These easy and quick Lamb Chops with Mustard-Thyme Sauce make an amazing family favorite dinner! Creamy mustard sauce is made with garlic, Dijon mustard, red wine (or white wine), and fresh thyme. Lamb chops are tender and juicy.
These Mediterranean pan-fried lamb chops can be cooked in a stainless steel skillet or in a cast iron pan. The pan-searing process is very similar to how I cooked garlic lamb loin chops. Your family will love the creamy mustard sauce texture and the savory flavor of lamb chops! They will go great with green beans and bacon or with oven-roasted asparagus with bacon.
The best part about the sauce? It takes just 4 ingredients. Garlic, fresh thyme, wine, and Dijon mustard. This combination produces the best sauce for lamb chops. I used white wine, but you can definitely use red wine for the sauce.
The best part about the lamb chops? It takes only 10 minutes to pan sear them. And, thanks to the creamy garlic sauce, the lamb chops are moist and tender!
The whole recipe takes only 30 minutes to make! Perfect choice for a weeknight dinner1
How long does it take to cook lamb chops?
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in stainless steel or cast iron skillet until hot.
- Pan sear 4 lamb chops for about 4 minutes on each side.
- Cover with the lid. Remove from heat.
- Allow the pan-seared lamb chops rest, covered, for about 5 more minutes.
What herbs go with lamb chops?
The best herbs for lamb are fresh herbs:
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Parsley
- Sage
- Oregano
Seasoning for lamb chops
Lamb has such a distinctive strong flavor, it doesn't need much seasoning. Salt and pepper and some garlic usually will do. If you want more flavor, try these seasonings:
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Curry Powder
- Mint
Lamb Chop Marinade
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 0.4 oz fresh thyme, ¼ teaspoon of cracked black pepper, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 4 garlic cloves, minced. Mix.
- Arrange 4 lamb chops on a large plate. Pour the marinade over the lamb chops. Make sure that each side of lamb chops is coated with the marinade.
- Allow the lamb chops rest for 30 minutes in the marinade before cooking.
How to cook lamb chops
- Pat dry lamb chops with paper towels to get rid of extra moisture. Coat the lamb chops with the marinade (as described in the previous section) and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet until hot.
- Add lamb chops.
- Cook on medium heat about 4 minutes per side.
- Remove the lamb chops from the skillet.
How to make a sauce for lamb chops
- Add wine, Dijon mustard, fresh thyme, and minced garlic to the skillet and bring to boil.
- Continue boiling to reduce the sauce, until it thickens.
- Add back cooked lamb chops.
- Simmer on low-medium heat to heat them through.
- Spoon the creamy mustard sauce over the lamb chops and serve.
What to serve with lamb chops
- Roasted potatoes
- Sauteed spinach
- Oven-roasted broccoli with cheese
- Roasted butternut squash and Brussels Sprouts
- Scalloped potatoes
Salads to serve with lamb
- Tomato cucumber avocado salad
- Cilantro lime potato salad
- Pesto Mozzarella salad with avocado
- Greek Tortellini Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
Pan-Seared Lamb Chops with Mustard-Thyme Sauce
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 0.4 oz thyme fresh
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper cracked
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 cloves minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Lamb Chops
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 lamb chops
Sauce
- 1 cup white wine or red wine
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- fresh thyme
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
How to marinate lamb chops:
- Combine olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, blacked cracked pepper, sea salt, minced garlic in a medium bowl. Mix.
- Arrange lamb chops on a large plate. Pour the marinade over the lamb chops. Make sure the lamb chops are covered with the marinade from all sides.
- Let the lamb chops sit at room temperature in this marinade for 30 minutes.
How to sear lamb chops:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet until hot. Add lamb chops.
- Cook on medium heat about 4 minutes on one side. Then 4 minutes on medium heat on another side.
- Remove the lamb chops from the skillet.
How to make the sauce for lamb:
- Add wine to the same skillet and bring to boil.
- Add mustard, fresh thyme, and minced garlic.
- Bring to boil and reduce the sauce, until it thickens. It should take a couple of minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. It's optional but it might be good for mellowing the strong flavors! Taste the sauce and add another tablespoon or two of cream, if desired.
- Add back the pan-seared lamb chops.
- Simmer on low-medium heat to heat them through.
- Season the sauce with salt and cracked black pepper, if needed.
- Note: Make sure the lamb chops are cooked to medium. If not, cook them in the sauce, covered with the lid, for a couple of minutes. Then, remove from heat, and allow the lamb chops rest, covered until they are cooked through.
- To serve, spoon the sauce over lamb chops and sprinkle more fresh thyme on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Great flavor!
A couple comments
1. had 12 chops, so tripled everything as recommended elsewhere
2. I recommend white wine. The cab I tried tasted too tanniny, the the dark color turned out too brownish, which isn't nearly as appetizing on lamb as a more mustard-color sauce would have been
3. I served it with baked potatoes--which LOVED the dark sauce.
4. In the ingredient, it would be instructive to say the thyme doesn't need to be stripped from the sprigs--whole sprigs. Also, it wouldn't hurt to say how many sprigs 0.4ozs might be
I'm definitely making this again.
Thank you, Tom, for your detailed review, all the helpful tips, and great feedback!
This was my 1st recipe experimenting with lamb. And oh goodness, the flavors were amazing! I too, didn't change a thing and followed the recipe. I found myself licking the sauce off the plate lol! I marinated 3 of 4 over night and cooked one after marinating for only 30 mins. Definitely, recommend the former. But either one is still packed with flavor. The red wine based reduction is absolutely a star player! I can't say enough. I'll be cooking this for guests soon.
Super tasty, I've made it twice now! The second time, my guest didn't consume alcohol, so instead of the wine in the sauce I used the marinade liquid and it was still very yummy
So glad this recipe was a hit, Eliza! 🙂
This was wonderful! Didn't change a thing. Served it with roasted potatoes, asparagus and a mixed salad! Yum!
So glad this recipe turned out well for you, Kate! 🙂
If making 12 lamp loin chops, how much wine should I use?
Hi Alex, since I used 4 lamb chops, I would just mulitply all ingredients by 3 so that there is enough sauce for everyone.
Can you use coconut milk in place of heavy cream?
Yes, that should work just fine!
I can’t believe how incredible this sounds! I’m having guests for lamb chops next Monday and, instead of grilling, I’m going to do them this way! And your weekly recipes make me wish I was still cooking for a family!
This recipe should work great for entertaining, Judy! 🙂 🙂
I made this for my guests and it was a hit! I did add more cream to the sauce than the recipe recommended as well as about a tablespoon of sugar to offset the strong flavor of the mustard. That solved the problem and it was delicious!
Such a helpful feedback, Judy, thank you! 🙂
Julia I think there is too much wine in this resipeee it’s got a fery strong taste to it ??
Hi George, if it tastes like too much wine, I would just cook the sauce (without cream) longer, until the wine reduces considerably, and then add cream.
This was my first time making lamb. I got a good price, so I was browsing for recipes & yours looked amazing!
It was so good. Served with some mushroom wild rice and green beans.
Kristie, I am so happy my recipe did not disappoint! And, I love your choice of side dishes. 🙂
Can the chops be in the marinade over night?
Kathy, I wouldn't do that.
Can I use dried thyme if I dont have fresh?
Yes, you can. Use about 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.
Tonight I made just for me 2 lamb chops with your mustard sauce. I used 2 tbsp of cream and added caramelized onions and oyster mushrooms. Lamb only med-rare. The sauce is fabulous. I'll add it to my repertoire for guests.
Dee, I am so happy you loved the sauce! I love the addition of caramelized onions + mushrooms! 🙂