This super easy recipe for pan-seared pork chops produces seasoned juicy chops with a crispy herbed crust.
Bone-in pork chops are simply seasoned and pan-seared until perfectly tender. They’re finished with a simple herb butter for an easy dish that seems fancy!
With this delish recipe, pork chops are on the table in minutes!
Why You’ll Love This Pork Chop Recipe
- Pork chops are affordable, simple to prepare, and versatile enough to go with any variety of side dishes.
- A bone-in pork chop has lots of flavor and is tender and juicy with few ingredients.
- Pan-seared pork chops are an elegant entrée and have great flavor.
- This dish has simple seasonings that are probably already in the pantry!
Ingredients & Variations
Oil – We use vegetable oil in this recipe as it has a higher smoke point than olive oil and is better for searing. Peanut oil, sunflower oil, or corn oil are good options too. Butter will burn if used for searing so it is not recommended.
Pork Chops: Choose bone-in pork chops that are of equal size and about 1 1/2-inches to 2-inches thick. Thinner chops cook faster and don’t get the same crust as thicker chops (but they still taste great)! We love rib chops or loin chops.
Seasonings – We season these chops very simply with salt and black pepper to keep other spices from burning during the searing process. Rosemary and thyme are added while the pork rests. Other mild seasonings like sage, marjoram, oregano, or a dash of white pepper in any combination will work well.
How to Pan Sear Pork Chops
It’s super easy to make these deliciously juicy and tender chops. If you have a cast iron pan, this is a great time to use it!
- Heat oil in a large pan.
- Season pork chops (per recipe below) & sear them on both sides in hot oil. Reduce the heat and continue cooking until they reach the desired temperature.
- Remove the pan from the heat & add butter and herbs to the pan while the pork rests.
- Spoon the seasoned butter over the chops before serving.
Tips for Tender Pork Chops
Pork can (and should!) be cooked to a medium which allows for a nice crust with a juicy (and slightly pink) center.
- Pat chops dry to remove excess moisture. This helps the seasoning adhere plus you’ll get a better sear.
- Brine the pork chops if time allows, this is optional but adds flavor and helps tenderize the meat. Dab the chops dry after brining. They’ll need less salt if you’ve brined them.
- Ensure that the pan is hot before adding the pork – cast iron is best!
- Most importantly, do not overcook the chops. Use a meat thermometer (mine was about $10 on Amazon and ensures my meats are perfectly cooked).
- Cook pork chops to an internal temperature of 145°F. Remove them from the stove a few degrees early as they will continue to cook as they rest. Adjust cook times depending on the thickness of the chops.
- Allow the chops to rest at least 5 minutes before serving. (Remove them from the pan as the heat from the pan will continue to cook them).
Leftovers
Keep leftover pan-seared pork chops in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave. Slice and add to a pork sandwich or top a bed of greens for an energizing workday lunch! Freeze cooled pork chops in zippered bags for up to 4 weeks.
Fresh & Juicy Pork Chops
Did you make these Pan-Seared Pork Chops? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Pan Seared Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 2 bone in pork chops or bone-in pork chops, 1 ½ inches thick, 12 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Herbed Butter
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 ½ teaspoons fresh
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 ½ teaspoons fresh
- 1 clove garlic minced, optional
Instructions
- Combine butter, thyme, and rosemary in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Dab pork chops dry with a paper towel and generously season with kosher salt & pepper.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or pan (cast iron is best) over medium-high heat.
- Add pork chops and sear for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip the chop over and sear for 2 minutes until browned.
- Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the chops until they reach 138-140°F in the thickest part of the chop, about 6-8 minutes more, turning as needed.
- Remove the chops from the pan and place them on a plate to rest. Add the herbed butter to the hot pan and whisk to scrape up any brown bits in the pan. Let cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant and bubbly. Stir in minced garlic if using and cook just until fragrant.
- Spoon the butter from the pan over chops and serve.
Notes
- If time allows, pork chop brine for a couple of hours. If using brine, reduce the salt sprinkled on the pork.
- This recipe is for bone-in chops that are about 1 1/2-inches thick. If your chops are thinner or thicker, cooking time may need to be adjusted.
- Vegetable oil has a higher smoke point and a light flavor, it is my preferred for searing the chops.
- Pork chops can (and should) be cooked so they are a little bit pink, to 145°F. I remove them from the pan a few degrees early as they continue to cook as they rest.
- It is very important that you do not overcook the chops and that they are removed from the pan as they rest. They will continue to rise 5-7 degrees as they rest.
- Let the pork chops rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Entree, Pork
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Used bone and pork chops that were about 3/4 of an inch thick, cooked on medium in a cast-iron skillet, very tasty. I would recommend having the butter sit out for about half an hour, before incorporating it together so that it is a nice little butterball before adding to the top of the Pork chops. Again, simple and super yummy!
Glad you enjoyed it, Nancy!
Husband and Son really enjoyed these. They found it to be very flavourful. Added to my rotation for sure!
i only have boneless pork chops on hand. can i use them just this time?
Yes, you can use boneless chops. Cooking time can vary based on thickness so I would suggest using an instant read thermometer.
Absolutely scrumptious!
Absolutely delicious my family raved about the wine sauce, perfect touch! I’ll be making pork chops like this from now on, thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Karen!
Excellent recipe.
These chops were delicious and so easy to make. My chops were and inch thick so I cooked them 2 minutes per side and maybe 3 minutes after that. They were done perfectly. I could have cut the butter and herbs as I only made the 2 chops which I will next time. I did use fresh thyme and rosemary that I grow year round in my basement under a grow light. I would advise using fresh herbs over dries as this makes the flavors so much more interesting and fresh tasting.
We enjoyed this immensely. I served it with 1” slices of sweet potato with olive oil, fresh thyme and fresh garlic with roasted Brussel sprouts. Wonderful meal.
So glad you loved these Debbie.
My favorite go to for every recipe!
Everything I have tried has been great.
And it doesn’t have to be complicated to enjoy a great recipe. I just made the pan seared pork chops and they were delicious.
Love Spend with Pennies!
Thank you so much, Dolly! Happy to hear you enjoy our recipes :)
I Like Your MASHED POTATO
Thanks, Zoey! Those would be great to serve with this dish.
Loved this recipe. It was easy to follow. Also, it was nice to have the option of pan-searing them and not having to finish them off in the oven. They came out delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us Ms Holly.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Margarita!
Made this recipe and it is was absolutely delicious! It was very simple but lots of flavor. Will definitely make this again!
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Tina!
Now THIS is the pork chop recipe I’ve been searching for. I’m 54 and consider myself a pretty good cook, but I’d almost given up on making “really good pork chops.” Well, I’m glad I tried one more recipe because now I CAN make a mean pork chop. Even my 19-year-old daughter who is hard to please raved about them. She told me not to lose this recipe. Haha! So juicy and flavorful. I may have been sopping up the leftover sauce in the skillet with some bread…. So good!
That’s a win! I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit!
naturally the best I’ve ever had for the moment
There are lots of food blogger like this But the best food recipe ” Pan Seared Pork Chops” is yours. Thanks for giving me this wonderful blog. I will try to make it like you.
Thank you Priya, I hope you emjoy them!
What ingredients do you use to brine?
I use this pork chop brine recipe.