30 Pork Chop Recipes to Add to Your Recipe Rotation | America's Test Kitchen (2024)

Over the last three decades, our test cooks have developed hundreds of pork chop recipes. They cover all the different cuts—thin, thick-cut, bone-in, and boneless—and cooking techniques. We’ve even traveled the country to get inspiration for regional dishes that star them.

Along the way, we’ve found solutions for common pork chop problems. How do you get the glaze to actually stick? How do you get a great crust without overcooking the interior of the meat? Find the answers to those questions in this list of some of our favorite and most popular pork chop recipes.

To get juicy bone-in pork chops with an impressive crust, start them in a cold pan, turn on the heat to high and then down to medium, and flip the chops every 2 minutes. The cold start might sound counterintuitive, but here’s why it works: Heating the pork chops from a cold pan cooks them gradually and evenly, and the burst of high heat drives off moisture so that the meat sears. Then, the lower temperature helps the interior and exterior finish cooking at the same time. Another benefit? Cooking the pork chops this way minimizes the amount of fat in the pan, which reduces smoke and splatter.

This boneless pork chop recipe from Cook’s Illustrated’s Lan Lam produces tender, superjuicy glazed results through slow roasting. The glaze, made from apple butter, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, soy sauce, and cider vinegar, forms a tacky layer on the meat during roasting. A final broiling with an additional glaze coating results in a bubbly, charred finish, creating deliciously flavorful boneless pork chops with a glaze that actually sticks.

No gummy coatings that fall off the meat here. This pan-fried boneless pork chop recipe achieves a crispy and flavorful coating by using a combination of cornstarch, buttermilk, mustard, minced garlic, and finely ground cornflakes. The cornstarch creates an ultracrisp sheath, while buttermilk adds a lighter texture and tangy flavor to the breading. Lightly scoring the pork chops and allowing them to rest before frying ensures a strong adherence of the flavorful and crispy breading, resulting in delicious and perfectly coated pork chops.

How do you keep the coating crunchy of a pork chop even under a sauce? After weeks of testing, we figured it out: start with a supercrunchy coating. We achieved this by incorporating a small amount of milk into the seasoned flour, which created craggy, crunchy crumbs. Then, we put a twist on the usual breading process by dipping it into the flour mixture not once but twice. Another discovery that makes this recipe a winner is adding some frying oil to the roux for the gravy, which enhances its savory depth.

For this pork chop recipe of paper-thin pork “steaks” cooked on the grill, recipe developer Bryan Roof found inspiration in Monroe County, Kentucky, where they do barbecue a little bit differently. We use thin-cut bone-in blade-end pork chops, which have the right amount of fat to keep the chops tender while grilling, and we snip them before grilling to prevent curling. We also use a combination of black pepper and cayenne to baste the chops and serve more of it on the side for dipping, just like they do in Monroe County.

This unique smothered pork chop recipe features juicy and flavorful bone-in, rib-end pork chops, seared in bacon fat and braised in an onion gravy. The thin, ½-inch chops absorb more flavor without overpowering the gravy, and the bacon fat and flour roux adds a sweet, salty, smoky depth to the dish. The result is tender, succulent pork chops with a rich and deeply flavorful gravy that enhances and complements the meat perfectly.

This boneless pork chop recipe achieves a deep sear and a juicy, tender interior by using a screaming-hot cast-iron skillet and a specific cooking technique. Cutting thick-cut chops from a boneless center-cut pork loin roast and patting them dry ensures maximum crust formation. The chops are flipped every 2 minutes and removed from the pan at 125 degrees, relying on carryover cooking to reach the perfect serving temperature of 140 degrees, resulting in perfectly cooked, flavorful pork chops.

More than just a pork chop recipe, this balanced meal comes together in less than an hour. The key is staggering the cooking times of the potatoes and broccoli so that they cook on one sheet pan and are done at the same time. After the pork chops are done cooking in a skillet, we turn the fond in the pan into a flavorful pan sauce.

Ranch lovers, this one’s for you. Morgan Bolling’s recipe for Cook’s Country combines the flavors of ranch dressing with crispy, juicy fried pork chops, achieving a perfect blend of tangy buttermilk, chives, cilantro, dill, garlic, and black pepper. Using bone-in blade-cut pork chops marinated in buttermilk and salt ensures juicy meat, while thin (½-inch) chops provide a high ratio of crunchy coating to meat. Baking powder in the breading and a 30-minute rest time before frying contribute to a light, crisp crust, and fresh herbs and spices in both the marinade and breading deliver a bold and flavorful ranch-inspired dish.

Most deviled pork chops recipes call for pan-searing or broiling boneless pork chops, but we opted for a slow-roasting method to retain maximum moisture and ensure even cooking. The pork chops are elevated with a bold and complex mustard-based paste, which adds a punchy and balanced flavor profile. A crispy panko breadcrumb topping, toasted in butter to maintain its crunch, provides textural contrast and visual appeal, ensuring the chops remain flavorful and moist without becoming soggy.

Boneless pork chops make a great weeknight meal, but plain chops can be boring. For her glazed pork chop recipe, Cook’s Illustrated’s Lan Lam used gochujang for a sweet and tangy glaze. And to make sure it actually stayed on the chops, she slow-roasted them in a low oven until the meat was juicy and tender, then applied a second coating of glaze and broiled the chops until it was starting to char. (She even made a version of the recipe that’s perfectly scaled to serve two people.)

This boneless pork chop recipe delivers chops with a thick, crunchy coating that adheres perfectly, thanks to a batter-like egg white and mustard mixture, ensuring the flavorful combination of toasted breadcrumbs, garlic, Parmesan, and herbs stays intact during cooking. The egg wash acts as a powerful glue, preventing the coating from falling off and resulting in a satisfyingly crunchy and flavorful crust. This method eliminates crumbly crusts and soggy bottoms, providing pork chops with real crunch.

This recipe transforms thin boneless pork chops into a flavorful and moist weeknight meal using a pan-searing method paired with a delicious glaze. By searing the chops on one side until well-browned and then gently “poaching” them in the glaze, the chops retain moisture while the glaze reduces to the perfect consistency.

This 35-minute weeknight dinner recipe combines pork chops and escarole. To tame some of the escarole’s bitterness, we add sweetness with a stewed tomato sauce and heat with pepperoncini and pepper flakes. A couple links’ worth of diced pepperoni also reinforces the porky flavor in the dish.

Stuffed pork chops are usually dry and bland. For our recipe, we focused on a flavorful stuffing and moist, juicy pork chops. The stuffing is rich and aromatic, featuring a combination of vegetables, herbs, and fresh bread, held together by cream for added richness and moisture. The chops are brined, seared for a brown crust, and finished in the oven to ensure tender and juicy meat.

This recipe delivers extra-comforting, tender, and moist braised pork chops by seasoning the meat with a flavorful mixture of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, onion powder, granulated garlic, paprika, and pepper. The seasoning is used in three stages: on the chops, in the flour dredge, and in the gravy, creating layers of flavor throughout the dish. The chops are first browned and then braised in a rich gravy made in the same skillet, resulting in supertender and flavorful pork chops that are complemented by a thickened, seasoned gravy.

Tender potatoes and golden-brown, deliciously seasoned pork chops cook together in this convenient one-pan meal. The pork chops feature a crisp, crackling coating flavored with Parmesan cheese and a spicy mixture of Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and hot sauce. The scalloped potatoes are parcooked in the microwave with chicken broth, rosemary, and onion and garlic powders, then baked with a lush sauce, creating a creamy and flavorful base for the pork chops to bake on top of.

The key to achieving pork chops with a well-browned, crisp crust in the air fryer involves opting for Japanese panko and pretoasting the crumbs in the microwave with melted butter. The egg-mixture coating is packed with flavor from a double dose of mustard—Dijon and dry mustard—as well as garlic powder and cayenne pepper, and to ensure the crumb topping adheres, the chops are scored in a crosshatch pattern and two slits are cut into the fat on the edges.

Recipe developer Christie Morrison developed this one-pan meal that combines flavorful pork chops with roasted vegetables on the same baking sheet, simplifying the cooking process and minimizing cleanup. While the chops marinate in the rub, we roast a variety of vegetables to give them a headstart on their cooking. The spice-rubbed pork chops are then placed on top of the roasted vegetables for the final 10 minutes of cooking, ensuring moist and evenly cooked chops with a flavorful crust.

This recipe adapts the classic Cajun dish of pork chops with tomato gravy, known for its rich flavor and time-consuming preparation, into a dish that can be prepared in about an hour. After seasoning the chops with a homemade spice rub, we sear them in rendered bacon fat to add a subtle smoky flavor. To save time, the chops are only seared on the presentation side and then braised in a flavorful tomato gravy, allowing for maximum flavor transfer between the meat and sauce. This adaptation retains the deliciousness of the traditional dish while making it more feasible for busy cooks.

In this 1-hour recipe, we dress up everyday pork chops with a decadent bourbon-cherry sauce and serve them alongside creamy mashed potatoes. Pumpkin pie spice adds a warmth to the pan-seared pork chops and using a blender to whip the sweet potatoes made for an ultracreamy mash.

This recipe recreates the pit-smoked Texas flavor using a charcoal grill, inspired by the version experienced at Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que. We use thick chops to prevent overcooking during the 45 to 50 minutes on the grill. Mesquite chips are used to impart authentic Texas Hill Country flavor, and to enhance moisture and flavor, the chops are brined in a solution of salt, sugar, and water. The chops are finished by brushing them with a pungent and bright homemade barbecue sauce.

This Italian American classic often results in dry chops and sour sauces. To achieve the flavor of slow-braised chops in less time, the tangy vinegar sauce is fortified with chicken broth, anchovies, rosemary, onions, and garlic. Thick rib chops are chosen over leaner center-cut chops, brined for seasoning and juiciness, and coated with flour for flavorful browning. A few extra minutes of simmering to thicken the sauce and a pat of butter swirled in at the end create a rich and silky sauce, resulting in perfectly cooked, flavorful pork chops with a deliciously balanced sauce.

All the flavor of outdoor barbecue pork chops without stepping a foot outside. To pull off this indoor pork chop recipe, use ½-inch-thick bone-in rib chops because the bone enhances flavor and prevents overcooking, while the thin cut means a higher ratio of flavorful spiced exterior to mild meat and a quicker cooking time. Adding a teaspoon of liquid smoke gives these pork chops fresh-off-the-grill flavor from the oven.

Morgan Bolling’s recipe for Cook’s Country simplifies the traditional Louisiana braise by using pork blade chops instead of thinly sliced pork shoulder, resulting in a more consistent and flavorful dish. The gravy base is created by dry-toasting flour in advance, cutting down the traditional roux-making time. A homemade Cajun seasoning spice blend and the classic combination of bell peppers, celery, and onion provide a robust flavor base. The dish is finished with a dash of Louisiana-native Tabasco sauce, adding the perfect amount of spice and acidity to this delicious New Orleans-inspired pork braise.

For juicy and well-browned boneless center-cut loin chops on the grill, this recipe employs a two-pronged approach. First, the chops are brined to enhance their ability to retain moisture, provide seasoning, and increase tenderness. To achieve a substantial browned crust before the interior overcooks, a unique coating of anchovy paste and honey is applied. The combination of honey’s fructose and the amino acids in anchovy paste rapidly initiates the Maillard browning reaction, resulting in deeply seared crusts and juicy centers. The anchovy paste not only promotes faster browning but also adds a meaty flavor to the chops, making them a delicious and convenient weeknight grilled dish.

If you want to remove any chance of overcooking any cut of meat, sous vide cooking is your best bet. After weeks of testing different temperatures, our recipe leaves nothing to chance: Cooking thick-cut pork chops at 140 degrees Fahrenheit/60 degrees Celsius for 2 to 3 hours before a quick sear in a hot pan gives you perfect results every time.

Opting for 1-inch blade chops offers a heftier, silky meat with a richer taste, making the slightly longer cooking time worthwhile. Patting the chops dry before adding them to the heated Dutch oven ensures a flavorful crust development. The braising mixture and sauce are enhanced with the sweet tartness of apple cider, a hint of fresh thyme for a heady herbal note, and the addition of jarred apple butter provides a burst of flavor and natural pectin, resulting in a thick, glossy sauce that perfectly complements the tender and flavorful pork chops.

Long-cooked barbecue is great, but we wanted that deep smoke flavor (and tender meat) in less than an hour. For her recipe that pulls that off, Christie Morrison scattered the wood chips directly over the coals and kept the grill covered throughout cooking to trap the smoke. Brining the chops kept them moist over high heat, and a rub of salt, pepper, and sugar adds flavor and aids in browning. After developing flavorful char on the hotter side of the grill, move the chops to the cooler side, swab them with homemade barbecue sauce, and let them cook through while the sauce thickens and caramelizes.

Our perfected Tennessee-Whiskey Pork Chops recipe is inspired by the popular restaurant dish. The key to this flavorful dish lies in the whiskey-flavored marinade, which doubles as the base for the sauce. Cooking the chops in a hot skillet and using the same pan for the sauce allows the browned bits to infuse the sauce with a rich, meaty flavor. For an authentic touch, we recommend using Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey to get the full experience.