Honey Garlic Pork Chops

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

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.