If you've ever wondered how to cook thin pork chops perfectly every single time, this easy recipe is it. These thin chops are packed with so much flavor and are perfectly tender and juicy with a crisp seared crust. Best of all, they're ready in just 10 minutes and made with just a few pantry staple ingredients!
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The Best Thin Pork Chops
These quick and easy pan fried pork chops are the ultimate speedy dinner recipe! Seriously, they're effortless to make, take practically no time at all, and cook up perfectly every single time.
The thin pork chops are coated in the perfect blend of spices, have a gorgeous golden brown sear on the outside, and are perfectly juicy and tender.
They're just so good. And, I know I'm biased, but I think this is one of the best pork chop recipes out there. Well, this and my flavorful air fryer pork chops.
Now, what I love about this recipe is that you don't have to marinate - or brine - the pork ahead of time to get it to be super flavorful and juicy. So that means you can prepare 'em at a moment's notice and have dinner on the table in as fast as 20 minutes!
Also, since these chops are so quick and easy to whip up, you'll have plenty of time to make some delicious sides to go with 'em. A few of my favorites to pair with 'em are this cauliflower mashed potato recipe, this sauteed eggplant recipe, or this roasted kohlrabi recipe. So, I highly recommend giving one of those sides.
Ingredients
- Thin pork chops- you'll want them to be around ½ inch thick.
- Sea salt and black pepper- to tenderize and flavor the meat.
- Paprika- for a slight spice.
- Garlic powder- to add a savory flavor.
- Green onions- for garnish.
- Cooking spray- to coat the pan. Butter or oil works here too.
Also, just so you know, you can actually use a lot of these seasonings to make some of my other delicious meat recipes. Recipes like this air fryer turkey tenderloin, this air fryer chicken breast, these grilled chicken thighs, and this blackened salmon!
Pork Chops To Use For This Recipe
You can usually find thin pork chops in the meat section, sometimes labeled minute pork chops. But, if you aren't able to find thin cuts, you can just get a regular-sized pork chop and pound the entire chop with a meat mallet until it's about ½ inch thick.
Now, as you may have noticed, I used bone-in thin pork chops for this recipe. I like to use them because they have a lot more flavor than the ones with the bone out. With that said, though, you can definitely use boneless pork chops for this recipe and still get some tasty results. They're just not my personal favorite to use.
No matter what kind of pork chops you go with, though, the key for both bone in and boneless is to find cuts with a lot of marbling. This way, they won't dry out even if you slightly overcook them.
How To Cook Thin Pork Chops
Step 1: Season
First, we'll be seasoning each pork chop to give it that perfect balance of flavors. So, take out a small bowl and combine the garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper for the pork chop rub.
Then, pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and season both sides of each pork chop generously with all of the mixed seasonings.
Step 2: Cook
Now that the pork chops are seasoned to perfection, you can coat a large skillet, cast iron pan, or grill pan with some olive oil and heat it over medium-high heat.
Then, once the pan and oil are hot, you can add the pork chops to the pan and sear them for 3 minutes on each side to cook through. You'll know they're cooked once a meat thermometer is stuck into the center of the thickest part and the internal temperature reaches at least 145°F.
Now, a little pro tip here - the trick to making these juicy thin pork chops is searing them in a hot pan, untouched. So make sure not to move the pork chops around while cooking, and just let them pan fry until well-browned with some charring.
Step 3: Serve
Finally, after the thin pork chops are cooked to perfection, transfer them to a plate to cool for a minute before serving. Then, garnish the tender chops with green onions, serve with your choice of veggies or side dish, and enjoy!
What To Serve with Thin Pork Chops
These pan fried pork chops are the kind of main dish that tastes good with anything! Seriously, they go with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, roasted or steamed veggies, and really anything that you can think of. But, with that said, I think they go particularly well with one of these recipes:
- Air fryer brussel sprouts
- Roasted broccolini
- Coleslaw
- Zuppa Toscana
- Broccoli cheese soup
- Green bean casserole
- Cheesy broccoli casserole
How To Store Cooked Pork Chops
This recipe for thin pork chops will make 4 chops or around 2-4 servings. But, if you think you'll want more, you can easily double or triple the recipe by adjusting the number of seasonings. And, if you have any leftover pork chops, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Oh, and if you want to keep them for longer, you can freeze the cooked pork chops. To do this, just let the meat cool and then transfer it to an airtight container - or freezer-safe bag - with the excess air squeezed out. Stored this way, the pork chops can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How To Reheat The Leftovers
Now, I'm not going to lie, but I actually enjoy eating these pork chops cold day/s after I make 'em. But, if you want, you can also reheat them. The best way to reheat pork chops is in a covered baking dish in the oven. To reheat, add a little bit of water - or broth - to prevent your chops from drying out, and then cook them at 350°F (176°C) for about 5-10 minutes - or until heated through.
More Easy Recipes
If you're looking for more easy recipes with perfect cooking results, I have a ton on the blog you have to try next!
Here are some of my favorites:
- Pork loin
- Oven baked pork chops
- Baked chicken legs
- How to cook chicken sausages
- How to cook chicken thighs
- How to cook chorizo
- How to cook salmon
- How to cook turkey legs
- How to cook turkey bacon
- Stuffed pork chops
- Roasted pork belly
Oh, and for even more deliciousness check out my Youtube, Instagram, and TikTok pages. I post new recipes on them all of the time.
How To Cook Thin Pork Chops | Juicy & Pan Seared In 10 Minutes
If you've ever wondered how to cook thin pork chops perfectly every single time, this easy recipe is it. These thin chops are packed with so much flavor and are perfectly tender and juicy with a crisp seared crust. Best of all, they're ready in just 10 minutes and made with just a few pantry staple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 4 thin pork chops (½ inch thick)
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- Green onions for garnish
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Rub the mixture on both sides of the pork chops.
- Coat a large, heavy skillet with olive oil and heat it over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes - until hot.
- Add the pork chops and sear for 3 minutes per side - without moving the chops - until well-browned and the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- Garnish with green onions and your desired veggies.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 pork chopAmount Per Serving: Calories: 150Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 24g
These chops were excellent.
My kids loved them and it only tool a few minutes to throw the meal together. Perfect for a quick meal to make after I get home from work.
Appreciate the help! Loved the rub except my hubby is super sensitive to salt. I will cut the salt down next time but loved it!
The simple seasoning on these chops was 👌🏻
Excellent!