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These juicy, tender pork chops are cooked in a flavorful honey garlic sauce. Served on their own or over a bed of rice with veggies, it’s a meal the whole family will enjoy!
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If you know me, you know I’m a farm girl at heart. I’d prefer to see the stars instead of city lights. To see the sunset over the corn field rather than over skyscrapers every night. And most of all, to witness our kids experience farm-life, hard work, the beauty of rural Iowa and the wide open spaces.
Being on the farm, there’s no shortage of pork in the freezer. It’s fun to think up different ways to use pork chops and this recipe I dreamed up is one we’ll make again and again!!
My recipe for Honey Garlic Pork Chops uses simple ingredients and comes together super quick. I love slicing them thin, placing them on a bed of white rice and drizzling the leftover sauce on top. My mouth is watering just thinking about these….ah! You’ve just gotta try it!
Ingredients Needed
- Vegetable Oil – You can opt to use olive oil instead.
- Pork Chops – You can use boneless pork chops OR bone-in pork chops for this recipe. Both work great and are delicious options when cooked properly (more on that below!).
- Salt & Black Pepper – Or seasoned salt.
- Butter – I used salted butter.
- Minced Garlic – You can buy minced garlic from the grocery store, cut up your own garlic cloves or opt for garlic powder (see notes in recipe card below)
- Honey
- Water
- Vinegar – You can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar.
- Red Pepper Flakes
How to Make Honey Garlic Pork Chops
You’ll start by searing the pork chops over medium-high heat until golden brown on each side. This will help lock in the moisture and create a lovely caramelized flavor.
With all cuts of pork, it’s critical that they aren’t overcooked. We want juicy pork chops….not tough, dry chops! Therefore, once they’re seared, you’ll remove them from the pan.
Next you’ll create a simple honey garlic sauce in the skillet. Go ahead and use the same skillet – nobody likes extra dishes!
You’ll cook the sauce for just 3-4 minutes, or until bubbly. The longer you cook the sauce, the thicker it’ll be.
Lastly, you’ll add the pork chops back to the skillet and let them cook in the most amazing honey garlic sauce!
The cooking time will depend on how thick the pork chops are. If you have thin-cut pork chops, they’ll take just a few minutes to an internal temperature of 145F. Thin pork chops and boneless chops will cook more quickly than thick, bone-in chops.
Baste the chops with the saucy glaze as they cook and serve right away!
Should I use bone-in chops for this recipe?
It’s up to you. Personally, I really like bone-in chops as I think it makes a more flavorful cut of pork. However, both bone-in and boneless would work great and be delicious options if cooked properly!
If you prefer boneless chops, go that route. If your grocery store has a sale on bone-in chops, go that route. This recipe easily lends itself to minor changes like that, giving you the option to adapt to what you’ve got!
What temperature should I cook my pork chops to?
Any whole muscle cut should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. That includes pork chops, pork loin, pork tenderloin, etc. This will guarantee the most tender pork chops.
If you don’t currently have an instant-read thermometer, I highly recommend getting one. It’s by far the best tool you can use to guarantee perfectly cooked pork! Do you have a meat thermometer, but aren’t sure if it’s accurate? Learn how to calibrate it!
You can serve them over rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice, mashed potatoes or nothing at all. I like to enjoy these on a bed of rice and a side of bright green vegetables like green beans or Brussels sprouts! If it’s summer, I love having garden lettuce with my favorite dressing for a quick healthy meal.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Other Favorite Pork Recipes
Dr Pepper Pulled Pork in the Crockpot
Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- pork chops (2 thick bone-in chops or 4 thin chops)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons vinegar white, apple cider or rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
Instructions
- Pour the vegetable oil in a large skillet and turn the burner on medium/high heat.
- Season the pork chops with salt and pepper.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the pork chops. Cook uncovered for 3 minutes on each side to sear the outsides of the chops; remove the chops from the pan and set aside.
- Turn the burner down to low/medium heat.
- To the skillet, add the butter and garlic. Let the garlic cook for about a minute.
- Next, stir in the honey, water, vinegar and pepper. Let cook for a few minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Add the chops back to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes, basting frequently with the sauce. The pork chops are done when they register an internal temperature of 145°F. Let rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
- Thinly slice the chops and serve over a bed of rice; drizzle the remaining sauce over the pork.
- Garnish with parsley and additional crushed red pepper, if desired.
is there a recipe for honey garlic chicken
Yes!!! Here’s the link! –> https://dancearoundthekitchen.com/honey-garlic-chicken/
Awesome recipe! I served over white rice!
So glad you enjoyed it!!! ~Kelsey
Tasty dish for me, as a novice cook.. It did take several mins for my sauce to thicken (10-15 mins). I put the lid on my pan after reintroducing the chops and they ended up cooking too fast. Oops. Still good. I used 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes and my husband said it was too spicy for him, so I’ll omit it next time. I loved the tangy sauce and how it tasted over the brown rice we used instead of white rice. I think I will try it without any salt next time also to see if I can make it low salt, too.
I miraculously found this recipe yesterday and my family absolutely LOVED it!!! I am not the best cook, so the fact that this was such an easy and simple recipe that had such a WOW factor, really says something! Thank you Kelsey! Can’t wait to check out your other recipes 🙂
Thanks Cherie!!!! Made my day! ~Kelsey
The entire family raved.
Super yummy sauce ! I used pork meat peices instead of chops over some rice and a side of sautéed Asparagus! Great recipe 👌
I made this dish tonite, my husband absolutely loved it!!
The sauce is excellent! I paired this with asparagus and baked potato. Delicious!
I just made this recipe and oh my goodnesssssss this is so delicious!!! Perfect!!! I did the recipe 1.5 because I had more pork chops. It was perfect! Delicious!! Thank you!
This recipe was good with a few changes. I cooked the pork chips for 2 minutes on each side then returned them to the sauce for another 3 minutes. The thin pork chops would be hockey pucks if you followed the recipe and cooked them for a total 8
minute. Last change, I only used 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
This evening I made thus for the first time. This was a winner. My husband really enjoyed this. Very simple and easy to prepare. Very delicious well blended flavor.
I didn’t think I could cook pork chops. When we picked out a nice pack of 12 thick boneless pork chops, I told my husband that we would be investing in me practicing at least three times. Well, with this recipe, the pork chops turned out to be delicious. I seared the edges too and ended up cooking these for three minutes on each side after returning to the pan. Next time, I will cook for only 2 to 2.5 minutes per side for about one inch boneless chops. It was really good at three minutes per side but I know they can be done in a little less time. The sauce was the bomb!!! I used apple cider vinegar.
I didn’t think I could cook pork chops. When we picked out a nice pack of 12 thick one inch or so boneless pork chops, I told my husband that we would be investing in some practice attempts. Well, with this recipe, the pork chops turned out to be delicious the first time around. I seared the edges too and ended up cooking these for three minutes on each side after returning to the pan. Next time, I will cook for only 2 to 2.5 minutes per side. It was really good at three minutes per side but less time would be even better. I used apple cider vinegar and the sauce was the bomb!!!
I didn’t think I could cook pork chops. When we picked out a nice pack of 12 thick one inch or so boneless pork chops, I told my husband that we would be investing in some practice attempts. Well, with this recipe, the pork chops turned out to be delicious the first time around. I seared the edges too and ended up cooking these for three minutes on each side after returning to the pan. Next time, I will cook for only 2 to 2.5 minutes per side. I used apple cider vinegar and the sauce was the bomb!!!
So happy to hear this, Cheryl!!!