Easy Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Glaze
The easiest, no-fuss, most amazing pork chops ever, made in 20 min from start to finish. You can’t beat that!
I made these pork chops for the first time in July of 2011. Yes, 4 very long years ago. But I realized that the old photos did not do the dish any justice so I made it once again to tell you that this needs to be made as soon as possible. Preferably tonight.
I kid you not – these are the easiest pork chops you will ever have to make in just 20 min from start to finish. And that sweet and sour balsamic glaze is unbelievable. You’ll seriously want to guzzle it down. But be sure to save some for the pork chops because they are an absolute match made in heaven.
Easy Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Glaze
The easiest, no-fuss, most amazing pork chops ever, made in 20 min from start to finish. You can’t beat that!
Ingredients
- 4 8-ounce pork chops, bone-in, 3/4-inch to 1-inch thick
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the sweet and sour glaze
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season pork chops with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pork chops and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
- Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 140 degrees F, about 8-10 minutes.*
- To make the sweet and sour glaze, combine balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan over medium heat; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Serve pork chops immediately with sweet and sour glaze.
Notes
*Cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the pork chops.
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My 13 year old daughter and my 4 year old son enjoyed these chops and the sauce. My 7 year old son and I on the other hand, not so much.
Made this last night and the pork chops were so tender, but the sauce made it over the top. Not to sweet not to sour. Made smashed potatoes to go with and broccoli. Actually put the sauce on the potatoes too!
Do you pour the sauce over the pork chops and serve, or pour over pork chops and cook a little longer in oven? In your pictures it looks like the sauce is baked in the pan with the pork chops.
Thank you!
Kerri, this is best when the pork chops are served alongside the sauce, whether it’s served separately and poured on top. In the pictures here, I simply added the pork chops back to the sauce pan and spooned the sauce over the pork. I did not cook it further.
Altho I thot this recipe had good bones, i needed to pump it up a bit.
I started with steaming some rice so it was ready by the short time this recipe does indeed take. And while it starts with Sweet & Sour sauce, I thot why not add the rest!? So I grabbed a can of chunk pineapple, a green pepper, sweet onion and pea pods that I had on hand. I doubled up on the sauce and whilst it bubbled away and once the chops were done, I pulled them out of the frying pan and kept them warm. Emptying the entire can of pineapple, sliced and then halved the pepper, cut the onion in half and stripped sliced it – tossed all of this in with the pineapple plus the pea pods. Stir fried it all up a bit, poured in the sauce and let the magic work. Once everything was incorporated and cooked, sprinkled corn flour (corn starch) with my wire mesh utensil, to thicken the sauce, Placed the chops back into the pan once it was complete and served it all over a bed of rice. Ta Da! The entire meal in less than 30 minutes! Awesome Stuff!
p.s. side note: Be sure to have all your ingredients ready and pre-measured to insure quick time in preparation.
Again, great bones to start with!
The best pork chops ever!!!!!!
I made these tonight. I didn’t have thyme or crushed red pepper, but I’ll definitely use them next time I make these. I’m doing a stocking trip this weekend. We’re out of / running low on a few staples. I did use some honey, but it’s so hard to get out, so I threw some agave nectar in there. I also did not have balsamic vinegar, so I used Ken’s Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. Why am I out of these things? Grrr. At any rate, I get the premise of the recipe and it’s super yummy.
I absolutely love how quick it is. Searing is my new friend. The amount of time it takes me to make dinner most nights has been a thorn in my side as of late.
I love your site and I’ll be back! I’ll definitely be making this again, more along the lines of your original recipe.
{shared with love}
I’m so glad someone added agave! I am planning to make this recipe this weekend but my DH is allergic to honey so I always have to replace it with agave. 🙂
Thrilled to try this one! What sides do you recommend pairing with it that would compliment them chops without stealing the spot light?
These roasted vegetables or garlic parmesan roasted potatoes would be a great side choice.
When should the glaze be added?
Once your pork chops are ready, you can serve it with the glaze.
I always love your recipes! I have so many pinned and I’ve tried oodles of them. This one though just didn’t come out as expected. The meat was tough, maybe I just got a bad batch of chops? The glaze wouldn’t thicken for me at all and I followed your instructions, so we had really runny sauce that just didn’t do much for the meat. Looking back, I should’ve added some cornstarch to it. Do you have any tips or tricks to picking out chops that’ll be juicy and somewhat tender?
I’m not entirely sure if you used a bad batch of pork but it seems that you may have overlooked it. Cooking time will vary heavily on the size and thickness of the pork chops so it is best to use your judgment on cooking time. The sauce will also thicken as it cools so cornstarch is really not needed here.
I’ve pinned so many of your recipes – another one pinned and printed. We hardly ever make pork chops and I’m not sure why! Thanks for the recipe.
The sweetness and the spiciness sound like a really good combination here. Most people don’t really know what to do with pork chops so it’s nice you offer up a good recipe for them. Yum!
These look amazing and I am going to make them tomorrow night. Great picture!
This looks yummy! Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you so much for adding the photo to the print copy.
These look outrageous! I do not eat pork. Can I substitute it with veal chops? This is the best food blog out there! Every day I look forward to reading your recipes.
Yes, veal chops sounds like a great substitute.
Veal is raised in an inhumane fashion; the calves are raised in small crates unable to move or lay down to sleep and are only fed milk.
@BOYCOTT VEAL – I agree. I do not purchase or eat veal due to the inhumane manner that the calves are raised. Would choke on the food as I remembered that these babies are tortured just to become food for my belly.
If the last photos didn’t do this recipe justice, you’ve totally made up for it here. Gorgeous photos as always, Chungah – I must try this! Even though I do tend to be a little afraid of making pork chops. :/
These look heavenly!! Can’t wait to make them!
Are you searing these in the same pan that is going into the oven. I’m not able to use cast iron on my glass top stove and sadly don’t have a stove top to oven fryer. Suggestions?
Yes, it is easiest to use an oven-proof skillet – it does not have to be cast iron. If anything, you can transfer the pork chops to a baking dish after searing.
Hey Lisa, I am just curious as why you can’t use your cast iron on your glass stove? I’ve never heard of not using cast iron on a glass top, so just wondering why. I have a flat top/glass stove and I use my cast iron all the time and I haven’t had any issues. Thanks & Merry Christmas
Hi Victoria, I’ve always heard that the cast iron skillets can crack a glass top because of their weight and how hot they can get. I have a glass top as well, so I haven’t bought any cast iron skillets for that reason.
I have read that it ok as long as you are not scraping the cast iron around or slamming it. I’ve been using it on my glass top for years.
Thank you so much for yet another delicious recipe! Do you have a side dish of yours that you would recommend with this? Thank you for sharing!
These roasted potatoes or roasted vegetables would go great with a dish like this!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for offering recipes that are low in both sodium and fat. Your recipes work quite well with health-related restrictions I must follow.
Not only have I enjoyed making your recipes, but your photography is stunning and beautiful.