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A stellar dish featuring oven-baked pork chops made with only four ingredients and in less than 40 minutes. The meat is tender, juicy, and cooked perfectly every time.
Thank goodness we are a family of pork lovers because they are one of the few affordable cuts of meat at the moment!
Thanks to a few kitchen gadgets we have on hand, we always change up the cooking process. Typically, we cook pork chops in the air fryer, an instant pot, and sometimes even the sous vide (or stuff them!).
Recently, though, we tested our brand new oven by baking them in it, and honestly, they came out pretty darn perfect!
Why this recipe works
- Only 4 ingredients. This recipe is exceptionally easy because you only need four ingredients to pull off a hearty meal.
- Ready in less than 40 minutes. For this recipe, you don’t need to marinate the pork for longer than 10 minutes. Bake them in the oven for 20 minutes, allow them to rest, and have a delicious main dish ready in under 40 minutes.
- Juicy and flavorful. Marinated in soy sauce and herbs, these oven-baked pork chops always come out juicy, tender, and flavorful.
What we love about this four ingredient pork chop recipe is that it’s so easy to build a delicious dinner around then. They go well with easy side dishes like roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and coleslaw.
Ingredients needed
As you’d expect, with such a short ingredient list, there isn’t much needed to whip them up. Here is what you’ll need:
- Pork chops. Choose pork chops of the same thickness to ensure they cook evenly.
- Olive oil. To help the pork remain moist while they bake.
- Soy sauce. To give the pork chops a rich, salty, and umami flavor.
- Italian seasoning. The complex herbal flavor of this seasoning mix goes perfectly with pork.
How to make oven baked pork chops
Besides marinating the chops and placing them in the oven, this honestly is one of the most hands-off recipes you’ll ever make. I mean, while it’s baking up, why not prep some peanut butter mousse for dessert?
Step 1 – Marinate the pork chops
Pat dry the pork chops using paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil, soy sauce, and Italian seasoning into a zip-lock bag and mix well.
Add the pork chops and push out as much air as you can. Allow the meat to sit in the marinade for 10 minutes.
Step 2 – Bake the pork chops
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees. Remove the pork chops from the marinade and arrange them on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, flipping the pork chops halfway through baking.
Once baked, remove the pork chops from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Flavor variations
You can add more ingredients to the marinade to change up the flavor of these oven-roasted pork chops. Here are the ways we’ve tested it too:
- Use more spices. You can add garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon pepper, and other spices of your choice.
- Add chili sauce. This sauce allows you to easily control the level of heat you are trying to achieve for the marinade.
- Swap soy sauce with Worcestershire sauce. The distinct sweet-savory taste of this sauce will help create a slightly different flavor profile for the pork chops.
- Add lemon juice. Lemon juice added to the marinade will help further tenderize the pork chops and will give them a mild citrusy zing.
Tips to make the best baked pork chops
- Make your own seasoning mix. If you don’t have Italian seasoning, make it yourself. To make Italian seasoning, mix equal parts of the herbs you have at hand, including dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and parsley.
- Check the internal temperature of the pork chops. Keep an instant-read thermometer at hand and remove the pork chops from the oven when they reach an internal temperature of 145F degrees. A thermometer is especially helpful when the pork chops have different thicknesses.
- Sear the pork chops before baking. Giving the pork chops a quick sear on both sides will help you create a nice crust on them and lock in the juices. Make sure to cut the cooking time in the oven.
Storage instructions
To store. Store leftover pork chops in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To freeze. You can freeze roasted pork chops for up to 4 months. I recommend removing the bones from the pork chops before freezing them, as they can become quite dense.
To reheat. While you can microwave the chops, I prefer reheating them in the oven. Be sure to cover the pork chops with aluminum foil when doing so.
More delicious pork recipes to try
Pork is really one of the most affordable cuts of meat and cooks easily. Here are other ideas to cook up.
Frequently asked questions
Cooking pork chops at a lower temperature helps keep them moist and juicy. While pork chops will cook faster at 400F degrees, I recommend baking them at 350F because it guarantees juicy meat every time.
You don’t need to cover pork chops when cooking them in the oven, provided the temperature is NOT higher than 350F. The cover comes in handy when baking the meat at a higher temperature which may burn the outside of the meat.
No, pork chops don’t get more tender the longer you bake them. Like chicken breasts, pork chops are rather lean, and baking them longer than needed results in overcooked and chewy meat.
Oven Baked Pork Chops (4 Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Pat dry the pork chops and season with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, soy sauce, and Italian seasonings.
- In a ziplock bag, add the pork chops and marinade and squeeze several times. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the pork onto a lined baking tray. Bake the pork for 17-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Let the pork rest for 5 minutes before serving.
I’ve never cooked pork chops in oven before and this is a SUPER DELICIOUS JUICY recipe! I added Garlic powder, lemon juice, paprika, and rosemary 🙂 YUMM!! Thank you!!
Husband loved this recipe. Will make again.