Two golden-crusted bone-in pork chops resting in a cast iron skillet, surrounded by melted herb butter, smashed garlic cloves, and fresh thyme sprigs

Garlic Butter Skillet Pork Chops

Name: Garlic Butter Skillet Pork Chops
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 bone-in pork chops, 1 to 1½ inches thick (about 8–10 oz each); 1½ teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon smoked paprika; 2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola or avocado oil); 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 4 cloves garlic, smashed; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 sprigs fresh rosemary; 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for serving)

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

Season bone-in pork chops generously, sear in a hot cast iron skillet for 3-4 minutes per side, then finish in a 400°F oven until they reach 145°F internal temperature. Rest for 5 minutes before serving to keep them juicy.

Jump to Recipe

Pork chops have been unfairly sentenced to dryness for generations, usually by someone cooking a thin chop until every molecule feels personally supervised. These are thick, bone-in chops—about one to one-and-a-half inches—which gives you enough room to build a serious crust without overcooking the center.

The method is part stovetop, part oven. After the chops lose their refrigerator chill, they are dried thoroughly and seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. A preheated cast-iron skillet creates the hard sear, then butter, smashed garlic, thyme, and rosemary go into the pan for a quick baste before the whole skillet moves into a 400°F oven. An instant-read thermometer decides when dinner is ready: pull the chops when the thickest part reaches 145°F, then rest them for five minutes so the juices stay in the meat instead of making a dramatic exit onto the cutting board.

The result is a pork chop with a browned, savory exterior and a juicy center coated in garlic-herb butter. It smells like you spent much longer on dinner than 28 minutes. The hardest part is the resting time, because asking a hungry person to stand near a skillet full of garlic butter and do absolutely nothing for five minutes is less a cooking instruction than a character assessment.

Prep10 minutes

Cook18 minutes

Total28 minutes

Serves4 servings

DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

Servings

4 bone-in pork chops, 1 to 1½ inches thick (about 8–10 oz each)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola or avocado oil)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for serving)

Instructions

1Remove pork chops from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. This is not optional — cold meat hitting a hot pan is how you end up with chops that are overcooked outside and raw inside, which is the worst outcome in all of cooking.
2Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place your cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats so the pan is screaming hot when you need it.
3Pat the pork chops completely dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of a good sear. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a small bowl and season both sides of each chop generously. Press the seasoning in so it actually commits.
4Carefully remove the cast iron from the oven using heavy oven mitts (that skillet is hostile) and set it over high heat on the stovetop. Add the oil and heat until it shimmers and just starts to smoke.
5Add the pork chops to the pan without crowding them — cook in batches if needed. Do not move them. Do not check them. Do not apologize to them. Let them sear undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes until a dark golden crust forms. Flip once.
6After flipping, add the butter, smashed garlic, thyme, and rosemary to the pan. As the butter melts, tilt the pan slightly and use a spoon to baste the tops of the chops with the foaming garlic herb butter. Do this for about 60 seconds.
7Transfer the entire skillet to the 400°F oven. Roast for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 145°F. Do not guess. Use the thermometer.
8Remove from oven, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 5 full minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise slightly and the juices will redistribute. Cutting into them immediately is how you lose all that work onto the cutting board.
9Spoon any remaining pan butter over the chops, scatter with fresh parsley, and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.

660Calories

70 gProtein

3 gCarbohydrates

41 gTotal Fat

15 gSaturated Fat

1 gFiber

0 gTotal Sugars

1030 mgSodium

200 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Thickness is everything. Thin-cut pork chops — anything under ¾ inch — overcook before the crust develops. Buy thick ones. If the grocery store only has thin ones, that is the grocery store's opinion, and you don't have to agree with it.
Do not skip the resting step. Five minutes feels like forever when you're hungry and the kitchen smells like garlic butter, but this is where the juicy part happens. Set a timer. Walk away. You earned this.
If your cast iron skillet has been with you since the Clinton administration and has never been re-seasoned, this recipe will also reveal that, and that's fine — just add it to the list of things to deal with in the new year.

Substitutions

bone-in pork chops → boneless pork chops Reduce oven time by 3-4 minutes; boneless chops cook faster and dry out more easily, so watch your thermometer

fresh thyme and rosemary → 1 teaspoon dried herbs Dried herbs work fine — add them with the seasoning rub rather than the butter so they don't burn

unsalted butter → dairy-free butter or ghee Ghee has a higher smoke point and works beautifully; dairy-free butter is fine for the baste

smoked paprika → regular paprika plus a pinch of cayenne Gets you a similar color with a little more heat, which is never a wrong direction

Storage Instructions

Store leftover pork chops in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of broth or water to prevent drying, or in a 325°F oven for 10-12 minutes until warmed through. Microwaving works in a pinch but produces results I will not defend.

Make Ahead

Season the chops and leave them uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking. This acts as a dry brine, improving both seasoning depth and the final crust. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking as directed.

Freezing

Yes. Cool the cooked Garlic Butter Skillet Pork Chops completely and freeze it in airtight portions with any pan juices or sauce that belong with the dish. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating so the meat is easier to warm without drying out.

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