Zesty Lemon Butter Pork Chops – Sear, Sizzle, and Serve

These Zesty Lemon Butter Pork Chops are pan-seared to golden perfection, then baked in a rich garlic-lemon butter sauce. A quick, flavorful dinner that's perfect for any night of the week!

Zesty Lemon Butter Pork Chops – Sear, Sizzle, and Serve

Growing up, pork chops were a regular feature at our dinner table. My mom loved making them because they were easy, inexpensive, and could stretch into a hearty meal with just a few pantry staples. Whether it was a busy school night or a lazy Sunday, she always found a way to turn simple ingredients into something that felt special. This recipe for Zesty Lemon Butter Pork Chops is my modern twist on her classic—quick, light, and packed with bold, fresh flavor.

What makes this dish a go-to for me now is how weeknight-friendly it is. In just 30 minutes, you can sear thick, juicy pork chops to golden perfection, then bake them briefly in a rich garlic-lemon butter sauce that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen. The lemon keeps things bright and refreshing, while the butter and garlic bring that cozy, comforting flavor we all crave. It’s a time-saving pork chop recipe that doesn’t skimp on taste—perfect for busy nights when you want something satisfying and protein-packed without the fuss.

I served these lemon butter pork chops alongside my Zesty Avocado-Romaine Power Salad with Lime Yogurt Dressing, and it was the perfect light yet flavorful dinner. The cool, creamy salad complements the warm, zesty pork beautifully, creating a balanced plate that feels both indulgent and wholesome. Whether you're cooking for family or planning a low-effort dinner for guests, this meal delivers fresh, vibrant flavor in every bite.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

Meat & Seafood

• Boneless pork chops (about 1" thick)

Produce

• Romaine lettuce (2 heads)
• Avocado
• Persian cucumbers
• Mini sweet peppers
• Carrots (shredded or whole)
• Garlic
• Fresh cilantro
• Lemons

Deli & Dairy

• Feta cheese (crumbled)
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Unsalted butter

Pantry & Spices

• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• All-purpose flour

Nuts & Seeds

• Sliced almonds

Substitutions and Variations

Substitutions

Don’t have everything on hand? No worries—this recipe is flexible and easy to adapt. Here are some simple substitution ideas to keep things stress-free and still packed with flavor:

• Pork Chops:  Try bone-in pork chops (just increase cook time slightly) or chicken breasts/thighs for a leaner alternative.

• Fresh lemon juice: Try bottled lemon juice in a pinch

• Unsalted butter: salted butter works fine—just reduce added salt slightly.

Variations

Want to change things up? These fun and flavorful twists on the original recipe keep things exciting while staying true to the easy, fresh spirit of the dish:

• Garlic Herb Pork Chops – Add chopped fresh rosemary and thyme to the lemon butter sauce for an herby flavor boost.

• Spicy Kick – Sprinkle red pepper flakes into the lemon butter sauce or add a pinch of cayenne to the flour dredge.

• Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops – Mix a little grated parmesan into the flour before dredging for a crisp, savory crust.

• Mediterranean-Style Salad – Add kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, and a sprinkle of oregano to the salad for extra Mediterranean flair.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

Get the most out of your cooking experience with these handy tips and notes:

• Tenderizing Tip – A few light taps with a meat mallet help the pork chops cook more evenly and stay juicy. Just don’t pound them thin!

• Golden Sear – Make sure your skillet is fully heated before adding the pork. A hot pan ensures a beautiful golden crust and seals in flavor.

• Don’t Overcrowd the Pan – Sear in batches if needed so each pork chop gets proper browning. Overcrowding lowers the heat and can cause steaming instead.

• Check the Temp – Use a meat thermometer to ensure perfectly cooked pork. Aim for 150–155°F before resting—it will rise a few degrees out of the oven.

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to emails at the top of this page and follow along on Facebook,  and Pinterest for all of the latest updates.

💬 Let’s Chat!

Did you grow up with pork chops on the weeknight dinner table too? I'd love to hear your take! Whether you followed this recipe to the letter or gave it your own creative spin, I’m all ears. What sides did you serve it with? Any fun twists you tried on the lemon butter sauce?

If you made these Zesty Lemon Butter Pork Chops, don’t forget to tag me over on Instagram! 📸
@SliceofSouthern – I love seeing what you're cooking up in your kitchen.  😍

Drop a comment below or shoot me a DM—I always love chatting food with you!

    RECIPE IS DOWN BELOW👇     

Spring Fling: Pineapple Glazed Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Perfect for a celebration meal; juicy pork tenderloin is roasted to perfection and doused with a heavenly pineapple glaze that's a little sweet and a little spicy!

Pineapple Glazed Roasted Pork Tenderloin

We're coming to the end out of Spring Fling series but I still have a couple of wonderful recipes to post for you.  Today we're talking about a main dish.  One that is perfect for those celebration meals such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Graduation, or for a springtime brunch!  Roasted pork tenderloin is such an elegant entree but no one has to know how easy it is to make.

Using a tender and lean cut of pork gives you a flavorful dish.  Roasting it makes it easy, you just brown it and throw it in a pan in the oven.  This one is topped with a sweet and spicy glaze that is made with crushed pineapple, pineapple jam, and spicy mustard.  It's hard to beat this meal and will surely be one of your go-to recipes!

What Ingredients do I need?

• 2 pork tenderloins (3 lb total)

• crushed pineapple

• pineapple passion fruit preserves

• white balsamic vinegar

• spicy brown mustard

• fresh thyme

Substitutions and Variations

• Use fresh blackberries and blackberry jam for the glaze

• Use regular balsamic vinegar 

• Use creole mustard or stone ground mustard

• Use different herbs such as marjoram or oregano

• Other glazes: blueberry or apricot, fig would be wonderful

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Buy a package of 2 pork tenderloins if you can.  Each tenderloin will serve about 3 people.

• Brown your meat in a skillet with oil to get a nice golden crust.

• A sheet pan or a roasting pan are both great for roasting.

• Heat the remaining glaze in a skillet and pour over pork once sliced.  Serve with any remaining glaze along side.

• Bonne Maman makes a wonderful Pineapple Passion Fruit Preserve however, any pineapple preserve will work.

• Served with Garlic New Potatoes

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to emails at the top of this page and follow along on Facebook,  and Pinterest for all of the latest updates.

Pineapple Glazed Roasted Pork Tenderloin

serves 6

2 (3 lb. total) pork tenderloins 

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 8oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 cup pineapple passion fruit preserves (such as Bonne Maman)

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove any silver skin from the pork tenderloins with a knife.  Sprinkle salt & pepper on both sides of the tenderloins.  Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add the pork and brown each side, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove to a roasting pan.

In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, preserves, vinegar, and mustard.  Stir to combine.  Top pork with half of the mixture.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 145 - 150 degrees.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Transfer any pan dripping back in to the skillet. 

Add remaining glaze mixture to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until thickened (stirring constantly), about 3-5 minutes.  

Slice pork and place on a platter.  Top with heated glaze.  Serve any remaining glaze in a bowl along with the pork.  

Pineapple Pork Chops with Snap Peas and Jasmine Rice and "Hello Fresh"

Yum

You know how you see those ads for those meal service companies?  The ones that send you all the ingredients for 3 meals a week?  Well those ads are everywhere I look.

They are on Facebook, TV commercials, advertisements on most sites, and even Pinterest.  I saw them so much and I was curious so I caved in and joined one. (Not sponsored, I actually joined and paid myself.)

I picked Hello Fresh.   I found this particular plan appealing for several reasons.  Firstly, I resonated with the food choices they had, that was a must if we are going to have our meals "planned" for the week.  The delivery is very convenient, you get to chose the delivery day.  You pick from portions for 2 people or family meals.  You choose how many meals per week are delivered, and you get to choose the dishes you'll be making.  Skipping a week is easy to do as well, although you do have to act fast if you want to skip a week.

I chose a 3 meal week and had them delivered on a Saturday.  Totally convenient.  The box arrived and it was huge and heavy!  They pack these babies well!  Inside were my three recipe cards, 3 boxes with ingredients separated by meal.  Under this was two very large frozen gel packs and then under that were all the meats (in vacuum packages)  associated with the meals.  Nothing was going to spoil in this box by leaving it on the doorstep for several hours.  Mine was sitting on my porch when I came home around 10:30 am.  

The first meal I chose to make was a light and tropical flavored dish of Pineapple Pork Chops with Snap Peas and Jasmine Rice.  We really loved the flavors of the dish and I found this very easy to make.  Great instructions are included with step by step photos so if you are unsure in the kitchen you can still make this weeknight meal.

I followed the instructions and they were well thought out and easy.  They seem to do one step at a time finishing a section before moving on, but seasoned cooks may end up doing several steps simultaneously like I did and it all works out great.  The end result was a very light and tasty meal with a good flavor combination of pineapple over pork.

Pineapple Pork Chops with Snap Peas and Jasmine Rice was a quick and easy summer meal that we will keep in our rotation because we enjoyed it so much.  I'm going to swap out the pork for chicken next time and change it up just a bit for variety.  I'm sure fish will turn out wonderful as well if you like. 

The recipes are very easy, great for beginners so that is a plus if you are looking for easy yet different weeknight meals.

I will be sharing with you the other two meals we made in the next few posts.  Stay tuned for more from Hello Fresh and my opinions about this service.

The recipe for Pineapple Pork Chops with Snap Peas and Jasmine Rice is below.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Pork Chops with Snap Peas and Jasmine Rice

recipe from Hello Fresh (meal service)

serves 2

1 fruit cup of pineapple tidbits (such as dole fruit cup)

6 oz Sugar Snap Peas

1 Shallot

1 Lime

2 tsp Cilantro

1/2 c Jasmine Rice

2 (6 oz) pork Chops

2 tsp Honey

1.  Wash and dry all produce. Bring ¾ cup water and a large pinch of salt to a boil in a small pot. Trim any tough ends from snap peas. Peel, halve, and mince shallot. Cut lime in half. Finely chop cilantro. Drain pineapple, reserving juice, and finely chop flesh.

2.  Once water is boiling, add rice to pot. Cover, lower heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered until meal is ready.

3.  In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, 2 tsp shallot, half the cilantro, and juice from one lime half. Season with salt and pepper.

4.  Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Season pork all over with salt and pepper. Add to pan and cook until nearly cooked to desired doneness, 4-5 minutes per side. Stir remaining shallot, honey, pineapple juice, and 2 TBSP water. Cook until pork is done, another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in a squeeze of lime.

5.  Transfer pork and glaze to a plate; cover with foil to keep warm. Wipe out pan, then heat a drizzle of olive oil in it over medium-high heat. Add snap peas. Cook, tossing occasionally, until tender but still slightly crisp, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

6.  Stir remaining cilantro and a squeeze of lime into rice. Divide between plates, then top with snap peas, pork, glaze, and salsa.

Blackberry Jalapeno Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables

Yum

Let's amp up your game for this grilling season!

BIG, BOLD flavors is what it's all about.  So I turned to the master of flavors that are "off the hook!" Guy Fieri and searched for the perfect recipe to present to you today.

BLACKBERRY JALAPENO GLAZED PORK TENDERLOIN 

THIS is the recipe of the SUMMER!!!  If you make only one new grilled dish this summer make this one.  Otherwise you will be missing out on a dish that totally knock your socks off.  This spicy sweet Blackberry Jalapeno glaze covers a juicy grilled pork tenderloin that elevates this dish to outstanding!

I modified his recipe just a bit.  He brines his pork tenderloin first.  Since I think that a pork tenderloin is tender and juicy as it is I skipped that part.  Plus it made this quicker to prepare and it came out fantastic without the brine.  

The sauce really is the kicker to this dish.  Something this bold needs to have a great side dish that compliments it without overpowering it.  Roasted vegetables are the perfect side dish for that.  I chose multi-colored carrots of yellow and orange, along with fresh green beans, and cauliflower.  (MGG loves his cauliflower!)  Roasting is easy to do so this side dish basically takes care of itself while you grill the pork.

This dish is outrageously good!  Try it at your next opportunity and double it if you want to invite friends over.  Great for Father's Day or any celebration, or just a weekend cookout.  You will be the envy of the crowd, and the new master griller in town!

Enjoy!

Blackberry Jalapeno Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables


Pork:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, silver skin removed

Blackberry Jalapeno Glaze:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 to 2 roasted jalapenos, seeded, minced

1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup seedless blackberry preserves
1 1/4 cup wine, preferably Merlot
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Vegetables:

1 head cauliflower
1 small bunch of multi-colored carrots
1/2 lb fresh green beans

Make the Blackberry Jalapeno Glaze:
Add the butter to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the jalapenos and garlic and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the blackberry preserves and 1 cup wine and combine well. Simmer until reduced by half. Add the cornstarch to the remaining 1/4 cup red wine in a small bowl and mix well. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes more. Keep the glaze warm until serving.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare the vegetables by cutting the stalk off of the cauliflower and cut into florets. Place on a sheet pan along with the carrots. Make sure not to overlap. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and flip the vegetables and add the green beans. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until caramelized.

Meanwhile preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.

Add the pork tenderloin to the grill and cook for 6 minutes on each side, browning evenly and the internal temperature registers 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. At this point, evenly spread 1/4 cup of the glaze over the pork. Cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pork from heat to a cutting board and keep it warm tented with aluminum foil. Temperature should be around 155 to 160 degrees.

Slice the pork, arrange the slices on a serving platter and serve with remaining warm glaze and roasted vegetables.

adapted from Guy Fieri's Blackberry Jalapeno Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Host a Festive Easter Brunch

Yum

There is no better way to celebrate Easter, and the wonderful days of Spring, than with a scrumptious midday meal!  This one is filled with a wonderful array of dishes from Pork Loin, spring Strawberry salad, and luscious carrots.

Check out the menu with recipes below.

2017 Easter Brunch Menu

Pear Sparklers

Plum and Marscapone Crostini

Fresh Strawberry Salad

Strawberry Hot Cross Buns

Ginger and Herb Roasted Pork Loin

Classic Mashed Potatoes

Steamed Carrots in a Garlic Ginger Sauce

Individual Strawberry White Chocolate Trifles

Menu

Start the holiday right by offering Pear Sparklers in fancy goblets.  This light and refreshing drink is non-alcoholic but the addition of vodka would turn this into an adult cocktail.

Set out a platter of Plum and Marscapone Crostini for family and guests to nibble on while you put the finishing touches to the rest of the meal.

Spring salads can be a delight.  Present them with this Fresh Strawberry Salad that is bursting with in season strawberries, pecans, spinach, and feta.

Strawberry Hot Cross Buns are a holiday tradition.  The addition of strawberries just elevates it up a notch and screams spring.

Make this year's main entrée a beautiful and delicate Pork Loin.  Roasting this  Ginger and Herb Roasted Pork Loin  caramelizes the outside and produces a tender and juicy cut of meat. 

Potatoes are a traditional side dish at most holidays.  These Classic Mashed Potatoes will make the whole meal warm and comforting.

Spring carrots make an excellent side dish.  Serve my Steamed Carrots in a Garlic Ginger Sauce which compliment the pork loin perfectly.

Move over carrot cake, there's a new favorite in town! Individual Strawberry White Chocolate Trifles  make a dazzling individualized dessert that your guests will love.



For more Easter inspiration use the search word "Easter" in the search bar to the side.

Benefits of Oranges

Yum

There is still plenty of citrus in the markets, so before it goes away until next year I wanted to talk a little about Oranges.

Oranges are one of the greatest members of the citrus family.  Nutrients in oranges are plentiful and diverse. The fruit is low in calories, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, but is rich in fiber.

Oranges, like other citrus fruits, are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and other antioxidants.  They also contain minerals like potassium and calcium.  Oranges are in season  from October to February/March, (depending on the variety) although I am still seeing these delicious beauties everywhere.  Some varieties of sweet oranges are Valencia, Navel, Persian variety, blood orange, and Cara Cara.

I'm IN LOVE with Cara Cara oranges right now!

Oranges can be kept at room temperature for a week or so. They will also stay fresh for a few weeks in the refrigerator.  

Celebrate the goodness of oranges while they are still around!  Here are some of my favorite orange recipes:




Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach






Simple Asian Salad







Blood Orange and Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette






California Salad

Orange Iced Tea

Pork Chops in an Orange-Cumin Sauce

Caribbean Chicken Salad


Enjoy!