These 15-minute Honey Garlic Pork Chops are made with delicious seared thick-cut pork chops in a mouthwatering sweet and savory honey garlic sauce. Serve with rice, creamy mashed potatoes, or your favorite veggie for an easy weeknight dinner loved by the whole family!
Do you love a good pork chop recipe? Be sure to check out my 15-Minute Garlic Butter Pork Chops and Baked Pork Chops Recipe.
Honey Garlic Pork Chop Recipe
This honey garlic pork chops recipe is everything. Yes, it’s delicious – more on that in a minute – but the real magic is that it’s both good and fast. No brining or marinating is needed. You can have these lip-smacking chops ready in just about 15 minutes, making them a real lifesaver for busy parents. I know this because I am a busy parent just trying to feed my kid real food.
Anyway, aside from saving lives (sarcasm), what else makes these pork chops so great? The flavor!
The recipe starts by searing the pork chops in butter and olive oil and finishes in a salty, sweet, and savory honey garlic sauce. The result is juicy, tender chops with crispy, golden, caramelized edges. Absolute perfection. I highly recommend making extra.
You can make these honey garlic pork chops with bone-in or boneless pork chops.
Key Ingredients
Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Pork chops: I like to make this recipe with thicker pork chops (approx. 1-1½-inches thick) as they are more forgiving to accidental overcooking. Bone-in pork chops have more flavor, but this recipe is fantastic with both boneless or bone-in chops.
- Butter and Olive oil: We’re searing the pork chops in both butter and olive oil. The butter adds more flavor, while the olive oil helps prevent the butter from burning. Salted or unsalted butter may be used.
- Seasoning: The pork chops are seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Sauce: The honey garlic sauce is a combination of fresh minced garlic, honey, ketchup, water, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. To make this recipe gluten free, use a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce like tamari or coconut aminos.
How to Make Honey Garlic Pork Chops
1. Prepare the pork chops: Remove the pork chops from the refrigerator approximately 20-30 minutes before cooking. Pat them dry with paper towels and season each side with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
2. Sear the pork chops: Melt two tablespoons of olive oil with one tablespoon of butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan or skillet (like a cast iron skillet) set over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook each side for approximately 4-7 minutes (cooking time will vary) or until golden brown and caramelized around the edges. Remove the pork chops to a clean plate when the internal temperature registers 135-145 degrees F as measured by a digital meat thermometer. Set aside.
3. Scrape up the brown bits (aka “fond”): Return the pan to medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the pan. Scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon or spatula then add the remaining butter to the pan.
- Fond is a French word that translates to “the bottom” or “the base” and it refers to the caramelized bits of food stuck to the bottom of a pan after searing. It is created through the Maillard reaction.
The Power of the Maillard Reaction
Browning, aka the Maillard reaction, occurs when proteins (amino acids) and sugars in food are subjected to heat, typically at or above 285°F (140°C). This causes the proteins and sugars to combine, creating countless different flavor compounds – like umami!
4. Make the sauce: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant, then add the honey, ketchup, water, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer, whisking the entire time, about 2 minutes.
5. Return the pork chops to the skillet and baste with the sauce and continue to cook until everything is heated through.
Serving Ideas
These honey garlic pork chops are delicious with steamed white or brown rice and your favorite side veggie like green beans, broccoli, or asparagus! You can even keep it low carb with yummy cauliflower rice. For something a little richer, try serving your chops with buttery mashed potatoes. I promise, it’s delicious.
How to Thicken the Sauce
The honey garlic sauce is a huge part of what makes this recipe so delicious. If you prefer a thicker, glossier sauce plan to make a cornstarch slurry. Combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and stir until mixed. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce and cook for one minute before you add the pork chops back to the pan. Once the pork chops are added back to the pan, keep an eye on the sauce so that it doesn’t burn. Reduce the heat if needed.
Leftovers and Reheating
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
To freeze, wrap each pork chop individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months. I recommend making a fresh batch of sauce after thawing and reheating frozen.
Thaw frozen pork chops overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. For best results, slice the pork chops into 1-inch thick strips and heat gently on the stovetop or microwave until warmed through.
Cooking Tools for this Recipe
Check out all of my kitchen essentials. (Amazon affiliate links*)
- A digital meat thermometer to prevent overcooked pork.
- A garlic press for easy garlic mincing.
- Large Cast Iron Skillet. A 12-inch pan is recommended.
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases.
More Pork Chop Recipes
- Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
- Smothered Pork Chops Recipe
- Pork Chops with Apples and Butternut Squash
- Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops (Dad’s Recipe)
- Pork Schnitzel Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops - bone-in or boneless, 1-1½-inches thick
- salt and pepper - to season
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon butter - divided, (or olive oil to make this recipe dairy-free)
For the Honey Garlic Sauce
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 6 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Season both sides of the pork chops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Melt one tablespoon of butter with one tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan or skillet (like a cast iron skillet) set over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook each side for approximately 4-7 minutes (cooking time will vary) or until golden brown and caramelized around the edges. Remove the pork chops to a clean plate when the internal temperature registers 135-145℉ as measured by a digital meat thermometer. Set aside.
- Return the pan to medium heat. Add and melt the remaining butter, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the minced garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant, then add the honey, ketchup, water, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk the sauce as it comes to a simmer, about 2 minutes.
- Return the pork chops back to the pan. Baste with the sauce and continue to cook until heated through.
- Serve garnished with fresh chives, green onions, or parsley, if desired.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
I recently lost my wife to Pancreatic Cancer, and now I am making an effort to learn cooking more than scrambled eggs and baked potatos!
Your recipe was well written, easy to understand, covered all aspects and resulted in a very tasty dish of chops.
Thank you
Wally
Hello Wally,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and I’m deeply sorry to hear about your wife. It’s heartening to hear that you’ve found some solace in the kitchen, and I’m truly honored that my garlic butter pork chop recipe could be part of your culinary journey. Cooking can be a wonderful way to nourish both the body and spirit, and mastering new dishes can bring a great sense of achievement and joy. If you have any questions or need further recipes to try out, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Made one slight change – used black cherry balasamic vinegar in of apple cider vinegar. Truly awesome!
I appreciate the awesome feedback and rating, Linda 🙂
Just a little too much apple cider vinegar for me but I just added a bit more of the other ingredients to the sauce and it was amazing!