The Best Juicy Skillet Pork Chops

Say goodbye to dry and flavorless pork chops. With our easy recipe and my simple tricks, you can make juicy and tender pork chops with very little fuss. I love how juicy these are!

This pork chops recipe is, hands down, my favorite method for cooking pork chops (especially boneless pork chops). I highly recommend our spice rub and the easy pan sauce, but you can use your favorite spices instead.

For the best results, I cook the pork chops in a skillet on the stovetop (hello, beautiful sear!). If you’d prefer to bake them, see one of our other pork chop recipes like these baked pork chops, our deliciously savory pork chop marinade, and these cheesy apple stuffed pork chops.

How to Cook Pork Chops That Are Juicy and Tender

Tip #1: Don’t cook chops straight from the refrigerator. Thirty minutes before you cook, take the chops out of the fridge. The time out of the refrigerator lets you bring the meat to room temperature, which helps the pork cook more evenly. Use this trick for other cuts of meat, like in our pork tenderloin recipe and when making grilled steak.

Tip #2: Season the chops with salt half an hour before cooking. This way, the salt has a chance to improve the flavor and texture of the meat. Pork chops are lean, so seasoning with salt before cooking is essential for making the most flavorful chops.

Tip #3: Rub the chops with spices and some flour. Here’s where your favorite spice rub can come in. Alternatively, you can use our spice blend suggested in the recipe below or try this homemade Cajun seasoning. Whichever you choose, add a little flour to it. Rubbing a small amount of flour over the chops helps to add a flavorful crust. We use this trick a lot. When searing scallops, we add a little flour to the outside so that they brown evenly.

Tip #4: Sear on one side, flip, and then cover with a lid. We use this trick a lot. I use the same method in this skillet chicken breast recipe so they are juicy. First, we sear one side of the chops until browned, flip them, turn the heat to low, and cover the skillet with a lid. The second side will slowly turn golden brown, and since we added the lid, the heat from the pan will gently cook the middle. By gently cooking the chops this way, they stay juicy and become tender.

Tip #5: Pork is done when an internal thermometer reads 145°F. Depending on how thick the chops are, you might need to subtract or add a few minutes from the suggested cook times in our pork chop recipe below. If you look closely, the pork chop in the back of the pan (pictured above) is thicker than the one in the front. When we were cooking them, we removed the thinner chop first since it reached 145°F a few minutes before the thicker chop. So if your chops aren’t all the same thickness or size, it’s best to check the temperature of each chop and remove them as they finish cooking.

Tip #6: Let the cooked chops rest. When they are cooked, transfer them to a clean plate and cover with foil. After 5 minutes, all the juices inside the chops will have distributed around the meat.

Tip #7: Make a pan sauce for the juiciest, tastiest pork chops. While your pork chops rest off the heat, add chicken stock, a little apple cider vinegar, and some honey to the skillet. Bring everything to a simmer, and then reduce by about half. When it has reduced, slide the pan away from the heat and swirl in some butter. Grab your chops and place them back into the skillet. You can add them whole or sliced. We love adding them sliced since the pan sauce gets all over the meat.

What to Serve with Pork Chops

I love pork chops with one of our cabbage recipes, and I especially love the crunch of this colorful coleslaw or, when I have it in the fridge, homemade sauerkraut! Add mashed cauliflower or these creamy mashed potatoes to soak up some of the pan sauce. Try roasted asparagus (I love the sauce), our lemon garlic sautéed cabbage, or my favorite, sautéed zucchini for more veggies.