These easy baked pork chops are tender, juicy and rubbed with simple seasonings like brown sugar and paprika for the the best oven baked pork chops!
Oven Baked Pork Chops with Brown Sugar and Paprika
This easy baked pork chops recipe is by far one of the easiest dinner recipes that work just as well for a quick weeknight meal as it does for Sunday dinner. Unlike a smothered pork chop, all you need is to coat them in a dry rub and into the oven they go.
The results are juicy tender pieces of flavorful oven baked pork chops that pair well with all kinds of side dishes! These grilled pork chops and sheet pan pork chops with potatoes are two other easy pork recipes we love.
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Pork chops: I use thick-cut boneless pork chops that are about 1 1/2” thick. Trim them of the excess fat and pat dry with paper towels so that they get a nice crust on the outside.
- Olive oil, divided: This will help brown the chops in the oven and distribute the dry rub evenly over the meat.
- Seasoning: I love the combination of brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. It provides a sweet, smoky, and savory taste!
How to Bake Pork Chops
Rub both sides of the meat with oil followed by the spice rub mixture. Make sure to coat all pieces evenly.
Place all of the pork in a 9 x 13 baking dish and drizzle the remaining oil overtop. Do not cover. Bake for 18 minutes or until the Instant Read thermometer reads an internal temperature of 145℉.
Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before serving. This will help to settle and redistribute the juices before serving so they don’t run out and leave you with dry meat.
How Long to Bake Pork Chops
This will always depend on how thick your chops are and what temperature you’re baking them. The rule of thumb is 7 minutes for every 1/2″ thickness for boneless pork chops or 8 minutes for 1/2″ thickness for bone-in chops.
Keep an eye on them and for accuracy use a digital meat thermometer to properly gauge the internal temperature of the pork chops.
Tips and Variations
- Thick chops. Make sure your chops are at least 1-inch thick to withstand high heat and avoid dry, overcooked pork.
- Bring meat to room temperature. This helps them to cook evenly and brown quickly.
- Seasoning. I sometimes use this pork tenderloin rub made with poultry seasoning instead. You could also use Italian seasoning like my baked chicken thighs recipe.
- Roast some veggies in the same dish. Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, brussels sprouts, onions, or even roast potatoes or sweet potatoes are great options.
- Let the chops rest. The internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise as the baked pork chops rest. To prevent overcooking, make sure to take them out no earlier than when they reach 145℉ but no later than 150℉. Otherwise, they will overcook.
A few more juicy pork recipes to try include this BBQ pork sandwich, pork enchiladas or pulled pork quesadillas!
More Pork Recipes to Try
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Easy Baked Pork Chops
Video
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ Tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 4 boneless, pork loin chops (about 1 1/2-inch thick), trimmed and patted dry
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Dry rub. In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Drizzle 1 Tablespoon olive oil over both sides of the pork chops. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork chops and place them in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Drizzle the remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil over the top.
- Bake uncovered 18 minutes, depending on thickness, or until center reaches an internal temperature of 145℉.
- Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Uncovered is the way to get the direct high heat onto the outside to give them great caramelization. Since we don’t sear them in a skillet first, we need that extra dry heat. Covering with foil would trap too much of the moisture.
This is where it can be very easy to overcook your baked pork chops. As best as you can, avoid anything less than 1″, however, if that’s what you’re using, make sure to check at the 10-minute mark.
The options for side dishes are virtually endless! We love roasted potatoes,
pineapple fried rice, roasted carrots and roasted asparagus.
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat I recommend using the oven to heat through. If you have just a piece or two the microwave is the way to go, just be careful not to dry them out by heating them too much.
Categorized as: 30 Minute Meals, 30 Minute Meals, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Pork
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Absolutely delicious! I love using my oven in the colder months and love pork chops, so it is a winning duo!!
What a delicious recipe!! The spice rub adds great flavor! The pork chops are nice & tender. too! Pork chop are one of my favorites!
These baked pork chops are indeed so tender and juicy! They were perfectly seasoned and cooked well. Every bite screams flavors! Highly recommended!
Thank you so much for this delicious pork chop recipe! My family and I loved it so much, we added it to our weekly dinner rotation!