Baked Pork Chops (Juicy, Easy Recipe)

Use paper towels to pat the pork chops dry.

Prepare the pork chop marinade here. Marinate the pork chops for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours (but not longer). Alternatively, you can season with pork chop seasoning (link in ingredient section above), or simply season generously with salt and pepper and skip the marinade, but the marinade makes them so juicy!

Remove the chops from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). At the same time, preheat a cast iron skillet (or a cast iron grill pan) on the stovetop over medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes.

Once the oven is just a few minutes away from being preheated, add the butter and heat until melted, tilting the pan to coat. Add the pork chops in a single layer. Sear for 2-3 minutes, without moving, until browned on the bottom. Flip and sear for 1-2 minutes on the other side.

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Bake pork chops until their internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), or 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for juicier pork chops. (The internal temperature will rise another 5 degrees while resting later.) Use a probe thermometer for best results, but here is a guideline for pork chop baking times:* 1" thick boneless pork chops: 6-8 minutes* 1/2" thick boneless pork chops: 3-4 minutes* 1" thick bone-in pork chops: 8-10 minutes* 1/2" thick bone-in pork chops: 5-6 minutes

Remove the pork chops from the oven and transfer to a plate. (Do not leave them in the pan or they will be overcooked.) Tent the top with foil and let the chops rest for 3-5 minutes.