Avdaye

Pan Fried Thin Pork Chops

  • Prep 5 minutes
  • Cook 8 minutes
  • Total 18 minutes
Pan Fried Thin Pork Chops

The Best Pan Fried Pork Chops Recipe – easy and good thin sliced pork chops perfectly pan fried in under 10 minutes with 4 ingredients!

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Pork chops are one of our family's most requested dinners – they are simple and easy to prepare, and this method for quickly pan-frying thin-cut chops has been one of our busy night dinner hacks for decades!

When we first got married, our husband would always request pork when we asked what he'd like us to make – but we didn't grow up eating a lot of pork and would always make dry, tough dinners. After testing tons of techniques and trying different recipes, we came up with this simple method that will get you great, juicy pork and solid results – every time!

Pan Fried Pork Chops

If you love good, easy, and moist pork chops – this easy recipe is going to be your new go-to for a busy weeknight, a dinner party, or anytime you're looking for a solid keto, low carb dinner! These easy pan fried pork chops come together lightning quick – they are simple, bursting with flavor, low carb, and make a solid weeknight dinner!

The best part – these good, juicy, thin cut pork chops are pan fried with 4 ingredients total – so you can get this meal on the table in 20 minutes or less! That's right – these pan fried pork chops go from fridge to fork in less than 20 minutes!

Boneless pork chops are often called “America's Cut” or “loin filets” – boneless loin chops are both the most popular cut of pork and the trickiest chop to cook perfectly since they have little fat and no bones to help lock in moisture and flavor of the chop – so having the solid method down is essential for good, juicy, and tender pork flavor. This recipe will help you rock it, every time.

like our favorite crock pot pork steaks our garlic pork chopsand our baked garlic pork tenderlointhese easy baked pork chops are perfectly tender and juicy – not dry and tough like pork gets a bad reputation for! One-pot pan fried pork recipes can be notoriously dry and tough – but this skillet pork chop recipe is juicy, tender, moist – and so good!

Ingredients For Juicy Pan Fried Pork Chops

To make pan fried pork chops, we will need the following ingredients:

  • Thin cut pork chops. This recipe is meant to quickly pan fry pork chops that are ultra-thin pork chops – around 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Thin cut pork chops cook quickly, defrost fast, and are incredibly good – they are versatile and don't dry out easily since they cook so fast.
  • Olive oil or avocado oil. Olive oil isn't suited to deep frying since it has a lower smoke point – but since we are quickly cooking thin cut pork chops, and not at an incredibly high heat, it won't burn, and olive oil can work.
  • Lemon. Lemon juice and zest brings out a lightly sweet, bright, and tart flavor to balance out the rich pork flavor and helps to break down and tenderize the meat.
  • Adobo seasoning, Italian herbs, or cajun spices (or other herb blend you love). This recipe is meant to be customizable – so you can use any type of seasoning you love!
  • Salt and pepper. If your seasoning blend doesn't contain salt and pepper, you will want to season your pork with celtic sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

How to Make Juicy Pan Fried Pork Chops

  1. Marinate. Add pork chops to a plate or bowl and drizzle with olive oil and coat generously with herbs and seasoning. Let marinate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
  2. Pan fry. Heat a heavy, large skillet on medium high heat. Add pork chops to pan and brown, about 4 minutes per side. When pork chops are well browned and firm to the touch, they are cooked. Pork is done when most pink is gone, and internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Let rest. Before serving, pork should rest at least 10 minutes.

Kitchen notes

  • What Pork Chops To Use. For this recipe, we are using thin cut boneless chops – but you can also use a thick cut pork chop, center-cut pork chop, a bone-in pork loin chop, or a bone-in rib chop. Using a bone-in pork chop for this baked pork chop recipe will add cook time to the dish – about another 10-15 minutes (please use the method in this garlic baked pork chop recipe for this oven baked pork chop to bake your thick cut pork after pan frying until it reaches 145 degrees internal temperature.) To learn more about pork chops, and how they cook, please visit our Ultimate Guide To Pork Chops here.
  • Marinate. Marinating helps to keep the juices locked into the boneless pork chops. Boneless chops taste best when marinating before cooking since they have no bones and little fat or connective tissue for moisture and flavor.
  • Cook quickly. Boneless chops should be cooked quickly on high heat – you want to sear and brown the outside of the pork chop, and cook the middle without drying it out. Boneless chops are the most commonly used pork chops in quick and easy one pot pork recipes – they are trimmed, often thinner cut pork chops that are commonly presented in a grocer's bulk pork flat section.
  • Use a hot pan. Get your pan as hot as possible, and add a small amount of fat (we use clarified butter or avocado oil), and sear each side for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown, and flip to cook on other side.
  • Don't overcook. When thin cut pork chops are well browned outside they are cooked inside – do not over cook!
  • Check the temperature. If you'd like to check the doneness, and your pork chop is too thin to get an accurate reading with a digital thermometer, you can let the pork chops rest for about five minutes (they continue cooking after removing from heat)

Pan Fry Pork Chops FAQS

When are pork chops done?

Pork chops are done when their internal temperature has reached 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

How long do pork chops last?

Pork chops can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for four days, or frozen for up to four months.

Do we have to marinate pork chops?

It isn't mandatory to marinate your pork chops – but it helps the texture and flavor. If you can marinate for even 20 minutes, do it.

How to Pan Fry Pork Chops?

To pan fry pork chops: Start by seasoning the pork chops with salt, pepper, and any other desired spices. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil or butter. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the pork chops to the skillet. Cook the chops for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 145°F. Let them rest for a few minutes before serving to allow the juices to redistribute.

How Long to Pan Fry Thin Pork Chops?

Thin pork chops typically take about 2-3 minutes per side to pan fry. Because they cook quickly, keep a close eye on them to avoid overcooking. Ensure the internal temperature reaches 145°F, and let them rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

Serve it with

Pork chops are great because their light, lean flavor goes with about any side dish.

We love serving roasted asparaguspan fried broccoliniair fryer baked potatoesscalloped corn whole roasted onionsroasted tomatoesEasy Sautéed Squash and ZucchiniEasy Peach CobblerEasy Lemon Jello Poke Cakeand Easy Caramel Apple Spice Cake!

For more of our side dishes that pair perfectly with pork chops, see some of our recent favorites:

You can find our complete side dish recipe archives here.

Drink Pairings

We love serving pork chops with lots of different drinks – while conventionally you might go for a white wine with pork, there are a lot of good options we love to serve!

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Ingredients

  • 8 thin cut pork chops
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zested
  • 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning, Italian herbs, or cajun spices (or other herb blend you love)
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Add pork chops to a plate or bowl and drizzle with olive oil and coat generously with herbs, lemon juice and zest, and salt.
  2. Let marinate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
  3. Heat a heavy, large skillet on medium high heat.
  4. Remove pork chops from marinade, but do not pat dry.
  5. Add pork chops to pan and brown, flipping after 4 minutes. Cook about 4 minutes per side, 8 minutes total.
  6. When pork chops are well browned and firm to the touch, they are cooked.
  7. Pork is done when most pink is gone, and internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
  8. Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

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