These honey garlic pork chops marinate in a sweet and savory soy sauce with plenty of garlic, fresh ginger, sesame oil and lime. A quick sear followed by a short trip to the oven keeps the pork juicy while the marinade cooks down into a sticky sauce you can brush right over the chops before serving.
We buy a whole pasture-raised pig every year from Black Willow Pond Farm in Cobleskill, NY, so there’s always pork in my freezer. Their Berkshire pork is incredible, but it also means I’m regularly staring at a package of pork chops wondering what I can do with them that I haven’t done five times already.
These honey garlic pork chops have become one of my favorite answers. The marinade has plenty of garlic and fresh ginger with soy sauce, sesame oil, lime and enough honey to cook down into a sticky sauce in the skillet.
This is one of those dinners where doing a little work earlier in the day pays off big time at 6 p.m. Get the pork into the marinade in the morning, then all that’s left is about 20 minutes of cooking when you’re ready for dinner.
What Makes These Pork Chops Different
- Marinate ahead: Give them at least 4 hours, or prep them the night before.
- Start with a hard sear: Just 1–2 minutes per side in cast iron builds a really flavorful browned crust.
- Finish in the oven: Thick chops cook more evenly without drying out this way.
- Keep the marinade: Don’t waste all that flavor! It cooks with the pork in the oven and reduces into a sticky honey garlic sauce that acts like a glaze over the finished chops.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Fresh garlic and ginger are important flavor components of the marinade here, so I recommend using both rather than swapping in the dried versions.
Pork chops: Use four thick boneless pork chops, about 1 to 1½ pounds. Thick chops are much easier to keep juicy than thin ones.
Soy sauce: I use low-sodium soy sauce so the marinade doesn’t get overly salty as it reduces. Gluten-free tamari works too.
Garlic: Two tablespoons of minced garlic sounds like a lot because it is. These are honey garlic pork chops after all.
Fresh ginger: Ginger cuts through the sweetness of the honey and works especially well with the soy and sesame.
Honey: Two tablespoons sweeten the marinade and help create that sticky finish on the pork.
Sesame oil: A tablespoon brings plenty of toasted sesame flavor.
Olive oil: This helps the pork brown when it hits the skillet.
Lime juice: The acidity balances the honey and soy sauce. You can also use rice vinegar if you don’t have a lime on hand.
Black pepper: There’s a full tablespoon here. It sounds aggressive, but these chops can take it. Sriracha or red pepper flakes can be substituted.
Green onions and sesame seeds are optional for serving, although I usually add both.
Step by Step Instructions
- Build the honey garlic marinade: Combine the soy sauce, honey, sesame and olive oils, fresh garlic, ginger, lime juice and black pepper. The honey will dissolve as you whisk everything together.
- Whisk until well combined: Make sure the honey is fully incorporated rather than sitting at the bottom of the bowl. You want the pork to get the same balance of sweet, salty and garlicky flavor throughout.
- Give the pork time to marinate:
Turn the chops a few times so they’re well coated, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. The chops can sit in the marinade for up to 3 days, though if you omit the lime or vinegar. Add that within 24 hours of cooking.
- Sear, then finish in the oven: Give the pork chops a quick sear in a cast iron skillet, pour in the marinade and move the skillet to a preheated 400°F oven. Once the pork reaches 145°F, let it rest and brush the reduced honey garlic sauce from the skillet over the top.
My Pro Tips
Tips for Juicy Pork Chops
- Buy thick chops: Aim for about 1 to 1½ inches thick. Thin pork chops will overcook before they develop much color.
- Use a meat thermometer: Start checking before the suggested cooking time is up and pull the chops when the thickest part reaches 145°F.
- Don’t skip the sear: A hot cast iron skillet gives you that browned exterior before the pork finishes cooking more gently in the oven.
- Let them rest: Give the pork chops about 5 minutes before cutting into them.
- Use that pan sauce: The marinade cooks and reduces in the oven. Brush the thickened sauce over the rested chops for the glossy, sticky finish. It’s got so much flavor!
- Adjust for bone-in chops: They work here too, but may need more time. Go by internal temperature rather than a specific cooking time. If you specifically want a stovetop method for bone-in chops, try my simple skillet pork chops.
What to Serve With Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Rice is my first choice because you’re going to want something to catch the extra sauce. White rice, jasmine rice or brown rice all work well with the ginger, lime and sesame flavors.
For a vegetable, bok choy stir fry is probably my favorite pairing. The pineapple works really well with the sweet and savory pork. Grilled green beans have a garlic soy seasoning that fits right in here too.
For something really easy, make air fryer frozen broccoli, or serve the chops with this crunchy bok choy salad if you want something fresh on the side.
You can also slice the pork and serve it in a bowl over rice with edamame and vegetables. Definitely spoon the extra honey garlic sauce from the skillet over the whole thing.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store leftover pork chops with any extra sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Keeping the sauce with the pork helps prevent it from drying out when reheated.
Warm the pork gently until heated through rather than cooking it all over again and potentially drying it out.
More Easy Pork Dinners
If you want something crunchy next time, these pretzel crusted pork chops are completely different from the sticky glaze here.
For similar sweet and savory flavors, my Chinese boneless spare ribs are another favorite.
When you want to take the pork chops outside to the grill, try harissa rubbed grilled pork chops or these pork chops with mango peach chutney.
Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 thick boneless pork chops, about 1-1.5 lbs total
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, or tamari
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- juice of 1 lime
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- green onions, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients besides pork in a large bowl and whisk together.
- Place the pork chops into the bowl and turn over a few times to coat. Ensure that the chops are submerged in the marinade liquid.
- Cover the bowl and let marinate for at least 4 hours up to overnight.
- When ready to cook, place a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and preheat oven to 400°F.
- Sear the chops for 1-2 minutes per side until golden.
- Pour the leftover marinade from the bowl into the pan and turn each chop to coat in the liquid.
- Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature of each pork chop reaches 145°F.
- Remove from oven, plate chops and spoon or brush the thickened sauce over top.
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Nice recipe and I really love pork chops – one of my favourites. Thank you.
These look great. I do not make pork often. It seems like I always overcook it, and it comes out to dry. Or under cook it and we eat questionable pork :)
These look delicious- we are the same way with pork, too, we find it difficult to find a cut that we like. But we’ll be on the lookout for some good cuts of pork so we can make this!
I am 100% making this tonight with chicken (because I’m too lazy to go get pork chops at the store) – think that’ll work?
yes, definitely! I thought about saying in the notes actually. Probably don’t need to cook it as long in the oven unless you have some steroid pumped chicken breast that’s as thick as this pork chop though :)
Ben is a pork-chop-ophile and I usually can’t stand them. I’ve been trying every which way to make them moist and yummy inside and I keep failing!! And he likes them plain and boring – not for me – THESE are for me. I need the sauce, the spice, the stick the flavors!! I have two unthawing in the fridge as I type – I will report back on my success. :)
YESSSS. I love soy glazed anything.
I want to swim in that sauce. YUM.
I love how sticky and caramelised these look :)