Garlic Butter Lamb Chops

We are both big fans of lamb, and our Garlic Butter Lamb Chops recipe is one of our favorite ways to enjoy them! Not only do we love the flavor, but we love how simple and quick they are to prepare! We love serving them over mashed potatoes with a side of roasted or sautéed vegetables!

Today we’re using some gorgeous New Zealand grass-fed lamb chops for our recipe. We absolutely love that Zealand lamb is sustainably and humanely raised and grass-fed year-round, (as nature intended!), producing the highest quality lamb.

The dedicated farmers prioritize their land and work incredibly hard to protect the water, soil and air to the best of their abilities, resulting in the highest quality product we feel REALLY good about serving our families. The lamb chops are lean and have a clean, yet bold, delicious flavor.

How to Make Our Garlic Butter Lamb Chops

Ingredients

Process

1. Place some oil, rosemary, thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk together.

2. Place lamb chops in a baking dish and drizzle with herb mixture.
3. Toss together until chops are evenly coated.
4. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Remove chops from refrigerator and allow them to sit out at room temp for several minutes.
3. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining oil. Add some minced garlic clove and sauté.
4. Add lamb chops into skillet and sear (this can be done in 2 batches, if needed).
5. Flip each chop and continue to sear. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook until internal temperature reads 135˚F for medium doneness.
6. Remove chops from skillet and transfer to a warm plate.

7. As chops rest, clean out skillet and return to stovetop. Melt butter over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and sauté for a couple minutes, until garlic has toasted. Place chops back into skillet and spoon butter over chops. Remove from heat.

8. Transfer chops to a serving platter and drizzle with more garlic butter.
9. Top lamb chops with fresh thyme and serve.

Tools You Will Need

• mixing bowls
• cutting board
• knife
• measuring spoons
• baking dish
• large sauté pan
• tongs
• instant read thermometer (optional)

Which Cut of Lamb Chops To Use

We use rib chops (from a rack) for our garlic butter lamb chops recipe. We like using this cut for this recipe because they cook up quickly, they’re easy to work with and they’re easy to eat as well (as the bone is thin, long and only along the edge of the chops). You can use any of the chop cuts for this recipe though based on preference! The other lamb chop cuts are:

• Loin Chops – sometimes called T-Bone chops for the t-bone shaped bone, loin chops are also tender, delicious and easy to prepare. If using loin chops, add an additional few minutes of cooking time, since they’re thicker cuts of lamb.
• Shoulder Chops – are more economical, but with a greater amount of connective tissue making it better suited for low and slow braising. These lamb chops can still be pan seared and enjoyed like a steak, but we recommend marinating them with some sort of acid (like adding some red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice to the other marinade ingredients) to help break down some of the connective tissue and tenderize the lamb.
• Sirloin Chops – are less readily available in grocery store on their own, and are often sold as part of the lamb leg. It’s an inexpensive, tender and flavorful cut that cooks up quickly and can be enjoyed like a steak.

Lamb Doneness Temperatures

It’s important to remember that meat will continue to cook after it’s removed from the heat, so you want to remove the lamb chops from the heat about 5 to 7 degrees before the desired doneness.

• Rare: 120˚F
• Medium-Rare: 125˚F
• Medium: 135˚F
• Medium-Well: 140˚F
• Well Done: 145˚F

Serving Suggestions

We love pairing this recipe with a variety of different side dishes. Aside from a big hunk of bread (we use to sop up all the delicious garlic butter sauce), some of our favorite side dishes to serve with our lamb chop recipe are:

• Brown Butter Colcannon
• Roasted Radishes
• Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
• Cheesy Root Vegetable Gratin
• Cauliflower and Parsnip Mash

More Lamb Recipes You’ll Love!

• Lamb Kofta
• Lamb Kabobs
• Braised Lamb Shanks
• Herb Crusted Leg of Lamb
• Lamb Meatballs
• Harissa Grilled Lamb Chops