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Greek cuisine is one of my all-time favourites. It’s just so fresh and delicious. When I was in Greece a few years ago, I tried as many dishes as possible and loved everything! These Greek lemon baked pork chops transport me back in time to that vacation. I can just close my eyes and imagine I’m back in Naxos or Paros! You will LOVE this baked pork chops recipe. This is such an easy pork chop recipe for those looking to try out some Greek pork chops.
Treat your taste buds to these gorgeous Greek lemon pork chops. They’re incredibly juicy, succulent and delicious and the zesty lemon flavor is wonderful.
Love Mediterranean flavors? Try a Halifax donair, slow cooker Greek gyros or grilled chicken and bell pepper kabobs.
Sometime I appreciate about Greek cooking is the simplicity. The Greeks love using fresh seasonal ingredients. This means a simple cooked meat or fish dish can be flavored simply with lemon, oregano and garlic, for example.
And you don’t need ten different ingredients or anything complicated. Using only a few ingredients but ensuring they’re quality ingredients is the key!
This recipe for Greek pork chops is simple to prepare and they taste so good. Pork chops are typically a cheap cut of meat, and you will need a couple of chops per person. This baked pork chops recipe uses lemon, oregano, olive oil and garlic to flavour the meat.
These ingredients complement the pork flavour, rather than overpowering it. This is an easy pork recipe which you can quickly rustle up for a busy weeknight dinner.
Greek Lemon Baked Pork Chops: How to Make Them
To make this easy pork recipe, I mixed the lemon juice with the oregano and garlic. I then added some salt, black pepper and Greek extra-virgin olive oil.
Greek extra-virgin olive oil isn’t that different from Italian extra-virgin olive oil. But I wanted to use it to keep the dish authentically Greek.
After that, I left the meat to marinate for a couple of hours. Actually I gave mine closer to four hours for a slightly more intense flavour. After that, the pork needs to come to room temperature. This is important because if it goes from cold to warm too quick, the meat can toughen. After that, the pork can go into the oven and cook to perfection. It is always good to know how to tenderize pork chops, but sometimes it is not necessary.
What to Serve with Greek Style Pork Chops
These Greek pork chops are good with potato salad, or you might like to make a Greek salad. I love Greek salads. You just need to combine tomato, cucumber, black olives, feta cheese, Greek olive oil and a splash of good balsamic vinegar.
Another idea is to roast some potatoes like these Greek lemon potatoes and have those on the side. There are all kinds of side dish possibilities for this baked pork chops recipe actually. So just make whichever you are in the mood for.
Baked Greek Pork Chops: Variations
Something that I’d like to try the next time I made this easy pork recipe is switching the pork for lamb chops. Lamb is popular in Greek cuisine. The lemon, garlic and oregano flavours would be perfect for lamb as well. I think actually any meat would be good. It would work with chicken, or even a ‘meaty’ type of fish like cod or monkfish.
Dried oregano works fine in this recipe but if you have fresh oregano you could use that. The garlic could be increased or decreased depending whether you’re a fan or not. As for the lemon juice, fresh is best here but if you only have bottled, that would work as well.
These Greek lemon pork chops taste great. But the marinade doesn’t just flavour them. It also helps keep the meat juicy. So making a marinade for these Greek pork chops is a win-win!
Why are Lemons So Popular in Greek Cooking?
It’s a question I’ve asked myself. It seems that lemon juice is used in all kinds of Greek dishes from salads and soups to main dishes, drinks and desserts! Greek home cooks take lemons for granted since they grow plentifully there. A few lemons can be found in nearly every Greek pantry.
Lemon is served with everything from calamari to roasted fish, chicken, souvlaki, pork chops, and more. They are a key component in these Greek lemon baked pork chops. Lemon vinaigrette is also popular in this cuisine. Combine lemon (the zest too) with Greek extra-virgin olive oil and you can use it to jazz up green salads, pork, fish, and much more.
Garlic is another popular flavour in Greek dishes. It’s especially tasty in this baked pork chops recipe. Garlic pairs beautifully with both lemon and oregano, which I also used to make these Greek pork chops.
As for oregano, yep – the Greeks love that too! It can be added to tomato sauces, egg or cheese dishes, or veggies like green beans or zucchini. The reason why dried oregano is used just as much as fresh is that it keeps its flavour really well when you dry it. So in this Greek pork chop recipe, for example, the difference in flavour between using fresh and dried is marginal.
Greek Pork Chops in Oven Recipe
Greek Lemon Baked Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 8 Pork chops
- 4 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 pinch salt , (I use sea salt)
- 1 pinch Black pepper
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry chops and place in a large enough baking dish.
- In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, oregano, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour on pork in the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Allow pork chop to chill to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking. This allows the pork chops to cook evenly.
- At half of marinating, preheat the oven to 200 C / 392 F.
- When ready, transfer the baking sheet on a tray and place in the middle of the oven. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Until I can get back to Greece, I will be recreating recipes from my visit to the Islands of Naxos and Paros.
Let me know if you try out these juicy Greek style pork chops in the oven. This is such an easy pork chop recipe for those looking to try out some Greek inspired recipes. So Yum!
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Baking these Greek lemon pork chops brought back vacation memories! The citrus flavor is amazing.