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 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!!!!
Hello, enjoyed the recipe – thanks for sharing.
My recipe for the salad:
1 Sliced – Japanese cucumber, young cucumber without overripe seeds in the middle
1 Sliced – Red Onion add salt and keep side, remove excess water to remove pungency from onion
1 cup – thick yogurt/greek yogurt
1 clove – garlic – grated fine – add salt and remove excess moisture before adding if you want a less garlicky salt
1/2 to 1 tbsp – Fresh dill – chopped
Lemon
Salt
pepper – optional
Mix yogurt garlic, dill, salt and whish with a for for 30 seconds
Add onion and cucumber in a bowl, and add dressing.
Salt, Pepper , lemon – season as desired.
Cheers.
Gotta be kidding me. med-high 4 minutes each side and these are 180deg plus.
Don’t waste my time.
What kind of moron are you? I cook lamb loin chops all the time and at medium high heat, 4 minutes on each side, they come out medium rare. The average loin chop is about 1 1/2″ thick.
Simmer down, mine also came out with the lowest at 160, highest at 175… My chop was also slightly thicker than an inch and they were still a little chilled from the fridge. Maybe a note of 2-4 mins would help those who are experiencing this.
Dear Barf,
You are right – move on as we don’t want to waste your time and perhaps, learn and read a bit about the art of cooking, that would be a good investiment of your precious time!
1st time ever cooking or eating lamb. really thankful for this recipe. It was a big hit in this house of newbies. Will be cooking this again!
Thank you very much.
Can you give me the recipe for the salad with the lambchops. It looks delicious.
yes! please post the salad recipe?! Looking at it quite close, i think i could come up with a good guess, but this looks great!
I usually make a balsamic reduction (yum) but was out of balsamic vinegar! I quickly found this and you saved my lamb chops! Thanks for an easy delicious recipe!
I agree with the balsamic vinaigrette. I didn’t use the vinaigrette on the lamb chops but on the stir fry that I made. My stir fry consisted of all the colored peppers (green, yellow, orange, and red), mushrooms, both red and yellow onions, cilantro, and spinach. I seasoned the chops well, pan seared them then put in the oven to finish. Then I let them rest before cutting into it. I am just waking up from my food coma because it was so delicious lol!
My wife prepared the lamb chops according to the recipe and I am truly elated! They were quite delicious.! She served mashed potatoes, seasoned crunchy green beans, and buttered baguette toast! I give the lamb chops 5 Stars!
These were delicious. Thanks. To me it tasted better then a steak.
You are correct. Lamb chops tastes better than steak to me to. I came here because I hadn’t cooked any lamb chops in a long time. Forgot how long to cook them. Glad I found this site. They were perfect.
I love lamb, and this recipe did not disappoint!
Absolutely all!! While a steak is always good, .Lamb chops are in a class by themselves. Served with a healthy portion of mashed potatoes top with sour cream and chives…vegi of your choice I totally enjoyed this recipe.
Fantastic. So much tastier than the oven version I’ve been using. I also added 4-5 leaves of chopped swiss chard to the pan juices for a minute or so. It was fabulous over the chops.
I just wanted to say I made these for my husband tonight and he said they were delicious thanks for putting together these recipes
When you say to take it off the heat to let it rest at the end, does it mean you take the pan off the fire but leave the meat in the pan or does it mean to to transfer the meat to a plater and cover with foil…?
If it says to remove from heat, you transfer the item to a plate. Let it rest means to not cut into it.
Can you cook in the oven
What is the recipe to the side you prepared with it?
I think these are the best lamb chops I have ever cooked using your recipe. I used everything you did and added about 1/2 tablespoon mint.
FANTASTIC.
Thanks for the recipe
Yum! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Great recipe. Easy. I used tarragon. Thanks for the method!
So delicious! Will try again!
I made this recipe before and made sure that I had enough for leftovers but it was so delicious that I ate every piece of lamb. I couldn’t help myself.
It actually was as good as what I occasionally get want to restaurant makes them perfectly. They also had the perfect amount of ingredients for the best flavor.
Sooo I have made these 2 times but by the time I get to shoot a good oic Hubby had inhaled them..Sooo delish and easy to do, especially when the snow is on top of the grill and it’s soo cold outside. If I could post a pic of the empty plate I wud do it in a heartbeat but have not sen that option..Dont skip this recipe peeps, it is wonderful
Hi Layla, My wife and are going to attempt making the pan seared lamb chops for the first time tonight. We would like to know how to the side salad that accompanied your lamb chops. Thanks and Happy Holidays.
Absolutely delicious!! Followed the recipe to a tee. My 1st time making lamb chops. This recipe is a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it, Angie!
What is the salad recipe you have in the picture?
It is not posted on the website, sorry!
What kind of dressing is it?
Hello, please see my response to the recipe with my salad recipe – hope you like it. Thank you.
5 stars.
Just the way my very own personal chef used to make them for me!
My 14 yr old son wanted lamb chops for his birthday dinner (we’ve never had lamb before)… I tried to follow this recipe as closely as I could since I only had dried spices, I opted to omit them. I did use the course salt and regular black pepper only to realize I had no garlice left… as I started to panic, I noticed Papa John’s garlic butter sauce on the door. Yep, I went there… IT IS DELICOUS! LOL