Greek Lamb Chops

Greek Lamb Chops are a quick and easy recipe to make! Using minimal effort we create maximum flavour resulting in tender, juicy, meat. Perfect for dinner any night of the week these Greek lamb cutlets are a family favourite.

Recipes like the Greek Ribs, Greek Lamb Shanks and Lamb Osso Bucco give us tasty ways to enjoy this fantastic protein.

The BBQ Lamb Ribs and Lamb Bolognese let us get saucy with the meat.

This Greek lamb chops recipe gives us a high protein dinner like each of the above and offers the fastest cook time of all options.

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Fast to cook: this recipe is one which once on the stove cooks quickly at high heat. The chops take 3-4 minutes per side. Meaning it is perfect for busy weeknight when you don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner in advance.
• Simple recipe: some nights you want to cook low and slow for hours in the oven and some nights you need dinner sorted ASAP. This gives you a handy, quick, minimal effort recipe to keep up your sleeve.
• Marinade or not: I have been very intentional in the creation of a marinade which allows you the choice of coat and cook or to marinade the chops in the fridge to allow the flavours to infuse. The lemon juice and zest allows for moist juicy lamb chops even without a long period of soaking. This reduces the recipe prep time significantly.
• Juicy and flavoursome: these chops will literally burst with lemon flavour from the Greek-style marinade as you bite into them. Cooking them on the stove might become your favorite way to make them!
• Simple ingredients: there is nothing in the ingredients list that will see you running all over town for it. Each ingredient can be sought from your local supermarket.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Lamb chops: also known as lamb cutlets. These have meat attached to the bone and are known for being fast to cook.
• Lemons: fresh is best for this recipe as we want to use both the zest (grated skin) and juice of them. Store bought lemon juice, whilst totally fine in some recipes won't allow for the full flavour and texture as there is no zest. You will find that the fresh lemon juice brings so much flavor to the cutlets.
• Olive oil: the 2nd of the 2 liquids used to make the marinade for the chops.
• Garlic: chunky minced garlic or 2 to 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped).
• Dried herbs: we use a trio of dried parsley, oregano and thyme. Whilst using fresh herbs is excellent and enjoyable at times (hello pesto!), dried herbs offer convenience and are often pantry staples that you have on hand.
• Salt and pepper: a little of each (¼ teaspoon salt and pepper) is used to season the marinade and therefore the chops.

Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by combining the ingredients to make the Greek chops lamb marinade. You will find a glass jug (doesn't have to be heat proof) and a mini whisk handy to start with.

• Gather marinade ingredients (Photo 1)
• Whisk to combine (Photo 2)
• Add chops to medium sized bowl (Photo 3)
• Pour in marinade, stir and toss to thoroughly coat (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Greek Lamb Chops

Start by making the marinade and adding the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper to a glass jug. Whisk to combine then set aside.

Remove the lamb chops from the packaging and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Pour the marinade over the chops and use a pair of kitchen tongs to stir and toss the chops so that they are fully covered in the marinade.

Next you have the option to cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinade (30 minutes to overnight) or simply cook after about 5 minutes.

Place a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet on the stove at medium to high heat. Use kitchen tongs to place each chop into the pan ina single layer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

• Cook for 4 mins (Photo 5)

The cook time for the chops can vary depending on how pink you want the insides of the meat to be.

If you are looking for rather pink chops, 3 minutes cooking time per side will achieve this. If you want the meat to be a little bit more cooked, 4 to 5 mins each side will achieve this. Or you can use your finger or tongs and do a spring test. You want the meat to spring back when gently pressed.

If you want more accuracy and like the idea of using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the chops should reach145° F (62.8° C).

• Flip and cook for a further 4 minutes (Photo 6)

Once the cutlets are cooked to your liking, use kitchen tongs to remove them from the frying pan and place them on paper towel. Allow them to rest for 2 to 3 minutes to reabsorb the juices then then they are ready to serve.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Sauce is a great starting place when thinking about how you want to serve the cooked chops.

Some tasty (also low sugar) options are the Garlic Yogurt Sauce, Herbed Yogurt Sauce or Parsley Yogurt Sauce.

Some sliced lemon wedges will allow the eaters to drizzle this over the chops and some chopped parsley adds a pop of colour.

For crispy potatoes the Duck Fat Roast Potatoes work well, for mashed the Horseradish Mashed Potatoes or buttery the Garlic Butter Potatoes.

Salad options are the Herb Salad, Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad or Healthy Panzanella Salad.

If you want to pair them with polenta, the Greek Lamb Shanks will give you an idea about how that will look.

A sprinkling of cracked black pepper and some fresh parsley will be the perfect finishing touches.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftovers of the chops in a sealed, airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat prior to serving.

How to Freeze

The cutlets are best bought and frozen from raw not cooked and cooled. This ensures maximum flavour in the meat, which you don't get from freezing and reheating them.

How to Reheat

You can reheat the chops in a pan on the stove or in the microwave. The microwave will be the fastest method, however, the pan on stove method will likely lead to the most well heated across the whole chop experience.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can use this marinade for lamb loin chops or lamb steaks also. For ribs, you are best to double the volume of the marinade.
• You can also use this marinade for pork chops if you are looking for a similar flavour with an alternative protein.
• Yes, you can also use the marinade for chicken if you wish too.
• If you prefer using fresh herbs, you can sub those in place of the dried basil, thyme and oregano.
• If you want to cook the chops on an outdoor grill or in a grill pan you can. Simply follow the instructions up to the cook point and then switch to your preferred cooking method.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• Freshly chopped parsley is a great easy garnish and one that allows you to use fresh herbs where you have used dried herbs in the marinade.
• Some zesters will have larger holes that others. This is great as you get more zest, but it also means the blades are sharper and you need to be a little more gentle when zesting 🥰.
• Once you have zested the lemons, use a knife to cut them in half and juice them. Strain this juice so that any pips are kept out of the marinade 👌😉.
• Kitchen tongs will be super handy for the recipe so that you can handle the chops, toss them in the marinade and flip them when cooking on the stove.
• You won't need to use additional oil in the pan to cook the chops. This is because we are using olive oil in the marinade and that will be enough to ensure they don't stick as well as to sear each side of the cutlets.
• However, regarding my last point above, if you are using a cast iron pan, it is a good idea to drizzle some oil in an use a piece of paper towel to spread this across the surface. These pans need to be seasoned with oil as they do not have non stick properties like some other pans do.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

What are lamb chops called in Greece?

Paidakia is what lamb chops are called in Greece.

How long should you cook lamb cutlets?

Cook the cutlets for 4 minutes each side to ensure less pink more brown meat. Or cook them for 3 minutes each side for a rarer chop. In each case once the chops are cooked, rest them on paper towel so that the juices can be reabsorbed by the meat prior to serving.

What is the traditional Greek dish with lamb?

The name of the traditional Greek dish with lamb and potatoes is Greek lamb kleftiko.

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

Whether it is slow cooked, oven baked, reheated in the microwave or air fried to perfection, dinner needs to be something we look forward to each day. I have a feeling some of these recipes might also be right up your alley.

• Cumin Lamb Noodles
• Slow Cooker Lamb Stew
• Crumbed Lamb Cutlets
• Sticky Pork Ribs
• Pesto Fettuccine
• Meatball Bolognese
• Pesto Rigatoni
• Beef Pesto Pasta
• Slow Cooker Pulled Lamb
• Dutch Oven Pulled Pork

It is time for maximum juicy flavour with our lovely citrus lemon friend!

Adrianne

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