Cook Pork Chops in the Oven

Pork chops dry out quickly, especially when cooked in the oven. To prevent this from happening, marinate the meat or coat it with a breadcrumb mixture. Moreover, you should avoid overcooking the pork. Scroll down to Step 1 to learn how to cook pork chops in the oven by either marinating or breading them, and by baking or broiling them.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Marinating Pork Chops

• 4 pork chops
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) flavored vinegar, such as white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) ketchup
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) sugar

Breading Pork Chops

• 4 pork chops
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) milk
• 1 cup (250 ml) dry stuffing mix, cornbread mix, or seasoned bread crumbs

Steps

Marinating Pork Chops

1. Combine the vinegar, ketchup, oil and sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together the four marinade ingredients. Transfer to a glass dish or resealable plastic bag.
   • Marinaded pork chops are great both baked and broiled. They retain moisture well.
   • The type of vinegar you use will alter the way the marinade tastes. Apple cider vinegar adds a subtle fruit taste and generally makes a good accompaniment to pork. Wine vinegars have a more potent, complex taste, and balsamic vinegar offers a blend of sweet and sour flavors. You can experiment with various types of other flavored vinegars until you find one that appeals to your personal sense of taste.
   • Experiment with the ingredients of the marinade as desired. In general, marinades need to have an acid, like vinegar, and an oil. Other flavors can be contributed depending on the sweeteners, condiments, spices, and herbs you use. For example, another popular choice for pork chops is a marinade consisting of soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Other acids, like pineapple juice or lemon juice, can be used instead of the vinegar.
2. Coat the pork chops. Place the pork chops in the dish or bag with the marinade and turn several times to coat evenly.
3. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. Allow the pork chops to sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes so that the meat can absorb the flavors.
   • A marinade also helps tenderize and moisten meat.
   • The longer you allow the pork to sit in the marinade, the more flavorful it will become upon being cooked. If you leave it in for more than a few hours, however, you can actually cause the pork to become even tougher.

Breading Pork Chops

1. Beat together the egg and milk. Beat the egg with a whisk in a small bowl with shallow sides. Whisk in the milk until combined.
   • Breaded pork chops are better baked than broiled. They are more generally more common than marinaded pork chops, and the breading actually helps to prevent the meat from drying out by partially shielding it from direct heat.
   • An easy way to beat an egg is to crush or pierce the yolk first before quickly whisking the yolk and white together.
2. Crush the stuffing mix. Place the stuffing mix in a resealable plastic bag and crush using your hands or a rolling pin.
   • Crush the mix until fine crumbs are formed.
   • If using cornbread mix or dry bread crumbs, no crushing is necessary.
   • Both pork stuffing mix and herb stuffing mix work well.
3. Dip the pork chops in the egg mixture. Dunk the pork chops in the egg wash one at a time, coating all sides. Hold each pork chop over the bowl for a few seconds to allow excess egg to drip off.
   • Egg acts as a binding agent and helps adhere the coating onto the meat.
4. Coat the pork chops in the stuffing mix. Place each pork chop, one at a time, in the resealable plastic bag holding the crushed stuffing mix or crumbs. Seal the bag and give it a shake to coat all sides of the chop.

Baking Pork Chops

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius). Prepare a baking pan by coating it with melted butter or nonstick cooking spray.
   • Both marinades and breaded pork chops can be baked.
   • Nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper can also be used instead of butter or cooking spray.
2. Place the pork chops in the prepared pan. Arrange the pork chops in a single layer, evenly spaced apart inside the pan.
   • If desired, you can drizzle a small amount of melted butter over breaded pork chops to help them brown. Spraying them with a butter-based cooking spray will have a similar effect. Note that this may not make a difference in pork chops prepared with a marinade, however.
3. Bake for 20 to 35 minutes, turning once. After 10 minutes, flip the pork chops to ensure even cooking. Continue baking until there is no longer any pink and the juices run clear.
   • Note that for some marinades, the juices will always have some tint of color due to the color of the marinade.
4. Serve warm. Let rest for at least 3 minutes before serving.

Broiling Pork Chops

1. Preheat the broiler. Pull out a broiler pan with an interior rack.
   • Broil marinaded pork chops, but avoid using this method with breaded pork. The intense heat is likely to burn the coating too quickly.
   • Most broilers only have an "on" setting, but if yours has separate "high" and "low" settings, preheat it to "high."
   • A broiler pan is the best option because the rack keeps the meat raised above the rendered fat that drips off into the bottom of the pan. This can prevent the fat from becoming too hot and catching fire.
   • Do not line the broiler pan with aluminum foil or coat it with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
2. Transfer the pork chops to the broiler pan. Place the chops on the rack, spacing them evenly apart and in a single layer.
3. Cook the chops 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Place the pan on the top rack of the oven.
   • Cook for 5 minutes or until the top begins to brown.
   • Flip and continue cooking until the other side is also brown.
   • The finished pork chops should have no pink inside.
4. Serve warm. Let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.

Warnings

• Pork chops must reach a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degrees Celsius) before it is safe to eat. Check the internal temperature by sticking a meat thermometer into the center of the thickest pork chop.

Things You'll Need

• Small bowl
• Whisk
• Glass dish
• Resealable plastic bag
• Rolling pin
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Aluminum foil or parchment paper
• Broiler pan
• Meat thermometer

Related Articles

• Make Oven Barbecued Pork Chops
• Cook Breaded Pork Chops
• Make Hawaiian Pork Chops
• Marinate and Cook Pork Chops

Sources and Citations

See also

• Bread Pork Chops
• Grill a Pork Chop Using the Dry Rub Method
• Cook Pork Chops
• Fry Pork Chops
• Cook Boneless Pork Chops
• Cook Pork Chops on the Stove
• Bake Pork Chops
• Prepare Shake 'N Bake

What links here

• Cook Pork Chops on the Stove