Easy Delicious Brown Sugar Pork Chops (Oven Baked)

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Brown Sugar Pork Chops is a delicious dish with sweet and savory flavors – all you need for the best pork chops is a little olive oil, a dry seasoning mixture, and the oven! The pork gets baked to golden brown perfection and all you need is one pan. 

For a different cut of pork try this recipe for Easy Ranch Pork Loin that’s made in the crockpot!

A white plate with mashed potatoes, corn, and pork chops on it that have been baked.

Brown Sugar Garlic Pork Chops (Oven Baked Boneless Pork Chops)

I love this easy dinner recipes where it’s simple prep, extra points for only using one pan, and then the oven does all the work for you. These brown sugar pork chops are just that!

Close up image of the pork chop inside the pan

All you need is one casserole baking dish – place the pork into the baking dish, drizzle with some olive oil, and then rub the pork with a delicious dry seasoning mix of brown sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.

Then the oven does all the work. The brown sugar seasoning rub gets golden brown and the mix of sweet and savory flavors + olive oil makes for juicy pork chops and one of my family’s go-to dinners for those crazy nights that I need something easy to prep. 

Overhead picture of the pan of baked brown sugar pork chops.

Simple Ingredients Needed

  1. Boneless Pork Chops : I prefer boneless but you could use bone-in pork chops if that’s what you prefer. Keep a close eye on the cook time because bone-in chops will need a longer cook time in order to read the safe internal temperature for eating. To prevent the pork from drying out try to use classic cut pork chops (thick pork chop) instead of thin-cut pork chops; thin-cut can be used but the cook time will be less so just keep an eye on the pork and the temperature of it. 
  2. Olive Oil
  3. Light Brown Sugar
  4. Garlic Powder
  5. Smoked Paprika
  6. Italian Seasoning
  7. Onion Powder
  8. Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
Ingredients

How To Make The Best Pork Chop Recipe With Brown Sugar Sauce (Printable Recipe Card)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, combine the light brown sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt & pepper. 

Add the pork chops to the casserole pan in a single layer. Drizzle the olive oil over top and rub the pork chops with the oil making sure to coat each one on all sides. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with the seasoning mixture. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. 

Allow the pork chops to rest for 5 minutes before serving warm. 

process images

How To Store Leftover Pork Chops

Any leftover brown sugar pork chops should be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

To freeze, place the pork into a freezer-safe Ziploc bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze for 2-3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. To reheat, place in an oven-safe dish and heat in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes covered, or until thoroughly heated; you may need to add a splash of broth to keep them from drying out. 

process images

What Are Some Substitutions I Can Make?

  • Brown Sugar : It is okay to use either dark brown sugar or light brown sugar, but if you use dark, you may find the pork to be a little sweeter than if you used light brown sugar. I prefer using light brown sugar. 
  • Smoked Paprika : You can use regular paprika if you don’t have smoked paprika; but the combination of smoked paprika + brown sugar gives more of an earthy flavor to the sweetness that is really delicious. 
  • Boneless Pork Chops : If you want to use bone-in chops, you can, but it will increase the cooking time. Just keep a close eye on the internal temperature of the pork. There are also thin-sliced boneless pork chops, or regular thicker pork chops, but it may change the cook time especially if using thin-cut; you won’t need as long to cook those ones thoroughly. 
  • Olive Oil : Any neutral flavored oil can be used such as avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil. Yellow mustard is another good binder that can be used as well. 
A casserole dish with the baked pork chops in it

Serving Suggestions For Oven Baked Brown Sugar Pork Chops

Serving plate of the pork with potatoes and corn.

Recipe FAQs

Can I Make This Dish Spicy?

If you would like to add a little heat to the dish for the sweet heat effect, you could add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the seasoning mixture. 

Do I Get Thick Chops or Thin Pork Chops?

For this pork chop recipe I would recommend getting the classic cut pork chops that are around 1/2-inch in thickness. You could use thin-cut pork chops (some may prefer that for less thickness of meat), but the cook time will be much less than what the recipe lists so watch the internal temperature of the pork closely so you don’t overcook the pork – which will cause it to be tough, dry, and chewy. 

How Do I Know When Pork Chops Are Done Baking?

It’s super important with pork that you have an instant read thermometer nearby to temp the inside of the pork to check for doneness. Overcooked pork is notorious for being so tough and dry. The internal temperature of the pork needs to be at 145 degrees F for safe eating – once it gets there, remove the pork from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.

Hero shot of pork chops that have been sliced to show the inside of the pork.

More Easy Pork Chop Recipes

A white plate with mashed potatoes, corn, and pork chops on it that have been baked.
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Brown Sugar Pork Chops


Author Jessica – Together as Family
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rest Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Brown Sugar Pork Chops is a delicious dish with sweet and savory flavors – all you need for the best pork chops is a little olive oil, a dry seasoning mixture, and the oven! The pork gets baked to golden brown perfection and all you need is one pan. 

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (see notes)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 pounds boneless pork chops (about 6 pork chops)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425℉. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 
  • In a small bowl, combine the light brown sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt & pepper. 
    1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Add the pork chops to the casserole pan in a single layer. Drizzle the olive oil over top and rub the pork chops with the oil making sure to coat each one on all sides.
    2 pounds boneless pork chops, 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with the seasoning mixture and press the seasoning mixture into each pork chop.  
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145℉
  • Allow the pork chops to rest for 5 minutes before serving warm.

Notes

Salt : I use about 1 teaspoon kosher salt in this recipe. If you are using a finer salt (like sea salt, pink salt, or table salt) you probably won’t need as much; maybe 1/2 teaspoon or a little bit more. Kosher salt is a larger flake salt so the measurement is usually higher than other salts. 
Pork Chops : I prefer using boneless, but if you prefer bone-in pork chops then those can be used; just watch the cook time because they will need longer in the oven to reach the safe internal temperature of 145 degrees F.  I also suggest using classic cut pork chops (rather than thin-cut pork chops) so the pork stays juicy while baking. If using thin-cut, the cook time will be less. It’s important to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the pork to ensure you don’t overcook the pork and to also ensure its cooked to the safe internal temperature for eating. 

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