Paleo Pork Chop Marinade

As a health coach I'm always telling clients that simple, easy protein choices make the best dinners! There's no reason to over complicate dinnertime, all you need is a super easy sauce, glaze, or marinade. This Paleo Pork Chop Marinade is one of the easiest ways to infuse flavor and keep pork chops juicy. With champagne vinegar, dijon mustard, and lots of herbs, it goes well with any veggie or side that you have on hand.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Weeknight Meal: The marinade can be used to whip up a pork chop meal in minutes. The chops can be marinated for an hour or all day and still turn out perfectly. Pair them with your favorite veggie side dish for a really easy dinner.

Make Ahead: You can make the marinade ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to five days.

Whole30 Compatible: This easy pork chop marinade is Whole30 friendly, but is delicious whether or not you are doing a round one right now!

Ingredients You Will Need

Pork Chops: Pork chops are high in protein and a great source of selenium, zinc, and iron. Pork, specifically, is a meat that it is really important to buy organic because of the heavy use of antibiotics in conventional farming of pigs. They are very tender and juicy and can be cooked in so many different ways!

Olive Oil: It's really important to get a high quality olive oil and one that is 100% olive oil and from a single origin. The food industry likes to cut corners when it comes to oils, so be sure you check your labels.

Champagne Vinegar: This vinegar is very mild and has balanced acidity. The taste is less harsh than your typical vinegar and has fruity notes to it. It really helps to balance out the dijon mustard in this recipe.

Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard is known for a bold, tangy flavor. It gives a nice punch in this recipe! I really like Noble Made's dijon mustard because it has no sugar or additives in it.

Garlic: Garlic is known for its anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It helps fight many diseases like the common cold, heart disease, and others.

Parsley: Parsley is a versatile herb that goes great in many dishes. It;s packed full of antioxidants and vitamins that support your brain health, immune system, and even your bone health.

Thyme: Thyme is an herb from the mint family! It may also provide numerous health benefits, such as fighting acne, regulating mucus, fighting infections and helps boost your overall immune system.

Salt and Pepper

Instructions

Make the marinade: Whisk all marinade ingredients together and pour into a gallon size zip-top bag along with the pork chops. You can set aside a small amount of the marinade to pour over the pork chops when they are finished cooking.

Let it sit: Marinate the pork chops in your refrigerator for at least an hour (preferably at least 2 hours). This will also sit well overnight.

Cook: After at least an hour, grease your air fryer or sheet pan with your favorite cooking fat or spray. For the air fryer, cook on 375°F for 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the pork chop. For the oven, cooking 375°F for about 20 minutes. On both the oven and the air fryer, cook until the pork chop reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.

Serve and enjoy: Drizzle with extra marinade that you set aside and enjoy!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Marinating: I like to marinate the pork chops for about an hour but if you are forgetful like me, you can do it in as little as 30 minutes. You can also leave them to marinate overnight.

Cooking Methods: If you don't have an air fryer, you can also bake the pork chops in a pan on 350°F for about 20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the meat). You can also use the grill and cook them on medium for about eight minutes per side, again depending on the thickness.

Dipping Sauce: I like to save about a quarter of the sauce for dipping later on so be sure to reserve some for later.

Recipe Variations

Champagne Vinegar: If you don't have this on hand you can substitute apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar, too.

No Vinegar: If you are avoiding vinegar all together you can use juice from an orange for the marinade.

Storage Tips

Marinade: You can make the marinade ahead of time and store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days before using.

Pork Chops: Once cooked, pork chops should stay fresh in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, use the microwave or the oven and warm them all the way through.

FAQs About Recipe

What can I soak my pork chops in?

I like to marinade mine in something that has salt, vinegar (or citrus), and spices. The salt and vinegar tenderize the pork while the spices give the pork good flavor.

How long can you marinate pork chops?

You can marinade pork chops anywhere from 1-2 hours to 8 hours. Typically the longer that you let them marinade, the juicier they are. However, this recipe is meant to be a quick marinade and still gives them lots of flavor and they cook up nice and juicy.

What is the secret to juicy pork chops?

Typically the bone-in pork chops are juicier, although I like them off the bone. Marinating them can tenderize them, which makes for a much juicier chop. The other trick is to not overcook them! This is really important and is easy to do. They should be cooked to 145°F, if you overcook them, they can dry out very easily.