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!
How to Make Garlic Butter Lamb Chops
Ingredients
Process
- Place some oil, rosemary, thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Whisk together.
- Place lamb chops in a baking dish and drizzle with herb mixture. Toss together until chops are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate.
- Remove chops from refrigerator and allow them to sit out at room temp for several minutes. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining oil. Add some minced garlic clove and sauté.
- Add lamb chops into skillet and sear (this can be done in 2 batches, if needed). Flip each chop and continue to sear. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook until internal temperature reads 135˚F for medium doneness. Remove chops from skillet and transfer to a warm plate. 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.
- Transfer chops to a serving platter and drizzle with more garlic butter. Top lamb chops with fresh thyme and serve.
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 Will Love
Garlic Butter Lamb Chops
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tsp minced rosemary
- 2 tsp minced thyme plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 8 New Zealand Grass Fed Lamb Chops (from 1 rack), cut into individual ribs
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 4 garlic cloves minced and divided
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place 3 tablespoons oil, rosemary, thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk together.
- Place lamb chops in a baking dish and drizzle with herb mixture.
- Toss together until chops are well and evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Remove chops from refrigerator and allow them to sit out at room temp for about 15 minutes.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining oil. Add 1 minced garlic clove and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add lamb chops into skillet and sear for about 3 minutes (this can be done in 2 batches, if needed).
- Flip each chop and sear for 1 minute. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes for medium doneness (with an internal temperature of 130˚F after resting).
- Remove chops from skillet and transfer to a warm plate.
- As chops rest, clean out skillet and return to stovetop. Melt butter over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until toasted. Place chops baking into skillet and spoon butter over chops. Remove from heat.
- Transfer chops to a serving platter and drizzle with more garlic butter.
- Top chops with fresh thyme and serve.
NOTES
- Rare: 120˚F
- Medium-Rare: 125˚F
- Medium: 135˚F
- Medium-Well: 140˚F
- Well Done: 145˚F
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Wendy
Easy and delicious! Highly recommend!
Chris
Really delicious recipe. I love it yummy!!! It’s really awesome.
lowandslow
These are probably delicious but who can afford Lamb at $30.00 a lb.?
Jenny Park
It’s not. Trader Joes sells a rack for 16.99/lb, whole foods has it for 21.99/lb and Costco has it for 11.09/lb
lowandslow
I`m sorry but 1 rack is not going to serve 4 people as per recipe especially imported as they are typically smaller than American raised which we should be supporting anyway. Only 2 bites per chop, 1 rack weighing 2lbs. at $16.99= $34.00,your going to need 2 racks=$68.00.What time should we be there for dinner?
Jenny Park
It seems this recipe just isn’t for you.
Ashley W
This looks incredible!