• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Index
  • Latest Recipes
  • Sweets
  • How To's
  • About

Where Is My Spoon

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Latest Recipes
  • Sweets
  • How To's
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Latest Recipes
    • Sweets
    • How To's
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Where Is My Spoon > Main Dish > Meat Recipes

    Pork Chops in Milk Marinade

    Published by: Adina September 1, 2020 · Last modified: January 16, 2023 27 Comments

    Sharing is caring!

    790 shares
    • Share
    • Yummly
    • Reddit
    • Twitter
    pork chop marinated in milk served with rice and lemon slices

    Easy recipe for pork chops in milk marinade with lots of garlic and seared in the skillet. Served with vegetable rice.

    Jump to Recipe
    pork chops with rice and vegetables

    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).

    Table of Contents
     [show]
    • Why and how to tenderize pork chops with milk?
      • How long to marinate the meat in milk?
    • Tips for best results
    • Recipe ingredients
    • How to brine pork in milk?
    • How to cook in a skillet?
    • Recipe FAQ
    • How to serve?
    • More pork recipes

    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).
    pork chops with rice and vegetables

    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

    Can I use boneless chops?

    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.

    What is the safe internal temperature for pork?

    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.

    How to reheat the rice?

    Add a splash of broth or water, stir well and reheat, covered, on the stovetop, stirring regularly.

    How to reheat pork chops?

    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.
    pork chops with rice and vegetables

    More pork recipes

    • Spicy Pork Roast
    • Pistachio Crusted Tenderloin
    • Katsu Sando
    • Pork in Tomato Sauce
    • Juicy Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin

    Do you like this recipe?

    Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!
    pork chop marinated in milk served with rice and lemon slices

    Pork Chops in Milk Marinade

    Easy recipe for pork chops in milk marinade with lots of garlic and seared in the skillet. Served with vegetable rice.
    4.36 from 91 votes
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Meat Recipes
    Cuisine: Gypsy
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 281kcal
    Author: Adina

    Equipment

    • large skillet or nonstick pan
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    1. Use enough milk to submerge the meat completely.
    2. Don't use a metallic dish for marinating the meat.
     
    Optional rice dish: 
    1 tablespoon oil
    1 onion
    2 garlic cloves
    1 large carrot
    1 small bell pepper
    1 small zucchini
    1 cup/ 200 g long-grain rice
    2 tomatoes
    2 tablespoons tomato paste
    ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder
    ½ teaspoon dry marjoram
    2 cups/ 500 ml chicken stock
    fine sea salt and pepper
    Chop the onions and the garlic very finely. Heat the oil in a pot and cook the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. While the onions are cooking, cut the carrot into thin slices or half slices. Slice the pepper and the zucchini as well. Add the vegetables to the pot and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the washed and drained rice and stir for a couple of minutes. In the meantime, chop the tomatoes into small cubes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sweet paprika, and marjoram to the pot stir well. Add broth and some pepper. Cover and let cook on low heat for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked to your liking.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/4 of the dish | Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

    More Meat Recipes

    • plate with four glossy honey baked chicken thighs and lemon wedges.
      Honey Baked Chicken Thighs
    • bowl with many golden brown air fryer frozen meatballs with parsley on the side.
      Air Fryer Frozen Meatballs
    • many brown ground veal meatballs with parsley on a plate.
      Ground Veal Meatballs Recipe
    • slow cooker lamb curry topped with red onions on a silver plate.
      Slow Cooker Lamb Curry

    Sharing is caring!

    790 shares
    • Share
    • Yummly
    • Reddit
    • Twitter

    web banner representing all the websites logos that featured our food blog.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sissi says

      October 14, 2017 at 8:45 pm

      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.

      Reply
    2. allie says

      October 16, 2017 at 1:50 pm

      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

      Reply
    3. Monica says

      October 16, 2017 at 9:14 pm

      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.

      Reply
    4. grace says

      October 18, 2017 at 1:46 pm

      brining in milk is such a fantastic trick to have up one's sleeve!

      Reply
    5. Marvellina|What To Cook Today says

      October 20, 2017 at 7:18 pm

      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.

      Reply
    6. mjskitchen says

      October 21, 2017 at 4:06 am

      Now that is a plate of food that makes me very, very hungry. I'm loving your gypsy recipes!

      Reply
    7. Missy says

      October 02, 2019 at 11:51 pm

      Could I mix half milk half water? Or could I use evaporated milk?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        October 03, 2019 at 8:55 am

        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.

        Reply
    8. mjskitchen says

      September 06, 2020 at 10:13 pm

      All you had to say to sell me on these pork chops was "lots of garlic"! These look delicious!

      Reply
    9. Dorothy says

      February 05, 2021 at 9:56 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        February 06, 2021 at 10:14 am

        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.

        Reply
    10. Linda Posner says

      May 12, 2021 at 4:11 pm

      Can I use boneless pork chops?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        May 12, 2021 at 6:16 pm

        @Linda Posner, Yes.

        Reply
    11. Linda Vallot says

      September 11, 2021 at 11:43 pm

      Can you milk bring pork chops and then bar b que them

      Reply
      • Adina says

        September 12, 2021 at 8:43 pm

        I never did, but I don't see why not. They should be fine, let me know if you try it.

        Reply
    12. JP says

      April 01, 2022 at 11:03 am

      Your 1 Tbsp flour, when is it used, guessing with the salt pepper paprika sprinkle?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        April 01, 2022 at 4:41 pm

        Yes, sorry about that.

        Reply
    13. Tracy says

      May 13, 2022 at 9:57 pm

      Where in the directions do you ise the flour?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        May 14, 2022 at 8:59 am

        Hi. When you sprinkle the meat with spices before cooking, you also add the flour.

        Reply
    14. Mo says

      July 25, 2022 at 12:44 am

      5 stars
      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?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        July 25, 2022 at 8:53 am

        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.

        Reply
    15. Indmom11 says

      August 31, 2022 at 12:38 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        August 31, 2022 at 8:02 am

        I am so glad you liked it! We love this recipe too.

        Reply
    16. Bert says

      December 15, 2022 at 7:42 pm

      5 stars
      i follow the recipe but use canned milk and add greek salad dressing to sour it. Works wonders.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        December 15, 2022 at 9:06 pm

        Sounds great!

        Reply
    17. Jim says

      March 12, 2023 at 8:02 pm

      Can you use buttermilk ins place of regular milk

      Reply
      • Adina says

        March 13, 2023 at 8:06 am

        Hi Jim. I've never tried that for this recipe, but it should work. Let me know if you try it.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Follow me!

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Hello! Where Is My Spoon is a blog where you will find delicious and family friendly recipes, all made from scratch. From simple healthy soups to sumptuous cakes for special occasions, all our recipes have been tried and loved by our family and our friends.

    More about me →

    Strawberry recipes

    • small bowl with macerated strawberries ready to be served
      Macerated Strawberries
    • sliced strawberry rhubarb tart with crumble topping close up.
      Strawberry Rhubarb Tart with Crumble Topping
    • strawberries and cream dessert in a glass
      Strawberries and Cream Dessert with Meringue
    • brownies with strawberries sliced on a table
      Brownies with Strawberries (and Chocolate)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Our second blog

    The Fast Recipe Food Blog

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 - Where Is My Spoon. All rights reserved.