Easy recipe for pork chops in milk marinade with lots of garlic and seared in the skillet. Served with vegetable rice.
Milk-brined or milk-marinated pork chops - a super easy, cheap, and tasty recipe suitable for any season. And look at those golden chops; don't they make your mouth water? For more pork chops recipes, check out these Baked Pork Chops and Potatoes or the Pork Chop Burger (with Mustard and Onions).
Why and how to tenderize pork chops with milk?
Milk is more effective in tenderizing meat than other marinades. The milk enzymes break the proteins, softening the fibers and making the meat more tender. And the milk-tenderized pork chops will remain juicier, and the risk of them drying out during cooking will reduce.
Other milk products suitable for tenderizing meat (not only pork but chicken or beef as well) are yogurt or buttermilk. However, they will make the meat tangier, while milk keeps it not only tender but also more genuine in taste.
How long to marinate the meat in milk?
For at least 2 hours and preferably overnight, so up to 24 hours. I keep it in the marinade overnight most of the time.
Tips for best results
Flavors:
- Flavor the milk marinade by adding spices or dried herbs. In this case, lots of garlic imparts the chops an amazing flavor.
- Alternative spices: sweet, hot, or smoked paprika, ground cumin or/and coriander, spice mixtures used for pork, and so on.
- Alternative herbs: rosemary, savory, thyme.
Dish:
- Use a non-metallic container for marinating the meat; metal might react with the ingredients of the marinade, changing the flavor of the brine. Glass casserole dishes (like Pyrex, for instance) are great, they are large and flat; you can arrange the meat inside in one layer and cover it evenly with the milk brine.
- Always keep the marinating meat refrigerated. And covered.
- However, remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking so that the meat has time to reach room temperature.
Thickness:
- Adjust the cooking time according to the size (particularly thickness) of the chops. The best way to ensure that the meat is perfectly cooked is to use a meat thermometer (Amazon affiliate link).
Recipe ingredients
Pork chops:
- With the bone in, each weighing about 6-7 oz/ 175-200 g.
Marinade:
- Full-fat milk, about 3 cups/ 750 ml. Please use as much as required to submerge the meat pieces completely in the marinade.
Other ingredients:
- Garlic and sweet paprika powder for the brine.
- Flour for coating and oil for cooking the chops.
For the rice: long grain rice, onion, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, bell pepper, tomato paste, paprika powder, marjoram, stock, oil, fine sea salt, and black pepper. The rice is an optional side dish, but it fits this pork chop recipe perfectly.
How to brine pork in milk?
- Salt the meat generously on both sides. Place in the marinating dish.
- Mix about 1 cup milk with the grated garlic cloves and distribute evenly all over the meat. Add the remaining milk, making sure that the chops are covered with the liquid.
- Cover the dish with its lid or with plastic foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking.
How to cook in a skillet?
- Shake the meat well to remove the marinade and pat dry with kitchen towels. The meat really has to be dry.
- Mix flour, salt, pepper, and sweet paprika powder. Use this mixture to season the chops, and press lightly to make sure it coats the meat well.
- Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet. A non-stick pan would do the job as well. The bottom of the pan should be covered in a very thin layer of oil; about 2 tablespoons of oil should be OK.
- Fry the chops on one side for 3 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 2 minutes until golden.
- If the pork chops are thinner, reduce the cooking time. If they are thicker, add a couple more minutes.
- Don't overcook the meat; it can still be slightly pink in the middle.
- Let rest on a warm platter for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQ
Yes. It is best to use the meat thermometer to check if they are done, as boneless pieces tend to dry out quicker than bone-in chops.
145 degrees Fahrenheit/ 63 degrees Celsius, according to USDA. At this temperature, the meat should be medium to medium rare and have a nice shade of pink.
Add a splash of broth or water, stir well and reheat, covered, on the stovetop, stirring regularly.
Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Place the chops in a baking dish, in a single layer but close together. Add 1 tablespoon of water per chop. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Reheat for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
How to serve?
- Serve immediately after the short resting time.
- Make sure to pour the juices accumulated into the platter while the meat is resting over the meat on the serving plate; they are delicious!
- You can serve it with the bonus rice recipe below or any kind of rice you like.
- Other suitable side dishes are potatoes in any form: mashed, oven-baked, sauteed, and so on.
- Or try some pan-fried or baked sweet potato slices.
- Add some vegetables like Brussels sprouts or cauliflower in winter or a fresh green salad with yogurt dressing or vinaigrette in summer.
More pork recipes
Pork Chops in Milk Marinade
Equipment
- large skillet or nonstick pan
Ingredients
Pork chops:
- 4 pork chops about 175-200 g/ 6-7 oz each
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 cups full-fat milk 750 ml/ 25 fl.oz, Note 1
- sweet paprika powder
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
Milk marinade:
- Generously sprinkle the pork chops with salt. Place them in a shallow, glass casserole dish (like Pyrex, Note 2).
- Stir marinade: Grate the garlic and mix it with about one cup of milk.
- Marinade pork: Pour this milk carefully over the pork chops. Pour more milk until the pork chops are completely covered with milk. Cover the dish with plastic foil and place it in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
- Remove the dish from the refrigerator about one hour before cooking the meat.
Cook pork chops:
- Prepare chops for cooking: Take them out of the brine and dry them very well with kitchen paper. Coat them lightly with the flour, sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and sweet paprika powder on both sides.
- Heat the oil in a skillet or another pan. You should have a thin oil film on the entire bottom of the skillet; two tablespoons were enough for my 12-inch skillet.
- Cook pork: Add the pork and cook for 3 minutes on one side until golden; turn and continue cooking for another 2 minutes until golden. You might add one minute or so if the chops are on the larger side.
- Check internal temperature; it should be 145°F/ 63 °C.
- Rest meat: Transfer pork chops to a warm plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for a few minutes.
- Serve: Place the meat on serving plates and pour some of the meat juices collected in the platter over the rice and the meat. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use enough milk to submerge the meat completely.
- Don't use a metallic dish for marinating the meat.
Sissi says
It sounds wonderful and I love the idea of milk-brining. I've never brined pork in anything and since I'm a big pork lover, I definitely will try it. It's funny, but I was a huuuuge carnivore as a child too! I wanted to eat tons of meat at every meal.
allie says
Hi Adina - Wow do these porks chops look so GOOD!!! No wonder your kids enjoyed. I'm intrigued by the milk soak - sounds easy. I have made pork chops that are tough, but these look anything but. Will have to give these a try. Hope all is well and you are having a lovely vacation! XO
Monica says
My son loves pork chops and I've been cooking them a lot more lately. How could this dinner not be a huge hit with your kids. Looks really scrumptious - perfect thing to lure everyone to the table.
grace says
brining in milk is such a fantastic trick to have up one's sleeve!
Marvellina|What To Cook Today says
I'm loving your Gypsy series like many of your recipe series! My son LOVES his pork chops...probably too much! This recipe looks so delish!!! You deserve your vacation and I agree, sometimes you just have to step away from the computer and just be there with your family.
mjskitchen says
Now that is a plate of food that makes me very, very hungry. I'm loving your gypsy recipes!
Missy says
Could I mix half milk half water? Or could I use evaporated milk?
Adina says
Hi Missy. I always use low-fat milk, which has 1.8% fat. I would not go lower than that and I would not add water. I've never used evaporated milk.
mjskitchen says
All you had to say to sell me on these pork chops was "lots of garlic"! These look delicious!
Dorothy says
your instructions say: "Serve the pork chops in milk marinade immediately after the short resting time."
I thought you were never suppose to use a brine on cooked meat, - that it wasn't safe.
Please comment.
Thank you.
Adina says
Hi Dorothy. I don't mean to say "serve the chops with the uncooked milk marinade" (never do that), it was just the name of the dish - pork chops in milk marinade. I will take that out to avoid future confusion.
Linda Posner says
Can I use boneless pork chops?
Adina says
@Linda Posner, Yes.
Linda Vallot says
Can you milk bring pork chops and then bar b que them
Adina says
I never did, but I don't see why not. They should be fine, let me know if you try it.
JP says
Your 1 Tbsp flour, when is it used, guessing with the salt pepper paprika sprinkle?
Adina says
Yes, sorry about that.
Tracy says
Where in the directions do you ise the flour?
Adina says
Hi. When you sprinkle the meat with spices before cooking, you also add the flour.
Mo says
Tried this recipe tonight. Definitely a keeper. The chops were so moist. I guessed on how much salt, pepper, paprika to use. Could you comment on how much you used, and do you mix the spices in with the flour before placing on the chops?
Adina says
Hi. I am happy you liked the recipe. I am afraid I've never measured the spices for this recipe. I use the salt and pepper grinder and paprika from a shaker, and I think I am sprinkling rather generously. I don't mix the spices with the flour.
Indmom11 says
For something so simple this was delicious! I had thick, bone in chops so I pan fried in cast iron and finished in a 425 oven for 15 minutes to a temp or 150. They were so tender and flavorful. Loved them.
Adina says
I am so glad you liked it! We love this recipe too.
Bert says
i follow the recipe but use canned milk and add greek salad dressing to sour it. Works wonders.
Adina says
Sounds great!
Jim says
Can you use buttermilk ins place of regular milk
Adina says
Hi Jim. I've never tried that for this recipe, but it should work. Let me know if you try it.