Juicy Oven Baked Pork Chops

These are truly the ultimate oven baked pork chops! They are made super tender from a delicious pork chop brine and baked to perfection in the oven.

In this post, we’ll teach you how to make baked pork chops perfectly every single time plus tips and tricks on how you can make them your own.

ALWAYS Tender Oven Baked Pork Chops

That’s right, this oven baked pork chop recipe is always tender and juicy with help from a flavorful brine. You seriously can’t beat the taste of these pork chops — the whole family will love them! Never have a dry pork chop again.

What is a Pork Chop?

Pork chops are sliced cutlets from pork loin. They are a leaner cut of pork with some fat marbling that come pre-portioned. You can either buy pork chops bone in or boneless. They come in varying thicknesses and are widely available at most U.S. grocery stores.

What kind of pork chops do I need for this recipe?

This baked pork chops recipe calls for a thicker, bone in pork chop. We recommend going to your local butcher or the meat counter at your local grocery store and asking for 2 lbs. of thick-cut bone in pork chops.

We used 4 pork chops in this recipe. So, each one weighed about 1/2 lb. and were approximately 1.25-inches thick.

Why Bone In Pork Chops?

When it comes to pork chops, we much prefer bone in pork chops compared to boneless pork chops. They are typically thicker and they seem to have much more flavor. This flavor comes from the additional fat that is often on bone in pork chops that boneless chops don’t have.

So, when in doubt, make baked bone in pork chops every time!

How to Bake Pork Chops in Oven

Here’s a quick rundown for how to cook pork chops in the oven. Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.

Quick Pork Chop Brine

First, make the pork chop brine. Pour water and salt into a large Pyrex measuring cup or bowl with a spout. Whisk the 2 ingredients together until the salt dissolves. 

Add the apple juice, peppercorns, orange peel, and bay leaves to the brine and mix again.

Prep Pork Chops

Prepare the pork chops by patting each pork chop with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and then score the fatty part of the pork chops a few times to avoid any buckling during the bake time. 

Brine Pork Chops

Place the pork chops in a plastic bag and pour the brine over the pork. Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes. 

Why should I brine my pork chops?

We have an entire post that goes through why you should brine your pork chops before baking, but there are 3 reasons why we recommend this:

1. Flavor: brining your pork infuses it with salty deliciousness. You can think of it as an intense marinade or flavor bath.
2. Texture: brining helps break down the toughness of your meat leaving the texture as smooth as can be when you bite into it.
3. Moisture: the salt actually helps the pork chops retain moisture, which in turn makes the texture pretty dang delicious.

Preheat Oven

Preheat the oven to 400ºF and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. 

Prepare seasoned bread crumbs

While the pork chops are sitting in the brine, add the garlic powder, brown sugar, paprika and bread crumbs to a bowl and mix until combined.  

We prefer a dry rub + breadcrumb seasoning instead of a sauce or marinade for these chops because this is what gives your oven baked pork chops a crispy outside after baking.

Remove the pork chops from the brine and pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel. 

Sprinkle half the mixture over the pork chops, flip and pour the remaining mixture over the other side of the pork chops. Be sure to pat the dry rub into the pork chops. 

Bake Pork Chops

Place the pork chops on the baking sheet or pan with a lip and drizzle them with olive oil. 

Bake the pork chops for 10 minutes at 400ºF and then flip the pork chops over and bake for an additional 5 minutes. 

Broiler Time

Turn the oven to broil and broil the pork chops for 1-3 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to keep a close eye so they don’t burn! Check the internal temperature, it should be around 140ºF.

So, how long to bake pork chops at 400?

We recommend baking 1 – 1.5-inch thick pork chops at 400ºF for a total of 15 minutes. Then, to get that crispy outside, you can broil them for 1-3 minutes on high.

Let Rest, then Enjoy!

Remove them from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes so that they can continue to cook and reach 145ºF. 

Quick Q & A

What to Serve with Baked Pork Chops

Round out the perfect meal with any of these delicious side dish options (we’re talking green beans, mashed potatoes, rice, and more) that pair well with baked pork chops:

How to Store Leftover Pork Chops

Our biggest tip when storing baked pork chops is to let them cool completely before refrigerating. So, let the chops cool, transfer them into an air-tight container, and store them in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.