Pan Seared Lamb Chops Recipe
Lamb chops may seem like a fancy dish, but it's quite easy to cook right at home and in no time at all. These flavorful lamb chops are simply seasoned and seared with butter, garlic, and aromatic fresh thyme.
Lyuba’s Recipe Overview
Lamb is one of those dishes that can be a restaurant-worthy entrée and perfect for special occasion dinner. When made correctly, they taste like something that could only come from the upscale kitchen.
I can teach you how to make lamb chops better than your favorite restaurants. As long as you follow a few easy steps and tips, you’ll have the most tender, juicy, and mouthwatering lamb chops every time.
I do recommend keeping the ingredients simple. You want to compliment the lamb, not overpower it with bold flavors.
Featured Comment
“
This was an easy but very delicious meal. Made it for my son after his hard work painting the porch. I’ve never made lamb chops before but I’ll definitely make them again. ~ Gloria”
Types of Lamb Chops and How To Buy
The two most common types of lamb chops that you will find are lamb loin chops and lamb rib chops:
- The rib chops are cut from the rib rack and are also called “lamb lollipops” because of the long rib bone attached. It’s very tender, and therefore, tends to be a bit more expensive. The lollipops also do tend to have less meat on them.
- The loin chop will look like a miniature T-bone steaks. Loin chops are also very tender and rich but they are meatier than the rib chops.
- Best thickness for lamb chops (lollipops and loin chops) is between 1 inch and 1.25 inches. If it’s too thin, it has a high chance of overcooking.
- Where to buy: if you have a favorite local butcher shop that is your best best. Although, most grocery stores will have lamb chops in stock. If you don’t see it, as the meat department employee to help you check or even order some for you.
- When buying: make sure to check freshness date, make sure the meat is bright red with no brown or discolored areas.
- Estimate amount needed: Lamb chops are pretty small, so you want to aim at 2 or 3 chops per person. If you serve hearty, filling sides along with it, you can keep the amount of chops pretty low.
How to Make Lamb Chops
- Let the meat rest: take the meat out of the refrigerator and leave them to warm up for 30-45 minutes. You never want to cook cold meat or it will seize up and you will end up with a tough and dry piece of meat.
- Preheat the skillet first and add olive oil.
- Pat and season: pat them dry with a paper towel to eliminate any moisture on the the meat and season them with salt and pepper. Patting the lamb dry will help with the beautiful sear on the outside.
- Sear the chops on a skillet for about 3-5 minutes and flip.
- Add butter, garlic, and thyme and after it’s melted, drizzle the meat with the flavorful butter using a spoon.
- Cook another 3-5 minutes.
- Once the thickest piece has reached the ideal internal temperature, remove them from the skillet.
- Rest: loosely tent them with foil and let them rest for about 10 minutes.
- PRO TIP: For the best flavor, combine the juices that drained off the meat as it rested with the flavorful butter in the pan, and pour that over the lamb chops while serving.
Lyuba’s Pro Tips and Troubleshooting
- Lamb is a very tender cut of meat, so you want to be careful with the temperature.
- When it’s overdone, it will be tough, dried-out, and will taste much more gamey. With that being said, under-cooking the lamb will make the meat unpleasantly chewy.
- One of the most important notes you should remember is that lamb rib chops and loin chops are better cooked to different temperatures!
- Lamb rib chops (the ones that look like lollipops) are best when cooked to about 130°F.
- Loin chops (the ones that look like T-bones) are better when cooked to a higher temperature, about 140°F. (Note that USDA recommends that lamb is cooked to 145°F, which in lamb chops is about medium-well.
- Best way to test the meat temperature: insert the thermometer probe through the side, towards the center of the thickest part of the meat. (Do not touch the bone with the probe because the temperature is not accurate at the bone.)
- No thermometer? While best and most trusted way to tell doneness is thermometer, you can also do a finger test method. Compare the firmness of the cooked meat to the firmness of your hand (fleshy part below your thumb) when touching different fingers to your thumb.
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Lamb Chops Recipe
Lamb chops may seem like a fancy dish, but it's quite easy to cook right at home and in no time at all. These flavorful lamb chops are simply seasoned and seared with butter, garlic, and aromatic fresh thyme.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 812kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb chops that are 1-1.25 inches in thickness
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2-3 large garlic cloves
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- coarse salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
Prepare lamb chops:
- Take the chops out of the refrigerator about 30-45 minutes before cooking to let them warm up.
- Prepare the other ingredients so it's ready to go.
- Preheat the cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add olive oil.
- Pat each lamb chop with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Cookie lamb chops:
- Place lamb chops into the preheated skillet and let them sear for 3-5 minutes.
- Flip each chop over and cook another 3-5 minutes. While lamb chops are cooking add butter, garlic, and thyme. Once butter is melted, carefully shimmy the skillet to spread it all around.
- Use a spoon to baste each lamb chop with hot garlic butter.
- Take the internal temperature of the largest lamb chop and if it's reached your desired temperature, take them out of the skillet. Take the skillet off heat as well.
- Place lamb chops into a serving dish and loosely tent them with a sheet of foil. Let them rest for about 10 minutes.
- Combine juices that drained off while the lamb was resting with the flavorful butter in the pan and spoon this buttery mixture over the lamb chops when serving.
Internal Temperature:
- Note that USDA recommend that lamb is cooked to 145°F, that will be about medium-well temperature in lamb chops.
- Lamb rib chops (ones that look like lollipops) are better cooked to 130°F. Loin chops (ones that look like T-bone) are better cooked a little more, about 135-140°F.
- If you prefer other temperature: rare would be around 125°F, medium-rare is around 130°F, medium around 135-140°F, and medium well is around 145°F.
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Notes
- How many per person? Lamb chops are pretty small, so you want to aim at 2 or 3 chops per person.
- Lamb Chops to get: You can use either lamb loin or lamb rib chop, so long as they’re about 1-1.25 inches in thickness.
- Use unsalted butter: since you’re seasoning the meat, make sure to use unsalted butter so you don’t over-salt the dish.
Nutrition
Calories: 812kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 72g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 30g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 190mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 497mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 286IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 4mg
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Originally published Will Cook For Smiles in November 2021.
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Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Christmas Dinner Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Lamb Recipes, Valentine's Day,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Awesome recipe! Black iron aged skillet is a must! Thanks
I am so glad you liked the recipe, Sandy!
This was an easy but very delicious meal. Made it for my son after his hard work painting the porch. I’ve never made lamb chops before but I’ll definitely make them again.
I’m so happy to hear the lamb chops were a hit, especially for such a well-deserved meal after a hard day’s work! 😊
My husband loves lamb and he loved this recipe. Wow! Was his response.
I am so glad he liked the recipe!
Minimal prep time, minimal ingredients, quick to cook and sooooo delicious!
So glad you liked it, Nikki!
I am so glad you liked it!
Thanks for inspiring me!💖
The recipe was perfect!
I am so glad you liked it, Sandy!
This Recipe is great! Thanks for posting!
These lamb chops were very tender and flavorful. I really enjoyed them!
I am so happy to hear that, Nancy!
Delicious! I’ll make these again. I love lamb & this was so easy .
I am so happy to hear that, Jill!
Wonderful flavor and instructions on how to make these lamb chops!
Thank you, Karen!
Love this recipe! So easy and so yummy!
These were truly awesome. My steak loving husband said these were better than filet mignon. This recipe is a keeper.
Wow, that is awesome! I am so glad you both liked the recipe!