Asian Style Pork Chops with Easy Soy Ginger Marinade
If you’re looking for an easy dinner that packs plenty of flavor without requiring complicated ingredients, these Asian Style Pork Chops are a great recipe to add to your weekly rotation. A simple homemade marinade made with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, honey, and black pepper gives the pork a savory, slightly sweet flavor that works for both weeknight dinners and meal prep.
The best part is that most of the work happens hours before dinner. Mix the marinade, add the pork chops, and let the refrigerator do the rest. When you’re ready to eat, the pork chops need only a few minutes in a hot skillet.
Serve them with steamed rice and vegetables for an easy complete meal, or slice the pork and add it to rice bowls, noodles, salads, or lettuce wraps.
Why These Asian Style Pork Chops Make the Perfect Dinner
Pork chops are one of those proteins that can be incredibly flavorful when prepared correctly, but they can also become dry quickly. This recipe solves both problems by marinating the pork before cooking and relying on internal temperature rather than cooking time alone.
The soy sauce provides plenty of savory flavor while honey adds just enough sweetness to balance it. Sesame oil gives the marinade its distinct nutty flavor, and garlic and ginger bring everything together.
They’re also easy to customize. You can make the marinade sweeter, add a little heat, swap in bone-in pork chops, or even use the same marinade with chicken or beef.
About this recipe:
Prep Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 6-8 minutes
Rest Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 4 pork chops
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- Chopped green onions, optional
- White sesame seeds, optional
Items Needed
- Meat thermometer
- 10-inch skillet
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
How to Make Asian Style Pork Chops
Step 1: Make the Asian Style Marinade
In a mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, olive oil, minced garlic, ground ginger, and black pepper.
Whisk everything together until the honey is incorporated and the marinade is thoroughly combined.
The marinade should taste strongly seasoned because it needs to flavor the pork rather than act as a sauce on its own.
Step 2: Marinate the Pork Chops
Place the pork chops into the bowl one at a time, making sure each chop is coated thoroughly in the marinade.
Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
This is an excellent recipe to prepare earlier in the day. You can put the pork chops in the marinade in the morning and have them waiting in the refrigerator when it’s time to make dinner.
For even more flavor, prepare them the night before and allow the pork to marinate overnight.
Step 3: Cook the Pork Chops
When you’re ready to cook, heat a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
Remove the pork chops from the marinade, allowing the excess marinade to drip off before placing them into the hot skillet.
Sear the pork chops for approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Cooking time can vary depending on the thickness of your pork chops, so don’t rely exclusively on the clock.
Instead, use a meat thermometer to check the thickest portion of the pork chop.
The pork is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 4: Let the Pork Rest
Remove the pork chops from the skillet and allow them to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
It can be tempting to cut into them immediately, especially when dinner smells this good, but don’t skip the resting time. Giving the meat a few minutes to rest helps keep those juices inside the pork instead of losing them all to your cutting board.
Step 5: Garnish and Serve
Finish the Asian Style Pork Chops with chopped green onions and white sesame seeds, if desired.
Serve warm with your favorite side dishes and enjoy.
The Secret to Juicy Pork Chops
The most important thing to remember when cooking pork chops is that internal temperature matters more than cooking time.
A recipe might tell you to cook your chops for three or four minutes per side, but pork chops come in different sizes and thicknesses. Your skillet and stove can also affect how quickly they cook.
This is why a meat thermometer is one of the most useful tools for this recipe.
Pork chops can become tough and dry when they’re overcooked. Check the temperature early rather than assuming they need another few minutes based solely on appearance.
Aim for an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by the resting period.
How Long Should You Marinate Pork Chops?
Give these Asian Style Pork Chops at least 4 hours in the refrigerator so the marinade has plenty of time to flavor the meat.
If you want to get a head start on tomorrow’s dinner, you can also prepare the pork chops the night before and let them marinate overnight.
That makes this recipe particularly convenient on busy weekdays. Do the prep work when you have a few minutes, then all you need to do around dinnertime is heat the skillet, cook the pork, and prepare a quick side.
What to Serve With Asian Style Pork Chops
One of the easiest ways to turn these pork chops into a complete dinner is to serve them with a bowl of steamed white or brown rice. The simple rice pairs nicely with the salty, sweet, and savory flavors of the pork.
For vegetables, try steamed or roasted broccoli, green beans, bok choy, snap peas, carrots, or a mixture of stir-fried vegetables.
You could also serve the pork with fried rice or noodles for a heartier dinner.
Another option is to slice the cooked pork chops into thin strips after they’ve rested. Arrange the pork over rice with vegetables, green onions, sesame seeds, and your favorite toppings to make easy Asian-inspired pork rice bowls.
Make Them Sweet or Spicy
This pork chop recipe is easy to adjust depending on your family’s preferences.
For sweeter Asian Style Pork Chops, double the honey in the marinade. You can also substitute brown sugar for the honey if that’s what you have in the pantry or if you prefer the deeper sweetness of brown sugar.
Want some heat? Add about a teaspoon of sriracha to the marinade. Crushed red pepper flakes are another easy option.
You can start with a small amount and add more depending on how spicy you want the finished pork chops.
For families with different spice preferences, make the original recipe and serve sriracha or another spicy sauce on the side. Everyone can then add as much heat as they want to their own plate.
Can I Use Bone-In Pork Chops?
Yes. This marinade works just as well with bone-in pork chops.
Keep in mind that the cooking time may change depending on the thickness and cut of pork you use. Rather than trying to calculate an exact cooking time, check the internal temperature with your meat thermometer.
Once again, you’re looking for 145 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest portion of the meat.
Can I Use This Marinade With Other Meats?
Absolutely. While this recipe is designed for pork chops, the combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and honey also works well with chicken and beef.
Cooking times will need to be adjusted based on the protein and cut you’re using. Always follow the appropriate safe internal cooking temperature for the meat you’ve selected.
This makes the marinade a handy one to keep in your recipe collection even when pork chops aren’t on the dinner menu.
How to Store Leftover Asian Style Pork Chops
Allow leftover pork chops to cool before transferring them to an airtight container.
Store cooked pork chops in the refrigerator and enjoy them within a few days for the best quality.
Leftovers are particularly good sliced and served over rice. You can also cut the pork into strips and add it to a quick stir-fry, noodles, or a lunchtime salad.
For longer storage, place the cooked pork chops in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen pork chops safely in the refrigerator before reheating.
Tips for Making the Best Asian Style Pork Chops
Don’t overcook the pork
This is the biggest tip for getting tender, juicy pork chops. Use your meat thermometer rather than relying only on cooking time.
Give the marinade enough time
Four hours gives the pork time to absorb the flavors. Preparing the recipe ahead of time also makes dinner much easier later.
Watch your skillet temperature
Medium-high heat creates a nicely seared exterior, but every stove is different. If the outside is browning too quickly before the center reaches temperature, reduce the heat.
Adjust the sweetness
Double the honey or replace it with brown sugar if your family prefers sweeter pork chops.
Add heat if you like it spicy
A teaspoon of sriracha or some crushed red pepper flakes can give the marinade an extra kick.
Don’t skip the garnish
Green onions and white sesame seeds are technically optional, but they add color, texture, and extra flavor with almost no additional work.
Easy Asian Style Pork Chops for Dinner
These Asian Style Pork Chops prove that a flavorful dinner doesn’t have to involve a long list of ingredients or hours standing over the stove. The marinade takes only a few minutes to mix, and once the pork chops have had time to soak up those savory Asian-inspired flavors, they cook in less than 10 minutes.
The combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and honey gives the pork plenty of flavor while still being easy enough to pair with simple sides like rice and steamed vegetables.
Prepare the pork chops in the morning or the night before, and you’ll have most of dinner waiting for you when the evening gets busy. Just sear the chops, let them rest, sprinkle them with green onions and sesame seeds, and dinner is ready to serve.
