What Ingredients Are In Air Fryer Pork Chops
It doesnt take much to make air fryer pork chops and you can always doctor-up the recipe. Here are the basic ingredients you need:
- Pork Chops Im all about using thick pork chops! You can use either boneless or bone-in.
- Olive Oil You only need about 1 tbsp of olive oil for brushing both sides of the pork chops. NEVER PUT OLIVE OIL STRAIGHT INTO THE AIR FRYER.
- Seasonings I used a combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and oregano.
What Are The Best Types Of Pork Chops To Air Fry
When it comes to air frying, the best pork chops to use are the thickest ones you can find. General rule of thumb: the thicker the pork chop, the more juicy it will be on the inside. From boneless to bone-in pork chops, use the quick-hitter guide below to help you choose the right cut when youre at the butcher shop:
- Shoulder Chop: Cut from the shoulder, fair amount of gristle and blade bone, tends to be a bit tougher
- Rib Chop: Cut from the rib section of the loin, bone-in, medium amount of fat, tender yet lean
- Loin Chop: Cut from combination of hip and loin meat, very lean and mild flavor, the more tenderloin present the more tender the cut
- Boneless Chop: Cut from head of the loin and above loin chops, boneless, very lean
- Sirloin Chop: Cut from hip area toward back of the loin, highest amount of bone in relation to other pork chops, lots of pork flavor, tends to be on the tougher side
What Can I Make With These Pork Chops Once They Are Cooked
Sometimes I enjoy eating a pork chop by itself and sometimes I cut it up or use it to make other dishes, it’s a versatile meat that you can enjoy in so many ways.
Here are some great ideas that you can use left over Air Fryer Pork Chops for or just to use after they have been cooked in the air fryer.
- Pork salad
- Pasta shells
- Casserole
Pork Chops can go bad pretty quickly so it’s important to use them as soon as you can. They will usually stay good for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can usually tell if pork chops are bad if they have a dull color and sour smell.
If you purchase a large package and don’t plan on using them immediately it’s a good idea to freeze them, they will last in the freezer up to four months.
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Can You Cook Frozen Chops In The Air Fryer
Sure you definitely can use frozen pork chops in the air fryer. What you need to do though, is increase the cooking time by at least 5 minutes, and remember to flip halfway.
You may want to wait to season the pork chops until they are thawed out a bit in the air fryer because spices wont stick to frozen pork chops.
What Thickness Of Pork Chops To Use When Air Frying
However, there are many different cuts of pork chops and they are not all treated equal.
For instance, you can purchase super thin, boneless pork chops. Or your pork chops could be a thicker, bone-in cut that resembles a beef steak.
And of course, each one would require a different cooking time.
Therefore, just to clarify, we used standard, 1/2 inch thick bone-in pork chops as the guideline when we developed this recipe.
The cooking time in the recipe below will need to be adjusted if using thicker or thinner pork chops. If you have boneless pork chops on hand, try our favorite Air Fryer Boneless Pork Chops Recipe.
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How The Air Fryer Works
Heres how it works. By circulating heat all around the food, air fryers allow you to fry foods using thesmallest amount of oil. Were talking anything from a tablespoon to just a light spray.
And since your food isnt submerged in the stuff, much less oil gets absorbed during the cooking process. So that means your meal contains far less fat and calories overall. Air fryer recipe for the win.
Serving Air Fryer Pork Chops
Serve your air fryer pork chops alongside a classic cucumber and tomato salad for a quick and healthy dinner. If youre looking to make a more elaborate spread, pair your chops with air fryer asparagus and some crispy smashed potatoes.
Leftover Alert: You can substitute leftover pork chops for shredded pork in our Cuban pork sandwich recipe.
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Choosing The Right Pork Chops
When selecting pork chops for cooking in the air fryer, you want to look out for a few things. First, be sure that the meat is fresh and of admirable quality, as poorly chosen pork chops can ruin your recipe. Also, go for chops around 1½ to two inches in thickness, as these sizes will cook well in the high heat and come out with a nice char. As for the meat, bone-in center-cut pork chops offer the best flavor and texture.
What Can You Not Put In An Air Fryer
Things You Should Never Cook In An Air Fryer Dont attempt typical fried foods with a wet batter in an air fryer. Broccoli gets dry in an air fryer. Skip entire roasts or whole chickens in an air fryer. Cheese melts into a mess in an air fryer. Air fryers wont result in a perfect medium-rare burger. Air fryers can t cook foods like rice that need a lot of liquid.
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How To Cook Pork Chops In The Air Fryer
Whether you are making boneless or bone in pork chops in air fryer, the steps are the same:
- Make marinade. Mix pork chop marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
- for at least 1 hour, but no longer than 12 hours. Remove them from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Air fry. Add the pork chops to air fryer and cook, flipping halfway though, until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
TIP: I recommend sticking a probe thermometer into the thickest part of one of the chops before you close the air fryer. This way you can ensure they wont overcook and dont let heat out to check for doneness.
- Rest. Allow chops to rest 2-3 minutes to keep them juicy.
What Will You Need
When you taste the spice blend in this recipe, youll want to use it for everything! Ground mustard isnt as popular as prepared mustard, but its a great way to add a refreshing, deep flavor to a lot of dishes. I recommend making a double or even triple batch of the rub, saving the extra to sprinkle on chicken, pork, steak, etc
- Pork chops: Pork chops, cut into the bones, an inch and a half thick.
- olive oil: To rub the pork chops. You can also use avocado oil here.
- Brown sugar: A little brown sugar makes the seasoning more flavorful. Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Chili powder, paprika and ground mustard: The perfect trio of pork! I use paprika, but spicy is good if you want a little kick.
- Salt and Pepper
- Garlic and onion powder: These two powders add intense flavor without slicing or mincing.
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How Long To Cook Pork Chops In An Air Fryer
Depending on the thickness of your pork chops, if they are bone-in or boneless, and the temperature setting, they can take anywhere from 8-20 minutes to cook in an air fryer. This particular recipe calls for boneless chops that are a 1/2-inch thick, cooked at 400° F for 8 minutes, flipping once.
NOTE: These chops were made and tested in this Phillips model Air Fryer with a basket and requires preheating. If you own a different model air fryer, I would suggest doing a test run with one pork chop and then adjust the time/temp, if necessary. Air fryers are all similar, but just like ovens, cooking times can vary. My air fryer is also small. If yours is bigger than 3 quart, you can cook more than 2 pork chops at a time, as long as theyre not touching at all.
Whats A Safe Temperature For Pork
According to USDA safe eating temperature for pork is 145F with a 3-minute rest after cooking. This means that the pork will still have a slightly pink middle after being cooked. The best way to know if the pork chops are cooked is to use an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat to check the temperature.
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Free: 5 Secrets To Fast Healthy Dinners
When it gets too hot to make baked pork chops, or if you want a totally foolproof way to make em, easy air fryer pork chops are just the thing! They cook up tender and juicy , without having to turn on the oven. And bonus! they are even quicker to make than the oven version. Once you learn how to cook pork chops in the air fryer, you might never go back!
Just like air fryer chicken wings are one of my basic air fryer staples for chicken, this is one of those basic air fryer pork chop recipes youll want to bookmark for anytime you want to make em boneless and bone-in versions included.
Perfect Air Fryer Pork Chops
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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips/tricks in theblog post.
Pork chops are perfect for quick dinners. When cooked properly, they are moist and delicious and can be done in less than 20 minutes. Ive done pork chops in my Air Fryer before, like when I made these thin Japanese Tonkatsu Pork Chops. Im now sharing this herb-crusted pork chop recipe for thick and juicy chops.
There are a few tips Id like to share before we dig into the recipe on how to become a pork chop cooking master.
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Why Use Parchment In The Air Fryer
If using parchment paper in the air fryer, be sure to get the type that is perforated for air to circulate. You can make your own parchment liners by cutting a sheet of parchment paper and punching holes with a hole puncher. Parchment paper is optional but there are some benefits to using it:
- Easier cleanup
- Protects air fryer basket from wear and scratches
- Protects delicate foods from breaking
How To Air Fry Pork Chops
So now that you know what cut of pork to use, it is time to discuss how to cook the pork chops in an air fryer.
First of all, you want to season the pork chops. The recipe below provides you with our favorite pork chop seasoning.
The garlic powder gives the pork chops great flavor. And the smoked paprika provides that smoky taste as if they were grilled.
However, feel free to use whatever seasoning that you prefer. Even just a sprinkle of seasoning salt will add additional flavor to typically bland pork chops.
After you sprinkle the seasoning on both sides it is time to cook them in the air fryer.
Place the pork chops in a single layer in the basket or rack of your air fryer. If you are using the Ninja Foodi brand, use the tall rack.
Just as a side note, in an effort to make clean up easier, I always brush a little oil on the rack/basket.
Close the air fryer and set the temperature and cook time. Now all that is left to do is to turn them at the half way point.
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Air Fried Thin Cut Pork Chops
Naturally a lot here depends with exactly *how* thin your pork is. These from Kroger were probably close to a quarter inch super thin. As such they took just four minutes. If you have thicker pieces of pork, cook longer and always use a thermometer. I like 360F as the temp to keep the cooking time quick, but not drying out the pork too much For regular pork chops check out this guide.
Thin cut pork chops are a healthy protein choice that work well in a number of dishes they also cook up exceedingly quickly and simply when using an air fryer. There’s no splatter or mess either too – when comapred with pan frying.
Prep Time
What Are The Advantages Of Using An Air Fryer
- No Hot Kitchen
- Easy Clean-up
- Healthier Choices
While you do cook your food up to temperatures up to 400° the amount of heat released into your kitchen is minimal. Less so than using your stovetop to heat up a skillet of oil and very much less than turning your oven up to 400°
Food almost always cooks in less time than traditional methods. For example, I make a similar one pan crispy baked chicken recipe in the oven and it takes about 30 minutes in the oven. This recipe at most takes 20 minutes.
The clean-up using an air fryer is a breeze. When making easy air fryer recipes the clean-up can be done in no time. I use the Phillips Air Fryer and I wipe out any excess crumbs then toss it into the dishwasher. No oil to dispose of at all!
Food tends to be healthier because you use less oil in cooking. Coming soon I will be sharing a fried chicken recipe that is just as crunchy as my grandmas homemade southern fried chicken, but its a lot healthier than using all of the oil to fry it in. (Dont get me wrong I will always make an authentic fried chicken recipe like my Grandmas but its nice to have it a little more often because its so much healthier!
- Dipping Station
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S To Retailer And Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate leftover pork chops in hermetic containers for 3-4 days.
- Freeze leftover pork chops in freezer luggage for 2-3 months, urgent out all of the air from the luggage earlier than sealing.
- Reheat pork chops in a traditional oven at 325F. Place them in a baking dish with only a splash of water, cowl, and bake for 10 minutes or so till scorching by way of. Watch out to not overcook!
ENJOY!
The Best Way To Retailer And Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate leftover pork chops in hermetic containers for 3-4 days.
- Freeze leftover pork chops in freezer baggage for 2-3 months, urgent out all of the air from the luggage earlier than sealing.
- Reheat pork chops in a traditional oven at 325F. Place them in a baking dish with only a splash of water, cowl, and bake for 10 minutes or so till scorching by means of. Watch out to not overcook!
ENJOY!
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How To Cook Pork Chops Without Drying Them Out
- Choose Thick-Cut Chops. Look for the thickest ones you can find, and dont be shy about asking the butcher counter if needed. For juiciness guaranteed, I recommend pork chops that are at least 1 1/2-inches thick.
- Go Bone-In. Boneless pork chops are far easier to overcook than ones with the bone in. Cooking air fryer bone-in pork chops gives you more wiggle room. The bone gives the meat extra flavor too .
- DO NOT OVERCOOK. Similar to my Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, unlike a tougher cut of pork like pork shoulder, pork chops are lean and do not become more tender the longer they cook. Use an instant-read thermometer like this and check the pork early and often. Its the absolute best way to know when your food is ready.
Preheat Your Air Fryer
Preheating your air fryer is an important step! Youll want to preheat at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Then when its ready, cook the pork chops in the air fryer for 12 minutes, flipping them over after 6 minutes.
When the pork chops are done, remove them from the air fryer and place them on a plate and let them rest for a couple of minutes. Then youre ready to serve and enjoy! There will be a nice juice that will form from the seasonings and the natural juices of the pork. Slice the pork chops in thin slices, and get some of the seasoned juice on each bite. Youre gonna love it!
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