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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
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh thyme no stems
- 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
- 1 teaspoon 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.
For the sauce… white wine is the way to go. I didn’t have any white on hand, and used red wine. …not great.
Lee, thank you so much for the feedback about the red wine vs. white wine. Helpful to me and helpful to other readers!
What type of lamb chops used please
I just used regular bone-in lamb chops.
I have made this recipe several times and my husband and I both love it. I always use red (pinot noir) because I don't like buying wine just for cooking, so I just use what I like to drink. We raise our own sheep, so we eat a lot of lamb and appreciate a good lamb recipe. Thanks! (Oh, and I also always add a little fresh rosemary because lamb and rosemary is like pb&j)
Britt, thank you for such a thoughtful comment - I really appreciate it! Glad you've enjoyed this recipe! Yes, the addition of fresh rosemary is so delicious with lamb!
I loved it. I did find that the recipe called for lemon juice and Dijon mustard. The amount was too much for me. So, I added brown sugar to the sauce to cut the lemon acidity. A very healthy amount of butter and a little dry Vermouth. When I did this, I absolutely loved this sauce!
Kate, I love your additions! Thank you for sharing - very helpful to me and other readers! 🙂
Hey Julie
I have yet to cook with this recipe. (will be incorporating some of the methods you've mentioned) I actually felt led to encourage you, Your disposition towards comments coming through is refreshing and elegant. Keep being authentically you
Rochelle, this is one of the best comments I have ever seen on my website! Thank you for being so generous! And, I am sorry for replying so late - this Summer turned out extremely busy for me. But lots of new recipes! 🙂
So the pan sear was great because I was quite skeptical as I prepare the lollipop lamb chops often in the oven. I found this recipe to be quite easy. However the sauce was bitter. We had to really doctor it up. Next time will try a Pinot noir vs. white wine. For my fix I added homemade chicken bone broth, smoked sea salt, and groins pepper. It still had an element of bitterness that we liked but then again was odd
Colleen, thank you for your feedback. Not sure what caused the sauce to be bitter, but in my experience, sometimes, the fresh thyme I buy can be quite bitter. That could be the culprit.
I suggest maybe the garlic being burned causing the bitter taste.
Mine was a little bitter too… I thought it almost tasted lemony but then I thought how could that be. I too added salt free stock and some honey. Add fresh spinach and cooked it right there. It tasted great with the sauce. Honestly the sauce is meant o accompany the food. It changes in the food. I try again
Maireen, try adding brown sugar to the sauce next time to make the flavors more smooth. Love the addition of spinach!
My husband and son could not stop raving over these lamb chops! Both said they were the best they've ever had. Excellent!
Terri, thank you so much for such a positive and enthusiastic comment! I am so happy you've enjoyed this recipe and took the time to share this wonderful feedback!
My first time cooking lamb. We really enjoyed it. Rich and savory. I am an experienced cook, but had some reservations about lamb. Had never eaten it… you know, sweet little lambs. As a serious cook, you have to expand your palate but this was a reach for me. Thank you for making it easier.
Jeane, you are very welcome. I am glad you found my recipe useful. Lamb is delicious meat! Thank you for taking the time to share your comment and the rating!! 🙂
What kind of wine did you us
We loved this recipe. I used red wine and thought it was perfect. The only issue I had was getting the lamb chops to cook at the end. I finally put a lid on the pan and that worked fine. This recipe is a definite keeper. Tons of flavor from the marinate and the sauce ingredients. Loved that it is dairy and gluten free.
Lois, thank you for such a kind and generous comment! Glad you've enjoyed this recipe - it's flavorful and delicious! And, thank you for taking the time to share such a wonderful comment and a 5-star review!
Julia, have 8 lamb chops to make. If I double the other ingredients I’m going to get the same delicious chops. Also how many tsps is .04 oz of Thyme. There’s no amount of Thyme listed for the sauce, only for marinade. Thank you !
0.04 oz of thyme is what was listed on a very small package of fresh thyme, so I think it was about 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme. I think with fresh thyme, you can go with just as much or as little as suits your taste. Also, if you ever see lemon thyme - I highly recommend it - it's very flavorful!
I suspected the sauce would be too acidic and I was correct. This recipe calls for WAY too much mustard. I tried adding some honey and heavy cream to try and fix this.
Maybe it depends on the type of mustard used. Next time you can try using milder mustard. I used Dijon mustard.
Red wine produces a sauce which is too rich. Will try with white wine next time.
Yes, I think white wine is the best choice here.
Yeah, I tried red wine with a truffle mustard. I will try a dry white wine next time
Truffle mustard sounds delicious!
Omg This sooo Delicious!! I made it for my father for Father's Day, he Loved it!! Thank You!!
You are very welcome! 🙂
What can i use to replace the wine
Use chicken broth.
Did not care for the sauce as it overpowered the taste of the lamb. Was too acidic even though I used a bit less mustard.
This was delicious. My husband loved it too.
Don’t have any wine. Have you tried it with chicken broth instead?
Wowwwww. I am a beginners cook so I’ve been following some recipes and I’ve tried this for the first time and my husband gave it a 10. Super easy to follow and it came out beyond delicious. Highly recommend.
Erica, your comment made my day! Thank you so much for such a wonderful review. So glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂