This pork chop marinade will give you juicy, tender pork! Smoked paprika, garlic & herbs give it lots of savory flavor that make this a great marinade for pork! Tastes great on the grill too!
This is an easy pork chop marinade for juicy, succulent, tender pork chops that tastes amazing with any preparation.
Use this marinade for grilled pork chops, baked, or pan fried. It's a versatile recipe that tastes great with any sides as well. Omit the sugar for low carb or keto friendly pork chops and serve with salad or roasted vegetables on the side!
Ingredients you'll need
- Pork chops - I used boneless pork chops cut ½ inch thick. You can use any cut of pork - pork loin, tenderloin, bone-in pork chops.
- Dried herbs - any dried herbs work in this recipe. I used dried parsley and oregano.
Step by Step Instructions
Add all the ingredients to the bowl and massage the marinade into the pork chops.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or add all the ingredients to a ziplock bag and marinate the pork chops it in the fridge for a minimum of 45 minutes for thin chops or up to overnight.
Expert tips and tricks
- Remove the pork chops from the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking. This helps them cook evenly.
Cook times for pan frying or grilling marinated pork chops:
- For half inch thick boneless pork chops, the total cook time should be around 6 to 7 minutes, flipping about half way through.
- For one inch thick boneless pork chops, the total cook time should be around 8 to 10 minutes, flipping half way through.
- The cooking time is affected if you have bone-in pork chops. Use a cooking thermometer to check the thickest part next to the bone. It's safe to consume when it's 145 to 160 degrees F.
Frequently asked questions
Pork chops are a lean cut of meat so they can get tough when overcooked. This pork chop marinade helps them retain moisture because the salt in the marinade acts as a brine which infuses flavor and moisture in the pork chops.
You can also use a meat tenderizer or any acidic fruit juices like lime, lemon, or pineapple juice. The acid penetrates the meat and breaks down the protein which tenderizes the pork chops.
For ½ inch thick pork chops, I recommend a minimum of 45 minutes to overnight. For 1 inch thick pieces, I recommend at least 1 for the flavors to really infuse.
Serve with these recipes:
- Spicy Asian Chimichurri Sauce
- Chinese Style Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans
- Healthy Chinese Chicken Salad
- Asian Sesame Broccoli Salad
Easy Pork Chop Marinade
☑ Ingredients
Grilled Pork Chops Marinade
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 ⅔ Tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons dried herbs
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add the ingredients into a large resealable plastic bag and add about 2 lbs of pork chops. Massage it together then place it in the fridge for 45 minutes to overnight. Cook according to your desired method - bake, grill, or pan fry.
✎ Notes
- A safe internal temperature for pork chops, tenderloin, and pork loin is 145 to 160 degrees F. 145 degrees F is considered medium rare while 160 degrees F is considered well done.
- For half inch thick boneless pork chops, the total cook time should be around 6 to 7 minutes, flipping about half way through.
- For one inch thick boneless pork chops, the total cook time should be around 8 to 10 minutes, flipping half way through.
- The cooking time is affected if you have bone-in pork chops. Use a cooking thermometer to check the thickest part next to the bone. It's safe to consume when it's 145 to 160 degrees F.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
Natalie
Can't wait to give this recipe a try. Sounds super delicious. Flavors are amazing. Thanks for the idea!
Sangita
Great recipe! The pork chops came out so tender and juicy. Yum!
Allie
Amazing and delicious! Tried it for dinner tonight last night. Thank you for this recipe!
Sara Welch
Tried this for dinner last night and it did not disappoint! Was so easy, and had the perfect amount of flavor! Easily, a new favorite recipe!
Heather
The garlic and smoked paprika is a really nice flavor. Yum!
Beth
This is such a great recipe and I can’t wait to use this soon! So excited!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Love how easy this recipe is. Can’t wait to try it this weekend.
Trish
Nice to meet you too Jamie. I bought 1-1/4" thick bone in ribeye chops. I did your marinade but with only a couple cloves of garlic. I did use fresh rosemary and thyme and minced that up with some dry parsley flakes. I did want some acidfor tenderizing so added juice of one small lemon plus the zest. Where I really deviated was to add 1/2 tsp of dry mustard, 1/2 t of Dijon, 1 Tbsp of low sodium soy sauce and 2 T of white cooking wine. Didn't add much sea salt as I had my chops in a brine prior to reading. Marinade smells amazing. I was reading another's pork marinade where she freezes chicken or pork in the marinade immediately. I did that with 2 chops per freezer bag (4 total). I'm not ready to grill these yet and apparently while they thaw they have time to get happy. I hope that method works. I'll let you know when I finally get around to grilling these big fat chops. I appreciate your advice on cooking temp and time as well. Thank you - well written! I can't stand an overcooked dry chop, ick, right?
Jamie
Thanks Trish! You won't end up with dry pork chops with this marinade. Great additions, I'm sure it tastes delicious! 🙂
Lucy
I love this marinade! I don't eat pork, but I use chicken thighs instead - and so good. It adds the best flavour. I use dried oregano as my herbs.
I think I will use the marinade on some beef tenderloin next time!
Alexandra
The herbs and paprika really make this pork chop marinade - SO full of flavour!
Jamie
Thanks Alexandra! So glad you liked this recipe!
Kathryn
We love pork chops and this marinade sounds delicious! I can't wait to make these tonight!
Sue
Thank you for this wonderful marinade! I used dried parsley, thyme, and mint in the marinade and baked the pork chops. They were so tender and delicious!!
Ashley
Yummm! I've got all the ingredients to make this tonight! Thanks for sharing!
Jamie
Hope you enjoy it Ashley! 🙂