool before using it. Dry brining is a simpler and far less labour intensive method that produces exactly the same result as is mentioned in the recipe. I know from dry brining how tender this makes the chops and wet brining will do the same.
Thanks for sharing, Ric!
Yes Ric your way works really good. I also dry brine my less tender steaks this way.
Can I use bone-in …?
Hi Ruth, we have only tried this recipe with boneless but it should work with bone-in as well. Other readers have had good results with bone-in pork chops.
Tried this recipe because it had one of the highest ratings. The reviewers did not lie! The pork chops came out so moist and tasty. Thank you so much for sharing.
Yay! So happy you loved it!
Made this tonight, cutting the recipe in half for 2 chops. Timing was perfect and the flavor delicious!
HELP!!! I’M ACTUALLY MAKING THIS TONIGHT FOR DINNER AND I HAVE FOLLOWED ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS TO A T, Now I’m ready to bake but I’m not sure if I need to cover while baking??? do you recommend using a casserole glass dish or a baking sheet aluminum pan???
thanks so much!
These are baked uncovered. I usually use a baking pan with a rim but as long as your dish is large enough so they aren’t touching, you can also use a casserole dish.
I’ll be making the pork tenderloin tonight. Your ‘jump button’ and scrolling are easy to do. I usually ‘speed read’ large recipe blogs because I’ve been cooking a long time.
Can I use ground pepper in place of the peppercorns? – I don’t have any!
Hi Cathy, for best results we recommend using peppercorn in the brine mixture.
Omg..the BEST recipe for pork chops ever..infact we had it lady night and we are having it again tonight !!
What if you do not have a meat thermometer? Is there a guide to how long to cook thicker chops at the various temperatures?
Hi Vanessa, since pork is very easy to overcook, I strongly recommend using a thermometer, especially since the bake time will also depend on thickness. Pork chops should be baked to an internal temp of 145°F. 3/4″ chops should take approximately:
450°F – bake 14-16 minutes
400°F – bake 17-19 minutes
375°F – bake 22-25 minutes
350°F – bake 35 minutes
I have an inexpensive themrmometer I bought on Amazon and I think it works great! I use this one for quick temps (although this one is also highly rated if you’re looking for another option) and this one with a probe to leave in the meat as it cooks.
None of them are overly expensive but I’ve found the two I mentioned I have work great. You can also usually find them fairly inexpensive at the grocery store too.
I made this for the couple I do care giving for and they loved it. Usually they talk during dinner but they didn’t say a word. Too busy stuffing their face with a great recipe.
Can the chops be baked in a casserole pan instead of using a cookie sheet? It seems like the sheet pan would dry them out quicker. I am using your recipe today with 9 extra thick chops.
That should work well as well. Enjoy!
Glad you said to use a meat thermometer. I used 400 for 20 minutes and my pork chops internal temperature was still below 100. It took 40 minutes.
Fantastic!
Simply amazing and mouthwatering porkchops. This is now my go-to!