How long do you cook center cut pork chops

These Oven Baked Boneless Pork Chops are quick and easy to make, yet come out incredibly juicy and flavorful! After seasoning them, they roast in the oven to perfection.

I just shared my Oven Baked Chicken Breast recipe, and it turned out to be such a hit… I thought maybe I should share my way of baking pork chops, too!

While I have to admit I’m a huge fan of air fried pork chops… this oven version is just as good, and just as easy, too.

The spice rub makes the meat incredibly flavorful, and choosing thick-cut chops helps to keep them juicy. To me, this is such an essential recipe to have in your back pocket, so here it is!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Pork chops: I want to stress that your pork chops should be at LEAST 1 inch thick. At least. 1 ¼ inches is even better. If you can only get thin cut chops at the store, consider buying a 2 pound pork loin and cut it into 4 chops yourself (that’s what I mostly do, a 2 pound loin gives me 4 nice and thick chops).
• Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar. If you only have white sugar on hand, that’s fine to use, though you may want to reduce the amount to ½ tablespoon.
• Mustard: I used a mild, smooth, yellow mustard. If mustard is absolutely not your thing, consider using mayonnaise instead – it works very well, too.

How to bake boneless pork chops in the oven

1. Start by lightly pounding the chops between two pieces of plastic wrap.

You do NOT want to flatten them, you just want to pound them to break up some of the fibers, in order to help tenderize the meat. 4-5 light smacks per chop will do.

• 
  lightly pound pork chops

2. Rub the chops with olive oil first, then with mustard. Make sure to cover both sides and the edge.

• 
  coat with oil and mustard

3. Combine the ingredients for the spice rub, then evenly sprinkle all sides of the chops.

You don’t want to rub the spices into the chops (it’s too messy because of the oil and mustard), but just lightly dab it all over the meat.

• 
  season the pork

4. Place the chops on a rimmed pan lined with baking parchment.

Bake the chops at 400°F for 6 minutes per ½ inch thickness (this means if your chops are 1 inch thick, you’ll bake them for 12 minutes); OR until the internal temperature reaches 140°F. Turn on the broiler and broil the chops for 1-2 minutes until they are nicely browned.

• 
  bake pork chops

5. Remove the chops from the oven, let them rest for 5 minutes. Make sure the temperature has risen to at least 145°F before serving!

• 
  rest for 5 minutes before serving

Recipe tips

• Baking time: I suggest a slightly shorter baking time, because with pork chops it’s better to check early vs too late. Don’t broil them until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F, which can take a couple of minutes longer than the recipe indicates. My pork chops were slightly over 1 inch thick and they baked in 14 minutes.
• Seasoning: Make sure to get the seasoning on both sides of the chops, and also around the edges. That’s how you get the most flavor into every bite!
• Resting time: Do not skip the resting time, it really does help with keeping the meat tender.

Recommended internal temperature for pork

Wondering when your pork is done and safe to be eaten? I highly recommend investing in (the following is an affiliate link an I earn a commission for purchases made through it) a meat thermometer. I check pretty much everything I cook and bake with mine to make sure I’m at the accurate temperature.

The US government’s food safety website recommends cooking all pork to an internal temperature of at least 145°F (63°C) followed by a 3 minute rest for safe consumption.

Serving ideas

Pork chops are a great basic, and so many things pair well with them. Here are some of our favorites:

• Mashed potatoes or Instant pot mashed potatoes
• Sautéed green beans or air fried green beans
• Roasted broccoli or air fryer broccoli
• Roasted asparagus or air fryer asparagus
• Potato wedges or air fryer baked potatoes

They are also great with rice and a bag of steamed vegetables for a quick and easy dinner. Or even with a hunk of crusty bread, mustard and coleslaw!

More pork recipes

• Pork Roast and Sauerkraut

• The Best Baked Pork Tenderloin

• Instant Pot Sour Cream Pork Chops

• The Best Pork Chop Marinade

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

These Oven Baked Boneless Pork Chops are quick and easy to make, yet come out incredibly juicy and flavorful!

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Recipe details

Prep 10 mins

Cook 15 mins

Total 25 mins

Servings 4 servings

Difficulty Easy

• ▢ 4 boneless pork chops at least 1 inch thick
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• Prep: Heat oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with baking parchment.

• Tenderize: Place pork chops between two pieces of plastic wrap and very gently pound using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet (you don't want to flatten them much, you mainly want to tenderize them – 4-5 gentle smacks will do).

• Season: Rub chops all over with oil and mustard. Combine brown sugar, ground paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub seasoning blend all over chops.

• Bake: Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness of chops (about 6 minutes per ½ inch thickness), until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F. Turn oven to broil and broil the pork chops 1-2 minutes, until browned.

• Rest: Remove from the oven and allow chops to rest in the pan for 5 minutes before serving, in order to let temperature rise to 145°F. Do not skip rest!

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• Pork chops: I want to stress that your pork chops should be at LEAST 1 inch thick. At least. 1 ¼ inches is even better. If you can only get thin cut chops at the store, consider buying a 2 pound pork loin and cut it into 4 chops yourself (that’s what I mostly do, a 2 pound loin gives me 4 nice and thick chops).
• Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar. If you only have white sugar on hand, that’s fine to use, though you may want to reduce the amount to ½ tablespoon.
• Mustard: I used a mild, smooth, yellow mustard. If mustard is absolutely not your thing, consider using mayonnaise instead – it works very well, too.
• Baking time: I suggest a slightly shorter baking time, because with pork chops it’s better to check early vs too late. Don’t broil them until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F, which can take a couple of minutes longer than the recipe indicates. My pork chops were slightly over 1 inch thick and they baked in 14 minutes.

Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American