How To Make Baked Lamb Chops

Oven baked lamb chops that are finished off on the stovetop, preferably served with roasted baby Dutch potatoes and arugula; that’s a meal to wish for. The best part? It’s takes only 12 minutes to cook!

How To Cook Lamb Chops

What else says spring time more than a lamb roast or lamb chops? Spring is definitely here in Texas, so this girl couldn’t pass on some lamb chops when she spotted them in the meat section the other day. The idea of cooking lamb chops can be intimidating, and getting them just right may be a bit tricky, but there’s a secret to cooking lamb: treat it as you’d treat a steak, and if it looks done (well browned) that usually mean it’s really done!

Lamb cooks quickly and can be easily overcooked making it dry and rubbery so you want to treat it just right. Also, how long you cook it depends on how thick the lamb chops are and how well-done you like your meat.

Don’t Skip the Marinade

Although lamb chops cook in only 12 minutes, you should plan ahead to allow time to marinade it. The marinade will kick up the flavors and it’s so easy to make. All you need to do is to crush some garlic, rosemary and thyme with a mortar and pestle or pulse it a couple of times in a baby bullet or similar device.

Medium-Rare and Well-Done Lamb Chops

Personally, I like my meat medium to well-done. My husband, on the other hand, likes his meat medium-rare. So, here’s what I did for him. I had thicker lamb chops, about ¾ inch to an inch while mine were thinner. I cooked all the cuts at the same time at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. This allowed his thicker chops to be cooked medium-rare while mine (the thinner ones) were well-done. So, depending on how thick your chops are, and how you like them done, adjust your baking time. Keep in mind that you will still need to quickly sear them on the stovetop after baking.

Why sear the lamb chops after baking, you ask? Well, that’s a trick I learned and it’s because lamb is so easily overcooked, browning it before baking is an easy way to ensure the lamb will be overcook. Lamb chops cook so much better when you first baked them in the oven and then finish them off on the stovetop; it also gives them a nice brown color. If you like your lamb chops rare to medium-rare, I’d brown it on one side only – just for the presentation.

Medium-rare: meat is cooked so that the outside is browned and the inside is still partially red. 120 – 125 degrees before resting. Medium-well: meat is cooked so that it has a small amount of pink in the center. 140 -145 degrees before resting. Well-done: meat is thoroughly cooked until all redness is gone. 150 – 155 degrees before resting.

Remember: Baking for 10 minutes at 400°F will cook thicker chops (3/4 inch) medium-rare and thinner chops (less than 3/4 inch) well-done. So, depending on what size chops you have, and how you prefer them, adjust the baking time.

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Baked Lamb Chops

Oven-baked lamb chops that are finished off on the stovetop, preferably served with roasted veggies and arugula, that's a meal to wish for. The best part? It's cooked in only 12 minutes!

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 12 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Food Smart Mom

Ingredients

• 4 lamb chops
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 tsp Himalayan salt
• ⅛ tsp white pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Using a mortar and pestle, crush garlic, rosemary & thyme, salt, and white pepper until you get a rough paste.
2. Add olive oil to the mixture and stir in well to create a marinade.
3. Personally, I like to leave the fat on my lamb chops but you can definitely trim it off to get a sexy-looking lamb chop! If you trim off the fat, do it before marinating.
4. Dry the lamb chops with a paper towel and rub in the garlic and herbs paste. Let marinade for an hour covered in a small shallow dish.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes (thicker chops will be medium-rare, thinner will be well-done).
7. While the lamb is in the oven, prepare a nonstick skillet on the stovetop. Heat it up to sear the lamb chops.
8. ake the baking sheet out of the oven and using tongs, transfer the chops to the skillet.
9. Sear lamb chops for two minutes on the top side and, if you'd like, one more minute on the other.
10. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

Consider serving it with veggies and some fresh arugula! Such a heavenly combination!