These Honey Garlic Pork Chops couldn’t be any more delicious if they tried. Quick and easy to make with minimal ingredients!
Quick dinners don’t come more delicious than this. Perfectly fried pork chops bathed in a sticky honey garlic glaze? UGH, grab a fork and follow me…
How to prepare Pork Chops
Bone in
For this recipe you’ll want bone in pork chops. Bone in pork chops are great because they tend to end up more tender than boneless pork chops. Having the bone in also ensures the chops cook more evenly, as the bone heats up it then cooks the meat attached to it.
Room temp
It’s important to get the pork out the fridge at least 15mins before needed, just to bring them to room temp. Frying meat straight from the fridge, especially pork, will cause it to seize up and become chewy. And you and me both know, there’s literally nothing worse than chewy pork chops ☹️
Pat Dry
It’s important to remove as much moisture as you can from the outside of the pork chops. Excess moisture will prevent the meat from browning properly. Simply use paper towels to pat them dry.
From there, it’s just a case of liberally seasoning them with salt and pepper, then drizzle with oil. No other seasoning needed – promise 😉
Pan Fried Pork Chops
Whilst you could bake the chops, pan frying will offer a far better texture and flavour. You get the direct heat of the pan which caramelizes the pork so beautifully. It also gives you opportunity to baste the chops, which we’ll get to in just a sec.
Whilst the honey garlic sauce is beyond delicious, it’s not going to mask poorly cooked pork chops, so here’s a few tips on getting soft and juicy chops.
How to get juicy Pan Fried Pork Chops
- High heat – Bring your pan to a scorching hot heat to get a nice sear on the outside. Whilst you can fry them at a low/medium temp, you’ll miss out on a huge amount of flavour and they won’t be as moist.
- Butter – Once you flip the chops, baste them in herbs, garlic and butter to keep them nice and juicy.
- Let them rest! – After you’ve seared both sides on high heat and seared the fat, let them rest for at least 5 mins. This will not only give the chops time to continue cooking through the centre, but will allow them to soak back any juices trying to escape.
Okay, pork chops are good to go. Let’s talk sauce!
Honey Garlic Sauce
There’s something about the combination of honey and garlic which makes me weak at the knees. There’s just a few other ingredients that really complete this sauce:
Honey Garlic Sauce Ingredients
- Honey – Ensure it’s runny honey or it’ll clump up in the pan.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic, 2 cloves to infuse the butter then another 2 to make the sauce.
- Butter – this will be leftover from basting the pork chops AND infused with rosemary/thyme (& extra garlic).
- Soy Sauce – will give gorgeous depth to the sauce.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – balances out the sweetness of the honey and adds a hint of apple, which coincidentally pairs perfectly with pork.
Once you’ve removed the pork from the pan, add the garlic straight in and get started with the sauce. It doesn’t take long for the sauce to thicken at all, so just be vigilant.
Top Tip – Ensure you turn down the heat and allow the pan to cool a little before adding the garlic, otherwise it’ll burn and go bitter.
Can you use chicken instead?
Yup, chicken goes perfectly with honey garlic sauce.
How to make Honey Garlic Pork Chops?
Equipment:
- Large Frying Pan & Tongs
- Spoon (for basting)
- Chopping Board
- Paper Towels
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients (check list):
- 2x 8oz/250g Pork Chops, at room temp (bone in)
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 4 cloves of Garlic (2 lightly crushed with skins on, 2 minced)
- 1/4 cup / 70g Honey
- 1.5 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Light/All Purpose Soy Sauce
- 1 sprig of Rosemary
- 1 sprig of Thyme
- Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
- Olive Oil, as needed
Instructions:
- Bring your pork chops to room temp, pat them dry with paper towels then liberally coat with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Place a frying pan over high heat, wait a couple minutes for it to get nice and hot then lay your pork chops down. Fry for 3-5 mins or until charred, then flip over.
- Drop in your butter, thyme, rosemary and 2 garlic cloves. Baste the chops for another 3-5 mins, or until the second side is charred & the juices are running clear (this is completely dependent on the thickness of your pork, be aware they will carry on cooking very slightly when removed from the pan). Flip and sear the fat until golden, then remove & rest to one side. Important to rest so the pork retains its juices.
- Turn heat down to a low-medium, & when the pan has cooled down add your minced garlic. Make sure it’s not still scorching hot or the garlic will burn & go bitter.
- Fry until the garlic just begins to catch colour, then pour in your honey, soy sauce and apple cider vinegar. Simmer until you can coat the back of a spoon, stirring regularly. Add pork chops back in (just to coat in the sauce) then serve. Your chops should just be cooked through after resting, but if they need a little extra then add to the sauce for a few minutes until hot through the center.
Notes:
a) Room Temp – Really important to get your pork chops out the fridge at least 15mins before needed. Frying meat straight from the fridge causes it to seize up and got chewy.
b) Pork Fat – If there’s a considerable amount of fat or the pork chop is thin, you might want to consider making tiny slices into the fat. This will prevent the pork from curving/curling up in the fat.
c) Quantity – Very easy to double to feed 4! Just use the serving scale slider near the top of the recipe card.
d) Chicken – Perfect to sub in chicken.
e) Serve – To serve I usually go for Mustard Mash and Garlic Green Beans (just because I’m a garlic fiend).
f) Calories – based on the whole recipe divided by two without sides.
Nutrition:
Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance.
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