These Oven Baked Boneless Pork Chops are quick and easy to make, yet come out incredibly juicy and flavorful! After seasoning them, they roast in the oven to perfection.
I just shared my Oven Baked Chicken Breast recipe, and it turned out to be such a hit… I thought maybe I should share my way of baking pork chops, too!
While I have to admit I’m a huge fan of air fried pork chops… this oven version is just as good, and just as easy, too.
The spice rub makes the meat incredibly flavorful, and choosing thick-cut chops helps to keep them juicy. To me, this is such an essential recipe to have in your back pocket, so here it is!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Pork chops: I want to stress that your pork chops should be at LEAST 1 inch thick. At least. 1 ¼ inches is even better. If you can only get thin cut chops at the store, consider buying a 2 pound pork loin and cut it into 4 chops yourself (that’s what I mostly do, a 2 pound loin gives me 4 nice and thick chops).
- Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar. If you only have white sugar on hand, that’s fine to use, though you may want to reduce the amount to ½ tablespoon.
- Mustard: I used a mild, smooth, yellow mustard. If mustard is absolutely not your thing, consider using mayonnaise instead – it works very well, too.
How to bake boneless pork chops in the oven
1. Start by lightly pounding the chops between two pieces of plastic wrap.
You do NOT want to flatten them, you just want to pound them to break up some of the fibers, in order to help tenderize the meat. 4-5 light smacks per chop will do.
lightly pound pork chops
2. Rub the chops with olive oil first, then with mustard. Make sure to cover both sides and the edge.
coat with oil and mustard
3. Combine the ingredients for the spice rub, then evenly sprinkle all sides of the chops.
You don’t want to rub the spices into the chops (it’s too messy because of the oil and mustard), but just lightly dab it all over the meat.
season the pork
4. Place the chops on a rimmed pan lined with baking parchment.
Bake the chops at 400°F for 6 minutes per ½ inch thickness (this means if your chops are 1 inch thick, you’ll bake them for 12 minutes); OR until the internal temperature reaches 140°F. Turn on the broiler and broil the chops for 1-2 minutes until they are nicely browned.
bake pork chops
5. Remove the chops from the oven, let them rest for 5 minutes. Make sure the temperature has risen to at least 145°F before serving!
rest for 5 minutes before serving
Recipe tips
- Baking time: I suggest a slightly shorter baking time, because with pork chops it’s better to check early vs too late. Don’t broil them until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F, which can take a couple of minutes longer than the recipe indicates. My pork chops were slightly over 1 inch thick and they baked in 14 minutes.
- Seasoning: Make sure to get the seasoning on both sides of the chops, and also around the edges. That’s how you get the most flavor into every bite!
- Resting time: Do not skip the resting time, it really does help with keeping the meat tender.
Recommended internal temperature for pork
Wondering when your pork is done and safe to be eaten? I highly recommend investing in (the following is an affiliate link an I earn a commission for purchases made through it) a meat thermometer. I check pretty much everything I cook and bake with mine to make sure I’m at the accurate temperature.
The US government’s food safety website recommends cooking all pork to an internal temperature of at least 145°F (63°C) followed by a 3 minute rest for safe consumption.
Serving ideas
Pork chops are a great basic, and so many things pair well with them. Here are some of our favorites:
- Mashed potatoes or Instant pot mashed potatoes
- Sautéed green beans or air fried green beans
- Roasted broccoli or air fryer broccoli
- Roasted asparagus or air fryer asparagus
- Potato wedges or air fryer baked potatoes
They are also great with rice and a bag of steamed vegetables for a quick and easy dinner. Or even with a hunk of crusty bread, mustard and coleslaw!
More pork recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Oven Baked Boneless Pork Chops
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops at least 1 inch thick
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep: Heat oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with baking parchment OR aluminum foil (see notes).
- Tenderize: Place pork chops between two pieces of plastic wrap and very gently pound using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet (you don't want to flatten them much, you mainly want to tenderize them – 4-5 gentle smacks will do).
- Season: Rub chops all over with oil and mustard. Combine brown sugar, ground paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub seasoning blend all over chops.
- Bake: Bake on middle rack for 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness of chops (about 6 minutes PER ½ inch thickness), OR until they reach at least an internal temperature of 140°F (or up to 160°F according to personal preference). Turn oven to broil and broil the pork chops 1-2 minutes, until browned and internal temp reaches at least 145°F. (Leave chops on middle rack if using parchment. Do NOT put chops close under broiler, unless using aluminum foil or removing parchment first! If broiler runs hotter than your parchment manufacturer allows, remove parchment paper first! If broiler is a small separate compartment, remove parchment paper before placing pork chops there.)
- Rest: Remove from the oven and allow chops to rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving, in order to let temperature rise and juices settle. Do not skip rest!
Notes
- Pork chops: I want to stress that your pork chops should be at LEAST 1 inch thick. At least. 1 ¼ inches is even better. If you can only get thin cut chops at the store, consider buying a 2 pound pork loin and cut it into 4 chops yourself (that’s what I mostly do, a 2 pound loin gives me 4 nice and thick chops).
- Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar. If you only have white sugar on hand, that’s fine to use, though you may want to reduce the amount to ½ tablespoon.
- Mustard: I used a mild, smooth, yellow mustard. If mustard is absolutely not your thing, consider using mayonnaise instead – it works very well, too.
- Baking time: I suggest a slightly shorter baking time, because with pork chops it’s better to check early vs too late. Don’t broil them until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F, which can take a couple of minutes longer than the recipe indicates. My pork chops were slightly over 1 inch thick and they baked in 14 minutes.
- Broiler/foil: Please DO NOT put the chops too close under your broiler! If your broiler runs hot, you must remove the parchment paper first OR use aluminum foil instead of parchment for safe broiling.
- Internal temp: The USDA advises an internal temperature of 145°F followed by a 3 minute rest for safe consumption. If you prefer a very done pork chop, you can of up to 160°F instead.
Sabrina B-K says
Absolutely perfect! I went in not liking pork and definitely not with mustard and brown sugar. This completely changed my mind. It’s so delicious and my family kept telling me how good it was. I did the 12 minutes first but went on to the 15 because one pork chop was a little thicker and the thinner pieces were fine. Clean up was also easy.
Kat says
Great recipe! Thank you! Worked on my chops that were JUST to the 1 in mark. Cooked for 12 exactly & 1 min broil. Temp before broil was 145 and 152 after broil. After rest -160. Tender, juicy-not dry at all.
Margaret says
tender and tasty and simple
Charlene Bates says
Goodness, I hate it when AI poses as a person and gives dangerous advice. This is almost as bad as the wild mushroom picking book that poisoned people. Never ever eat 1″ pork chops that have been cooked for 6 minutes on a side and then broiled for a couple more minutes. 1″ is thick, you will find it raw in the middle. Moreover, if the US FDA says 145 degrees is enough for pork, think twice and get it up to 160 at least. A 1 ” chop will be plenty juicy at 160 degrees.
Nora says
Charlene, I would take your bad review to heart if you had actually read the recipe. I really dislike it when people leave bad ratings without reading correctly. To clarify, nowhere does it say to cook 1 inch pork chops for 6 minutes – that would be quite the extraordinary oven to achieve this. It even says in the notes that a longer baking time may be necessary to reach the required internal temperature, but I prefer for people to start checking early so they don’t end up with overcooked and tough chops.
This is definitely a case of using common sense and making sure to check your specific pork chops to ensure they are cooked to your liking, and to a safe temperature. It was already very strongly stated to cook the chops to a MINIMUM of 145°F before removing them from the oven, followed by a 5 minute rest. I adjusted the recipe language slightly to make this even more clear. You are obviously free to cook your pork chops to 160°F if you ever so please, I am not denying this to anyone. I’m merely suggesting that the USDA may not be entirely wrong in their assessment.
Also, last time I checked I was human, not an artificial language model, most days I sure do wish I had the endless energy supply of a robot though. Have a nice day!
Brenda Dubiel says
I just want to tell you that I love your awesome, to-the-point, professional reply to that negative review. Very nice!
Kat says
AI for her personal site? Are you a cuckoo? Troll definitely lol
Anna says
BOOOOOOO! Charlene are you just trolling recipes to be rude? Nowhere does it say to cook for 6 mins….sheeesh….
Good job Nora!!!!
Shelly says
Very juicy & tender. Thanks for all the tips
Kristen Caprio says
Can you recommend a substitute for the mustard? My family will not eat mustard at all. Thanks!
Nora says
Kristen, many readers have reported great success by using mayonnaise! Hope this helps.
Jeannine Verellen says
I used a gallon-sized Ziploc bag to tenderize, and to rub with oil, then mustard, then spice rub – it worked great!
Carol says
love it
Vicky says
This recipe is excellent! So easy to do and the pork chops were very juicy and tasty. Definitely making these chops again! Thank you for the recipe and all the extra notes. Those were very helpful too.
Jeanette says
thanks for the pics! I couldn’t believe how your recipe said they would be moist with no added liquid. they are really excellent.
Linda says
I don’t want my chops to be dry that’s a problem for me with certain meats I bake in oven…. Should I put a little water in the pan?
Nora says
Hey Linda, I totally get it – nobody wants dry pork chops! For this recipe, you don’t need to add water to the pan. Adding water can actually make the chops steam instead of bake, which might mess with the delicious caramelization you’re aiming for here.
The key here is to follow the instructions exactly — brushing the chops with the seasoning mixture really helps lock in moisture while giving them amazing flavor. Another trick? Keep an eye on the baking time and use a meat thermometer if you can. Pull them out as soon as they hit 145°F, and let them rest for a few minutes before serving. That rest makes them extra juicy!
You’ve got this — they’re going to turn out perfect! Can’t wait to hear how they go! 🐖🍴💛
Bonnie says
Can you suggest any substitute for a diabetic re: the brown sugar?
Nora says
I’d just skip it, Bonnie! Or else you can try a brown sugar substitute that’s intended for cooking and baking, although I can’t guarantee a good outcome. Hope this helps!
Missy says
Juicy and very flavorful. I loved that this was so easy and quick! I used Dijon mustard.
Robin Ann Darling says
omg people you gotta try this . it’s so good. i doin 2 one this and another.this has a star shine. thanks for recipe
Julie says
Turned out amazing, juicy and flavorful!
Thank you
Ali says
These were so good! I accidentally overcooked the pork bc our pork chops weren’t thick enough, but the seasoning carried it! They were so saucy and flavorful, our 16 month old also ate them.
Marti T says
Just made these tonight. Absolutely delicious. Thank you for this easy recipe.
Lynn says
I loved the flavor of the pork chops and they were not as thick as recommended but I would like to know if I can use a Pork Tenderloin instead of the Pork Loin I like the Idea of cutting my own chops seeing as I cant always get chops an 1″ and 1/4 unless I buy butterflied chops I like a nice thick cut of pork
Nora says
Hey Lynn, I’m so glad you loved the flavor of the pork chops! You can absolutely use a pork tenderloin instead of a pork loin if that’s what you prefer. Tenderloin is a bit leaner, but if you’re cutting your own chops from it, you can still get that nice thick cut you’re looking for. Just keep an eye on the cooking time since tenderloin can cook a bit faster than regular loin chops.
Also, butterflied chops are a great option if you can’t find thick-cut chops ready to go. Cutting your own is such a smart way to get exactly what you want! Let me know how it turns out if you try the tenderloin version — I bet it’ll be just as delicious! 🐖🍴✨
Kelly R says
Thank you for taking the time in sharing such a hit with the family. I cheated and used McCormick’s Brown Sugar Grill Marinade pouch while following the rest of your instructions. The breakdown in the cook time was so incredibly helpful. The tender, flavorful and crisp coating were so delightfully delicious. Much better than the way I was taught where the chops ended up dry and a shoe leather texture. LOL. Brilliant. Thank you again for sharing.
Harold Brown says
I have too much thick boneless pork chops how much difference is that going to make in cooking time
Agnes says
I made this recipe yesterday and loved the flavour of the chops but cooking in the oven at 400 took almost 30 min. for 1-1/4″ chops. That’s why only 4 stars.
Kathy McConnell says
This is my favorite baked pork chop recipe. I also used Dijon mustard as my son doesn’t care for yellow mustard and they came out juicy and flavorful with rave reviews from my grown kids who were over for dinner. Thank you!
Jaclyn says
Perfect the way the recipe was written! Thank you!
Denny says
I forgot to rate…5 stars for sure!
Denny says
Made this tonight. I had boneless chops about 1.5″ thick so I had to add to the bake/broil time. I reduced the salt to a 1/4 tsp and they were absoultely perfect and juicy!!…I used this same rub recipe on a whole pork loin which we smoked on my friends smoker and it was awesome, for the loin I used dijon mustard and it worked well…thank you!
Barbara Hallett Wegner says
I do not know if this is a fair 5 star. I did follow the recipe to the T, BUT I had made up a dry rub for ribs a couple months ago and used that, it was pretty close to yours But your method was right on from pounding the pork just slightly to the temp and broiler. My chops where around 1 1/2 thick and came out so tender and moist. I did have to cook a little longer do to the thickness.