These Lemon Pepper Pork Chops are a quick dinner idea. Ready in under 30 minutes, they make an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love.
This easy pork chop recipe involves a few simple seasonings, and you can use boneless or bone-in pork chops. Seasoned with lemon pepper, some olive oil, and a little bit of butter and extra lemon, these pork chops use storecupboard ingredients to make a delicious dinner.
Serve with salad and bread, veggies and potatoes, or even with some pasta; the whole family will love this pork recipe!
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Tips For a Perfectly Cooked Pork Chop:
- The thicker the chop, the easier it will be to cook and keep tender and juicy.
- Give your chops a quick brine; I use dry brine for this recipe. (more details on that below)
- Preheat your oven (375ºF/190ºC) for 20 minutes before you cook (you could use this time to brine your chops)
- If your skillet is oven-proof, you can let it preheat in the oven. If not, then place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for at least 5 minutes to ensure it is evenly heated and holding the heat.
- Turn the heat to medium-high heat before you add the chops.
- Pat the chops dry before cooking.
- Sear the chops for 2 minutes on one side without moving.
- Flip the chops, sprinkle with the seasoning and then transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 7-9 minutes until the internal temperature is 140ºF/60ºC.
- Remove the chops from the oven and transfer them to a warmed plate. Cover the chops and let them rest for at least 5 minutes.
How to brine pork chops
A brine is a salt water solution that permeates the meat. As the salty liquid travels into the meat, it seasons the inside and increases the moisture levels within your pork chop. So when you come to cook your pork, even though you will lose the same amount of moisture as a standard pork chop, your brined pork chops will still be moist and juicy due to the added liquid from the brine.
However, we want to add lemon pepper to our pork, and lemon pepper seasoning has salt in it. So we could end up with overly salty meat.
The answer is to dry brine the pork chops!
What is dry brine?
Dry brining involves rubbing salt (and seasonings) onto the chops and then letting them rest for a bit before cooking. The salt draws out the meat juices; these juices dissolve the salt and create a brine-like liquid that is reabsorbed back into the meat, taking the salt back in with it.
For this lemon pepper pork recipe, we can use the lemon pepper seasoning as a dry brine. Of course, this is assuming your brand has salt in it.
To dry brine the chops with lemon pepper seasoning, pat them dry, rub them generously with the seasoning blend, and set them aside at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
Can pork chops be pink?
The safe cooking temperature for pork is 145ºF/63ºC. (This was reduced from 160ºF/71ºC in 2011)
Your pork will be tender and juicy at this temperature and may have some pink left in it.
The pink color isn't entirely down to the cooking temperature. Different grades of pork will have a different color when cooked. For example, dry-aged pork tends to be less pink than a softer cut. And brined pork will be pinker when cooked than unbrined pork.
The recipe states to cook the pork chops to 140ºF/60ºC and rest for 5 minutes. While resting, the internal temperature of the pork will continue to rise and will be over 145ºF/63ºC when you come to eat.
How to reheat lemon pepper pork chops
Reheating pork can be tricky! It so often dries out. I have found the best way to reheat them is in a low oven with a bit of liquid.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC.
Place your pork chops in a shallow baking or casserole dish (try not to use a metal one as it heats up more quickly and can dry the bottom of your chop out, glass or ceramic dish is best)
Drizzle each pork chop with around 1 ½ tablespoon of broth and then cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Heat the chops in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes until warmed through.
The pork chops won't have the crispy crust they had when first cooked, but they will be juicy.
What to serve with Lemon Pepper Pork
These lemon pepper pork chops are super versatile. It will work with potatoes, pasta or just a salad and bread. Try out some of these sides to turn your pork chops into a full meal.
- British Mashed Potatoes
- Crispy Pan Fried Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Mash with Lemon and Sage
- Slow Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes
- Crispy Garlic Butter Potatoes
- Easy Skillet Garlic Green Beans
- Buttered Vegetables
- A Simple Salad
What wine to serve with your lemon pepper pork chops
Unlike many lemon dishes, the lemon in this dish isn't super acidic. But it would be well balanced by a buttery Chardonnay or a dry or off-dry Reisling.
For those looking for red wine, try something like a Merlot or a Sangiovese.
Enjoy x
If you love lemon then why not try these other delicious lemony mains:
Lemon Pepper Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops, 2.5cm inch thick -see note 1
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning - see note 2
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon cracked/ground black pepper
- parsley - optional
Instructions
- Trim your pork chops to remove any rind; you can remove some fat, but leave some fat around the chop.
- Use kitchen paper to pat the surface of the pork chops to remove any moisture.
- Sprinkle the lemon pepper seasoning all over the pork chops, cover with plastic wrap and let them sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF/190ºC for at least 20 minutes before cooking.
- Place an ovenproof frying pan/skillet in the oven when you first turn it on to preheat. (see note 3 if you don't have an ovenproof skillet).
- Once the pork chops have had their 30-45 minutes, remove the frying pan from the oven and place over high heat.
- Sear the chops for 2 minutes on one side without moving.
- Flip the chops and then transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 7-9 minutes until the internal temperature is 140ºF/60ºC.
- Remove the chops from the oven and transfer them to a warmed plate. Cover the chops and let them rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Off the heat, add the butter to the hot frying pan, grate in the zest of the lemon, and stir gently.
- Serve the pork with the lemon zest butter, some slices of fresh lemon, extra pepper, and an optional scatter of parsley.
Notes
- You can use thicker or thinner chops, but the cooking time will vary. Ideally, use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the pork is at 140ºF/60ºC when you remove it from the oven. You can also use boneless pork chops as well but they will need 5-6 minutes cooking time in the oven.
- You can use a store-bought lemon pepper seasoning or make your own lemon pepper seasoning - you can get my easy recipe here. Check the ingredients on your bottle; if your seasoning doesn't have salt in, you will need to add 2 teaspoon of salt to the mix before you dry brine the chops.
- If your frying pan/skillet won't go in the oven, place a baking dish in the oven to preheat. Preheat your frying pan on the stovetop for at least 5 minutes. Cook the chops in the frying pan for 2 minutes (as steps 6-7) and transfer your chops and any oil to the baking dish after step 7. Bake the chops in the baking dish and use this to add your butter and lemon zest to at the end (step 10)
Tanya says
I made the Lemon Pepper Pork Chops and they where delicious. The best I ever made I add onion and garlic and the taste was delicious. The pork chops had the dry brined on them and they where not dry out. The pork chops where juicy and tender. I will definitely make them again and use this recipe. Thank you.
Claire McEwen says
So pleased you enjoyed them Tanya
Cx
Chandice Probst says
Yum, the lemon pepper flavor was perfectly paired with the pork! Such a bold dish without a lot of effort. Thanks!
Cathleen says
Wow, these pork chops look amazing!! I am definitely giving these a go this weekend, bookmarked for later. Thank you so much for the recipe 😉
Kayla DiMaggio says
Yum! These lemon pepper pork chops look amazing! I love a good pork chop and the lemon pepper flavor really shines!