What is the easiest dinner I've cooked lately? These delicious Pan Fried Pork Chops with Honey Lime Glaze! The ingredient list is short, the cooking technique is basic. And, the result is literally the best pork chop recipe I've ever made! These pan cooked pork chops use no flour - just fry them in the skillet and then coat with the glaze.
By the way, I've made a recipe for honey lime chicken thighs a while back, and I always get such great feedback on it that I decided to do a similar concept but with the boneless pork chops this time. These pan fried pork chops take only 30 minutes from start to finish, and the result is beautiful!
They are amazing thanks to the easy-to-make syrupy glaze. The glaze is made by boiling down and reducing the mixture of honey, freshly squeezed lime juice, and balsamic vinegar in the same pan where you pan-fried the pork chops. Also, don't forget to add fresh thyme - it really adds a nice herbal flavor to the whole dish!
There are 2 secrets to the success of these pan-fried pork chops:
- You have to sear the pork chops to perfection on the stove top. To achieve best results, use stainless steel pan or cast iron skillet. Heat the pan really well before adding olive oil and the boneless pork chops. Pan sear them on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per each side. Make sure they are cooked through. Fry them a little bit longer if needed.
- Make sure the glaze is thick and syrupy. First, combine glaze ingredients (honey, lime juice, balsamic vinegar) in the same pan (without pan-seared pork chops) and boil them for a couple of minutes until reduced by one third or half. Next, allow the glaze to cool off a bit in the pan, off heat. It will get thicker as it cools off. You don't need to wait until it's cold, obviously, just wait until all the bubbling settles down and the glaze is not super hot any more, but still warm-hot and thicker. You will notice significant change in the thickness of the glaze as it cools off.
- Use no flour. These pan cooked pork chops are refreshing, bursting with lime flavor. You don't need the flour to pan fry these. Pan fry these pork chops in olive oil on high heat until golden brown, and then coat them with the syrupy glaze.
Do you want to make the best pork chop recipe ever? Then, follow along with me!
Ingredients you need for pan-fried pork chops
Yes, all you need are 3 basic ingredients:
- 2 lb boneless pork loin chops (3 or 4 pork chops)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
Ingredients you need for honey lime glaze
To make the honey lime glaze, squeeze the juice of 1 lime, add ¼ cup of honey and 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Only 3 ingredients!
How to pan fry pork chops
I suggest you use stainless steel or cast iron skillet. Season boneless pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat olive oil in a pan until hot and fry pork chops in the pan for about 4 minutes per side. Make sure they are completely cooked through.
Remove the pan cooked pork chops from the skillet, and combine honey, freshly squeezed lime juice, and balsamic vinegar in the same pan. Boil until reduced by about one third or half. Add pack the pan-seared pork chops. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and sliced lime.
Other delicious pan-fried pork chops recipes
- Honey Balsamic Pork Chops - juicy and tender boneless pork chops that are seared in honey balsamic sauce. The sauce is perfectly smooth thanks to Dijon mustard and is packed with flavor from fresh rosemary and fresh thyme.
- Pork Chops in Garlic, Brown Sugar and Herb Wine Sauce - a 20 minute recipe that is perfect for a low carb diet!
- Bacon and Mushroom Smothered Pork Chops - creamy version of pan-cooked pork chops.
Pan Fried Pork Chops with Honey Lime Glaze
Ingredients
Pan-fried pork chops
Optional spices for pork chops
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon mild chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Honey-lime glaze
- 1 lime , freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Garnish
- 4 thyme sprigs , leaves only
- 1 lime sliced
Instructions
How to pan sear pork chops
- Season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Note: if you like more seasoning with the pork chops, season them with additional optional spices: Italian seasoning, mild chili powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add pork chops and cook over medium-high heat until nicely seared to golden brown color, 4 minutes on each side. Make sure they are cooked through. Cook them longer if they are not cooked through. Remove to a plate.
How to make honey-lime syrupy glaze
- To the same skillet add the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime, honey, and balsamic vinegar. Bring everything to boil, stirring.
- Cook for a couple of minutes until a thick glaze forms and until reduced by one third or half.
- Remove the skillet from heat. Add the cooked pork chops back in.
- Let the glaze cool off in the pan, with the pork chops in it, off heat. As the glaze cools off, it will get thicker, at which point pour it over the pork chops.
- Garnish pork chops fresh thyme and sliced lime.
Video
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.
I prepared the pork chops a second time, with your recommended seasoning enhancements. Lip-smacking good! Even my brother thought the chops tasted better the second time. Thank you!
So glad you liked this recipe better the second time. I have just updated the recipe to include these seasoning adjustments as an option, based on your review.
Thank you, Julia, for your recipe. I think my brother liked the pork chops more than I did. I didn't find them to be "lip-smacking good". I was expecting them to be more sweet than sour. Also, I think, at least for my taste preferences, the pork chops need more seasoning beyond salt and pepper. The pork chops, on the other hand, were very moist, which can be challenging to achieve with boneless pork chops. My glaze turned out very thick. Perhaps I allowed it to reduce too much. Having said the aforementioned, I will attempt this recipe again, but with some adjustments in ingredients.Thank you, again.
Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for your thoughtful review. ❤️ The pork chops could definitely use more seasoning here - I recommend Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and mild chili powder.
Thank you, Julia, for your reply, and for the suggestions. 🙂
Enjoyed this recipe tonight. Used bone in chops. Meat was very tender and tasty.
Glad you tried the recipe and liked it! 🙂
Very good, very quick, very easy.
Sauce thickened up after taking it off heat. Used remaining sauce over remaining mashed potatoes!
Delicious
I made this recipe tonight, but had bone-in chops. It took a lot longer to cook, but the sauce was delicious! I added about a half of a sliced onion toward the end. Very good! I will make it again.