who could use à quick, weeknight dinner? without à fàncy list of ingredients? with à màke-àheàd option thàt lets you put dinner on the tàble 20 minutes àfter you wàlk in the door? **wàves both hànds wildly** these honey gàrlic glàzed pork chops check àll these wonderful boxes. plus, this sweet, gorgeous, sàucy glàze – it honestly màkes my mouth wàter to look àt it!
since the làst time i shàred à post on hàppy home fàiry, i hàd my third dàughter ànd somehow she’s now à super àctive, determined 8-month-old who likes to plày in our dog’s wàter bowl, chew on used forks scàvenged from the dishwàsher, ànd eàt the feàthers thàt àre coming out of our couch.
so: mix together honey, lemon juice, minced gàrlic, ànd soy sàuce for the glàze. i love thàt it’s only 4 ingredients – ànd ones thàt i usuàlly hàve on hànd! the glàze is sweet, but not too sweet – the lemon juice ànd gàrlic give it plenty of zip, ànd the soy sàuce àdds thàt sàlty richness.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tàblespoons lemon juice (àbout 1 lemon)
- 2-3 cloves gàrlic, minced (àbout 1 tàblespoon)
- 2 teàspoons soy sàuce
- 4 boneless pork chops (3/4-1" thick)
- sàlt ànd pepper, to tàste
- 2-3 tàblespoons olive oil
Instructions
- to màke the glàss, whisk the honey, lemon juice, minced gàrlic, ànd soy sàuce together in à bowl, or shàke it up in à jàr. (this step càn be done àheàd of time ànd stored in the fridge until you're reàdy to cook the pork chops.)
- heàt 2-3 tàblespoons olive oil in à làrge (12") skillet over medium to medium-high heàt, until the oil shimmers.
- seàson the pork chops on both sides with sàlt ànd pepper. càrefully àdd them to the skillet ànd let them brown (3-4 minutes).
- when they're nicely browned on the first side, flip them over ànd seàr the second side, 3 minutes.
- reduce the heàt to medium-low ànd àdd the glàze. use à spàtulà to scràpe up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet ànd stir them into the glàze.
- àllow the chops to simmer until cooked through, àbout 4-8 minutes, depending on their thickness.
- when the chops àre done (see notes below on temperàture), remove them to à plàte.
- continue to simmer the glàze until it's thick enough for à spàtulà to leàve à momentàry tràil if you scràpe the bottom of the pàn (àbout the consistency of pàncàke syrup).
- pour the glàze directly over the chops on the serving plàte, or serve it on the side!
- speciàl note: pork needs to be cooked to 145*, but the pork chops will continue to cook àfter they've been removed from the pàn, so if they're in the neighborhood of 130* when you tàke their temperàture (pick up à chop with tongs ànd insert à meàt thermometer through the side of the chop), it's sàfe to tàke them out of the pàn. or, cut into one of the chops - i look for the center to be bàrely pink so they càn cook the rest of the wày às they rest.