These thick and juicy pork chops certainly live up to the name! We use a simple seasoning blend of pantry-friendly ingredients and then cook to absolute perfection in the air fryer. These are perfect for dinner any night of the week and are sure to satisfy hungry appetites!
Why I Love This Recipe
It uses ingredients I usually have on hand, it’s easy to prep, easy to cook, and tastes amazing! There, that about sums it all up. Lol. It’s all true though. I love making recipes which use common, pantry-friendly ingredients and don’t require a lot of preparation. If you’ve had a busy day, you can whip this together quickly and have dinner on the table shortly.
What do I need to make this recipe?
Thick, bone-in pork chops of 1-2 inches in thickness will give you the best results with this recipe.
Italian seasoning blend is common in most pantries. It’s usually a simple mix of dried oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, sage and other spices.
Minced garlic. I like to use the minced garlic from a jar. Super simple and tastes great. If using fresh garlic, mince 2-3 cloves.
Garlic powder. Fills out the flavors even more.
Salt and pepper to taste. About ½ teaspoon of each should do. Feel free to use more to personal preference.
Use Fresh, Thick Bone-In Pork Chops
My favorite pork chops to use for this recipe are thick-cut pork chops that are bone-in and around 1 to 2 inches thick. This is because thick chops take longer to cook, thus giving the air fryer more opportunity to create a little char on the seasonings and the outside of the meat. And with that, comes more flavor. Bone-in pork chops also tend to have more marbling, which gives us a more tender and juicy result.
Delicious Garlic and Dry Herb Seasonings
We don’t use any breading for this recipe. Instead, we mix some simple ingredients with a little extra-virgin olive oil and make a delicious rub. Once you’ve made the rub mix and applied it to the pork chops, they’re ready to cook. That’s it!
Air Fry at 400°(F) for 10-14 minutes
With your air fryer set to air fry setting, place your seasoned pork chops into the air fryer basket or tray and air fry at 400°(F) for 10-14 minutes. Flipping halfway through cooking time. For optimal results, take them out when the internal temperature of the meat reaches 140°(F) and place them on a plate covered with foil for 5 minutes. They will continue to cook and will reach 145°F, which is the recommended temperature for pork.
Serving
After the pork chops have cooked and had a chance to rest for a few minutes, they’re ready to serve. There’s lot of side dishes that are perfect for pork chops.
Potatoes!
We’ve got a handful of excellent potato recipes that are perfect to accompany these awesome pork chops.
Irresistible Air Fryer Potatoes. With another great seasoning blend, they’re easy to make and packed with flavor.
Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Potatoes and Green Beans. The perfect mix of potatoes and green beans are made in the Instant Pot to pack an extra flavor punch.
Jean’s Scalloped Potatoes. These take a little more time to make, but are SO worth it!
Vegetables!
Air Fryer Roasted Lemon Pepper Broccoli. Have you ever had roasted broccoli? OMG, it’s amazing! We add some simple seasonings and the air fryer does all the work. A must try!
Air Fryer Roasted Zucchini. Experience perfectly roasted zucchini spears made in your air fryer.
Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes. These are a joy to make and a real treat to eat! So sweet, so savory and perfect to accompany your pork chops.
Frequently Asked Questions
They sure can. But keep in mind that boneless pork chops are usually more lean, which can mean not as juicy or tender. They also cook faster, so keep a close eye on that internal temperature.
Yes you can. Just make sure the pork chops are in a single layer in your air fryer and not touching.
Italian seasoning is a very common spice mix found in most supermarkets and is very common in herb and spice sets. But if you don’t have any, use 1tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp rosemary, ½ tsp basil.
Recipe
Thick and Juicy Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 pork chops
Description
Thick, bone-in pork chops, seasoned with a very simple mix of herbs and seasonings, cooked to juicy and tender perfection in your air fryer.
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in pork chops, 1-2 inches thick
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°(F)
- Mix all ingredients and rub liberally on both sides of pork chops.
- Place seasoned pork chops in air fryer basket or tray and set to air fry setting at 400°(F) for 10-14 minutes or until internal temp of 140°(f) at minimum.
- Remove pork chops from air fryer and let rest on a plate, covered with foil, for 5 minutes. Chops will continue cooking and reach 145°(F) recommended for pork.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Barb Skladan says
This recipe was delicious….the pork chops were so juicy and tender and the rub was so good. I would recommend and will absolutely make it again.
Alexandra says
Another brilliant recipe! I have learned so much from your techniques – blending garlic powder and fresh garlic is heaven. I have been a reader of cooks illustrated / ATK / cooks country for years and you have accomplished in a few recipes what they have failed to do over 2 years. Because ATK avoids onion powder and garlic powder! They prefer to make life more difficult for their readers!!!! Incorporating onion powder and garlic powder into my recipes (thanks to your recipes) has been pure magic. And these pork chops are 100% fine dining restaurant quality! Tastes like a professional chef made them, and to be honest, I mixed up the herbs/flavorings, rubbed down the chops and left them to marinate in the fridge for 7 hours. Then my husband was tasked with cooking them in the air fryer armed with your simple directions and an instant thermometer. Well the combination produced spectacular pork chops! We can’t stop raving about them, and unusually dislike traditional Italian seasoning. But this was the perfect combination! Thank you a million times!
RecipeTeacher says
Alexandra, thank you SO much for the kind words and i’m super excited for you enjoying the recipes! I totally love the simplicity of onion and garlic powder in cooking. Lots more great recipes to come!
C. says
All I can say is…YUMMY! Normally don’t buy thick chops but just happened to find them on sale. They were the juiciest and most tender chops I have ever eaten. Going to try your boneless chops in the instant pot next.
C. says
All I can say is…YUMMY! Normally don’t buy thick chops but just happened to fall them on sale. They were the juiciest and most tender chops I have ever eaten. Going to try your boneless chops in the instant pot next.
Susan says
These are by far the best pork chops I have ever prepared!! My husband normally would rather have something else. However, after tasting these, he said he would rather have these than a steak. Will definitely be on my schedule when wanting pork. This is a winner!!
Carol says
Omg! Between your recipe and the air fryer, it was a restaurant quality pork chop! Flavor, tender and juicy????
Annette says
The BEST ever way to make bone in pork chops juicy fork tender Thank you for giving us this recipe. My family loved it!!
RossC says
Excellent recipe. Perfectly cooked and juicy.
I agree with the use of minced and powdered garlic. I will apply this to other recipes.
Judy C Davis says
Just checking before I make this delicious sounding recipe. Minced garlic and garlic powder? That’s a lot of garlic and I like garlic, but wondered if it was maybe onion powder? Thanks! I’ll comment again after I make it!
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Judy.. yes indeed I use both garlic powder and minced garlic. I actually do this a lot as I like additional of the minced garlic to provide that extra flavor, especially as it caramelizes a bit under the air fryer.
Chris Crawford says
I cooked this pork chop last night and definitely the best damn juiciest pork chop ever!