This recipe for the Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Chops is so juicy, tender and delicious, it’s sure to quickly become a favorite air fryer recipe. With a few simple ingredients, and only 12 minutes cook time, these air fryer pork chops are perfect for a tasty dinner any day of the week.
Let me start my saying how much i’m loving my air fryer. I’ve owned a lot of kitchen gadgets over the years and my two favorites are my air fryer and my Instant Pot. And honestly, not far behind is my George Foreman Grill – but that’s a discussion for another day. The thing about an air fryer, is that, well, you’re not really frying in the traditional sense. It’s honestly more like a rapid cook oven/broiler. And there’s plenty of times I don’t want to heat up the house by turning on the regular oven. Besides, for this pork chop recipe I get the best results in the air fryer anyways!
What are the best pork chops for the air fryer?
I’ve found that the very best pork chops for the air fryer are thick, center cut, bone-in chops. I try to get them as thick as possible – somewhere between 1 ½ inches to 2 inches thick. The reason I like the thick chops the best is that with the cooking time required, it’s gives the pork chops a beautiful char on all sides. Thin pork chops will cook too quickly and never get that nice char on them. Thick pork chops require a cooking time of about 12 minutes. And with our rub from this recipe, we get that beautiful char on them that’s delicious!
Make a rub for air fryer pork chops
For this recipe for air fryer pork chops, we will not be breading the pork chops. Rather, we will be making a rub seasoning mix which we are going to very liberally apply to the meat. The rub is very simple too. We’ll use brown sugar, paprika, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. We mix it together and rub it all in to pork chops that have been rinsed, dried, and coated with a little olive oil. Rinsing the pork chops and patting them dry with a paper towel is important so don’t skip that step.
Cooking
Preheating your air fryer is an important step! You’ll want to preheat at 400°F for 5 minutes. Then, when it’s ready, cook the pork chops in the air fryer for 12 minutes, flipping them over after 6 minutes. Check for doneness with an instant-read food thermometer. We’re aiming for an internal temp of 140°F. If your pork chops are very thick, they may require an additional few minutes.
When the pork chops are done, remove them from the air fryer and place them on a plate and let them rest for a couple of minutes. Then you’re ready to serve and enjoy! There will be a nice juice that will form from the seasonings and the natural juices of the pork. Slice the pork chops in thin slices, and get some of the seasoned juice on each bite. You’re gonna love it!
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PrintRecipe
Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 2
Description
Juicy, tender and delicious air fryer pork chops.
Ingredients
- 2 center-cut, bone-in pork chops, 1 ½ – 2 inches thick
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
- Rinse pork chops with cool water and pat dry completely with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
- Coat the pork chops with olive oil and rub in the mix. Rub it in well and liberally. Use almost all of the rub mix for the 2 pork chops.
- Cook pork chops in air fryer on the air fry setting at 400°F for 12-14 minutes or until internal temperature of 140°F. Flip pork chops over after 6 minutes.
Notes
Air fryer temperatures can vary. Remove pork chops when internal temperature reaches 140°F. The carryover cooking will bring the temp up to 145°F.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Category: Pork chops
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: American
Annette says
I had one pork chop and it wasn’t quite as thick, so I made half the rub and applied only half of that; I also used swerve brown sugar replacement. Out of this world delicious.
I cooked it five minutes on each side. So juicy and tender.
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks for the feedback, Annette. Swerve works great for this recipe and is an excellent keto option.
Deborah says
Best pork chops I’ve ever cooked! Delicious recipe! Thank you! Hubby said “this is so good” 3x and ate 2 chops lol. Winner!
I did not have ground mustard so I basted with a mix of oil and yellow mustard before adding the dry rub. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!! This recipe is a keeper!
Marifi Ingalls says
First recipe I made on my new air fryer. Followed the recipe to the T. It turns out pretty good. It’s juicy and very tasty. Recipe is a keeper. Thank you.
Michelle says
The title is not a lie!! We absolutely loved them. I saved one and cut it up in my salad for lunch today and it is still as juicy!! A big hit in my house!!! Will definitely keep this recipe!!!
Pam says
It’s true!! These really ARE the best damn air fryer pork chops!! They were a total hit, with the fam and most importantly ME! I struggle with pork chops, but these made me feel like the Master of all things pork!
Thank you! Thank you!!!
RecipeTeacher says
I love it! Thanks for the feedback, Pam (Master of Pork!)
Tracy Brooks says
What if you don’t have onion powder but do have minced onion
RecipeTeacher says
You certainly can. Minced onions are dehydrated onion and small bits instead of powder, but you can use it.
Jacqueline says
Loved it! I only had boneless center cut chops but they still came out great. I think I will reduce the amount of paprika next time though. Thanks for the recipe ????
Janelle says
Can this be done with boneless pork chops too? Sometimes I feel having the bone in makes a difference.
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Janelle. Yes it most certainly can. They tend to cook a little bit faster so keep an eye on the internal temperature a couple of minutes sooner. Other than that, you’re good to go!
Yolaine says
Just made this! This was my first recipe
I made in my new air fryer. It was a complete hit in my household! The flavors were amazing! I would definitely make this again.
maryse carre says
Maryse
I haven’t try it yet,but i was wondering if i can season it overnight,
.It sound so delicious.
Jane Bertagnolli says
The air fryer is new to me and I had two thick boneless pork chops. This was the first time for pork chops. I followed the directions to the “T”. I did the rub exactly as I had all the ingredients. My husband happened to come up and looked at the chops (they were rubbed already) and said, you’re not going to butterfly them? I said, why don’t you cook and walked out of the kitchen. (You can do that at my age and after years of marriage.) He apologized and I proceeded to get on with my chops. I cooked them at the exact time and temp and flipped halfway through as the recipe called for. My husband cut into his first and this is his exact words… I have never had a pork chop this tasty, tender and juicy as this. I took my first bite and my chop was excellent. Everything he said. Best ever. Saved the recipe and will use again and again. I may try this tasty rub on some other piece of meat!!!
Terry says
These are the best! Simple and delicious. Also used on wings in the air fryer. Sooo good . Making a big batch of the rub – have a feeling I’ll be putting it on everything!!