Juicy, mouthwatering Pan Seared Lamb Chops are restaurant-quality but made at home with minimal ingredients and a cast iron pan.
Hey there! It’s Amy from House of Nash Eats and I’m so jazzed to be sharing how to make perfectly succulent lamb chops at home in a skillet today. Lamb is one of my favorite proteins because of it’s rich, complex flavor and how easy it is to cook.
We love grilled lamb chops and oven-roasted rack of lamb, but cooking them in a screaming hot skillet on the stovetop is another one of my favorite tried-and-true methods for serving up a dinner that can rival any high-end restaurant.
I really feel like more Americans would be as obsessed with lamb as I am if they would give these pan-seared lamb chops a try. If you are a fan of a juicy, medium-rare steak, then I promise you are going to rave about these perfectly cooked lamb chops. Lamb loin chops even look like mini little t-bone steaks!
What you need to make pan seared lamb chops
- Lamb chops: I used bone-in lamb loin chops because they fit well in the pan although you could also use lamb rib chops if that’s what you have available. If there is a thick layer of fat around your lamb chops, you may want to trim it before cooking since most of it won’t render.
- Salt: Coarse ground kosher is the way to go here.
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil: A couple of tablespoons of good olive oil are added to the hot pan before the lamb chops.
- Butter: The butter adds such wonderful flavor to the crust that develops on the lamb chops.
- Garlic: Smash some fresh garlic cloves to add to the pan. They will flavor the butter that gets spooned over the top of the lamb chops towards the end of cooking.
- Fresh herbs: These are optional, but I love adding a few sprigs or rosemary or thyme to the pan to add additional flavor to the pan sauce.
How to make pan seared lamb chops
The only tools you need to make pan seared lamb chops are a cast iron skillet or other heavy pan and a pair of tongs to turn the chops.
- Pull the lamb chops out of the fridge and let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes before you plan too cook them. This allows them to come up to temperature and cook much more evenly.
- Season the lamb chops with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.
- Heat the pan over medium-high heat until it is good and hot. You can the meat to sizzle immediately when it hits the pan so it develops a wonderful crust. Add the oil so it can get hot before placing the lamb chops in, making sure not to crowd the pan.
- Cook the lamb chops for 3-4 minutes without moving so that they can sear on one side, then use the tongs to flip and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the butter, garlic, and fresh herbs to the pan. As the butter melts, spoon it over each of the lamb chops for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the lamb chops sit for about 10 minutes until they reach a temperature of 125 degrees F when tested with a digital meat thermometer for medium-rare.
The amount of time that the lamb chops need to cook will depend on the pan, the temperature of the meat before adding it to the pan, and the thickness of the lamb chops, so the better way to approach any meat cooked with this method is by using a reliable digital meat thermometer.
Remember that the temperature of the meat will continue to rise by about 5 degrees F after removing it from the heat, so keep that in mind when you are deciding what temperature to cook your meat to.
Temperature guidelines for cooking lamb
- Rare: 120-125 degrees F
- Medium-rare: 125-130 degrees F
- Medium: 130-135 degrees F
- Medium-well: 135-140 degrees F
- Well-done: 140+ degrees F
Pan Seared Lamb Chops
Ingredients
- 8-9 bone-in lamb loin chops, about 1-inch thick
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt adjust as needed
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for the pan
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
- Let the lamb chops sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Pat dry and season the lamb chops with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet or other heavy pan on medium-high heat until very hot. Add the olive oil and heat for a minute, then carefully place the lamb chops in the pan, leaving a little space between them.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until seared on the bottom side, then flip with tongs and cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side to sear.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Spoon the melted butter, garlic, and herbs over the lamb chops while continuing to cook for about 5 more minutes or until the temperature on a digital meat thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the lamb chops reaches 125 degrees F for medium-rare. See notes for additional information about cooking temperatures and degrees of doneness.
- Remove from the lamb chops from the heat, cover with a piece of foil, then let the meat rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Rare: 120-125 degrees F
- Medium-rare: 125-130 degrees F
- Medium: 130-135 degrees F
- Medium-well: 135-140 degrees F
- Well-done: 140+ degrees F
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I never had or made lamb chops before and saw them at the local butchers for $1.56 each if I bought 16 of them. I gave it a chance and tried this recipe. I’m amazed with the results and now have one more impressive recipe in my culinary portfolio.
xo hard to find the ‘go to recipe’ button. Nobody cares about your fuckin insight
My family and I love these lamb chops.
This is my go-to recipe.
It always turns out mouthwateringly good!
Minimal work, maximum flavor.
Came out Great!!
This is delish!!!!! Absolutely delish!!!!!! No need to comment any further!!!!!!
Thanks for the lovely feedback! So great to hear that you loved it.
Delicious lamb chops! Very nice recipe!
Incredibly delicious and so easy!
Just made these lamb chops, easy, so tasty, served with
twice baked potatoes and creamed spinach, excellent!!
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed it, Kath! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Wonderful recipe! Simple and perfect with just a couple of sides. I’ll be making this again. BTW, I did use dried herbs (both the thyme and rosemary) as well as chopped garlic because that is what I had on hand. We all think the chops turned out beautifully and tasted wonderful! Thanks for such a great recipe.
I have never cooked lamb chops before. Can you substitute dry seasonings for the fresh ones?
I did and the results were wonderful. I think the fresh herbs would obvious add more of a punch that dried, but the dried worked very well for me.
My Cook said.”I’m going to save this one.”
I agree. We only had two 1.5′ chops. Cut back some ingredients. Seared 3 mins on each side. Used dried rosemary, fresh thyme and bottled chopped garlic. STILL EXCELLENT.
Thank you
I usually grill my lamb chops … never again. This recipe is spot on and deserving of its 5-star reviews. Check the temp from time to time, as following instructions, mine were 145, not 125. Nevertheless, they were NOT dry, but a wonderful treat. Thank you for my easy, fast, go-to.
Very easy, very delicious! I love to cook and I’m a good cook. My husband said this is the best dinner I’ve made in a while. I didn’t change a thing. My lamb chops were 2+ inches. I served with sauté spinach with some fresh red pepper chopped and some mushroom tortellini. He asked me to do a repeat of this meal for his friend.
I purchased these beautiful lamb chops from Costco. I always vacuum pack and freeze portions of meat for cooking at a later date.
Thank you for this great tasting recipe.
“You can the meat to sizzle immediately”
What happened here?
Please review and revise ASAP. I don’t know what to do with you guys. I really don’t.
Oh well, shake it off. Please just try not to submit articles as sloppy as this one in the future.
I want this fixed before the weekend
I think it should read,”You want the meat to sizzle immediately”.
been eating lamb chops for 55 years, these were the best buy far. thank you thank you
“You can the meat to sizzle immediately”
What happened here?
Please review and revise ASAP. I don’t know what to do with you guys. You really don’t.
Oh well, shake it off. Please just try not to submit articles as sloppy as this one in the cut.
I want this fixed before the weekend
I was skeptical on this recipe as I don’t usually cook lamb and often recipes I make that are 5 stars don’t impress. Happy to say this recipe was amazing, agree with other comments on restaurant quality and super tender meat. Followed recipe exactly and actually cooked this two nights in a row it was so delicious!
Cooked perfectly, recipe delicious.
Delicious but I added a tiny bit of crumbled basil and bit of marjoram, thyme , rosemary and bit of dry garlic powder and little worchestor sauce Had to cook about 2 xtra minutes , husband likes pink gone.
Great recipe! Followed it exactly except didn’t have any thyme and it still came out fabulous! This one’s a keeper!!!
Delicious!!!!