Juicy pork chops with a sweet and savory bulgogi flavor! These quick and easy Korean style pork chops are ready in 30 minutes with simple ingredients. A great main dish with white rice and veggies for the family to enjoy!
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These Korean Style Pork Chops feature tender pork loin center cuts marinated in soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, onions, sesame oil, sesame seeds and black pepper. Then pan fried to perfection!
Want to make it spicy? Add Korean hot pepper paste (aka Gochujang) to the marinade.
These juicy Korean pork chops serve best with steamed rice and Korean side dishes, like kimchi. It comes together easily with minimal ingredients and great for busy weeknights!
You can even make this pork for meal prep by keeping the pork loins intact or chopping them into smaller pieces to reheat through the week.
This pork recipe was inspired by the sweet, nutty, and savory flavors from my non-spicy Pork Bulgogi (click here for the recipe).
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Boneless Pork Loin Center Cuts: with a bit of fat running through for best texture and taste. This type of cut can be found at Korean grocery stores like at H-Mart.
- Or substitute with ½-inch thick boneless pork tenderloin, bone-in pork chops and remove the pork, or even boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Sesame seeds and green onions: optional garnish
Marinade
- Onion: onion is a common aromatic used in bulgogi sauce to add some sharpness. Or substitute with red onion.
- Green onion
- Garlic
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Brown sugar: Or substitute with plain honey.
- Sesame oil: for that nutty flavor. Please omit if you're allergic to sesame.
- Sesame seeds: omit if you're allergic to sesame.
- Black pepper
- Gochujang (optional for a spicy version): feel free to omit if you prefer the pork not spicy. Gochujang is a sweet smoky Korean red pepper paste made of red chili peppers. You can buy this at most Korean grocers.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
Equipment
- large non-stick pan or cast iron pan or grill pan.
- instant-read thermometer
- mixing bowl
- tongs
- measuring set / kitchen scale
Expert Tips
- Use center cut pork loins with fat marbling through for best taste and texture. Other cuts without fat will naturally result in a less juicy taste.
- Tenderize the pork loins with a meat mallet or the back of your knife to make the pork more tender.
- Marinate pork overnight for best taste so the marinade has time to seep into the meat.
- Only cook pork until 140 F with a digital instant read thermometer and let the residual heat carry over the cooking process to 145 F. If you continue to cook it to 145 F in the pan, it'll dry out the pork.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Korean style pork chops:
- Tenderize pork loin center cuts on both sides using the back of a knife and transfer to a large bowl. Add marinade ingredients to the pork and mix well. Cover pork with a lid or plastic wrap and marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight for best results.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan on medium heat. Fry pork chops in small batches with some of the marinade and do not over crowd the pan.
- Fry pork on each side for 2-3 minutes until an internal temperature of 140 F with a digital instant read thermometer. Remove pork from pan and transfer to a cutting board. Let the residual heat cook it to 145 F or until juices run clear. Cut into large chunks for serving or serve each thick chop per serving. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? Korean style pork chops can be stored in a freezer friendly bag after cooling down and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Suggestions
Korean style pork chops serve well with:
- steamed white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice
- kimchi
- Korean cucumber salad
- beansprout salad
- zucchini fritters
- gamja jorim
- Korean spinach
- japchae
FAQ
This can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Pork loins are a tricky meat to cook. The cook time can range depending on your heat setting. I recommend using an instant read thermometer and cooking pork chops until 140 F. Then remove the chops from the hot pan and let them rest for 10 minutes covered in tin foil to keep warm. The residual heat will cook them to a safe temperature for consuming of 145 F.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Korean Style Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1.30 lb pork loin boneless center cuts
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Marinade
- ⅓ cup onion or red onion, julienned
- 1 green onion chopped into 1 inch long pcs
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- ⅓ cup regular soy sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil toasted
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds toasted
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon gochujang optional - for a spicy version
Instructions
- Tenderize pork loin center cuts on both sides using the back of a knife and transfer to a large bowl. Add marinade ingredients to the pork and mix well. Cover pork with a lid or plastic wrap and marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight for best results.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan on medium heat. Fry pork chops in small batches with some of the marinade and do not over crowd the pan.
- Fry pork on each side for 2-3 minutes until an internal temperature of 140 F with a digital instant read thermometer. Remove pork from pan and transfer to a cutting board. Let the residual heat cook it to 145 F or until juices run clear.
- Cut into large chunks for serving or serve each thick chop per serving. Enjoy!
Shelley
Best Korean pork chops, hands-down! I did have to cook them a little bit longer on each side, but this recipe is amazing. It pairs really well with rice and veggies. Thank you so much!
Christie Lai
That's amazing to hear! I'm so glad you enjoyed them and I really appreciate the kind review. Thank you so much for making my recipe!
Wendy Lamontagne
I made this recipe last night and it was simply delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
Christie Lai
I am so glad to read this and happy that you found it delicious! Thank you for making my recipe, Wendy! Have a wonderful day!
B.
Did you use a meat tenderizer or make small slices to tenderize the chops?
christieathome
These pork chops came tenderized so feel free to use the back of your knife to tenderize them in a diagonal fashion.
Matt
I would give this 10 stars if I could marinated it overnight and this is my new way to enjoy pork chops
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for the kind review, Matt! Also, feel free to marinate it the night before or even the day before for a stronger flavour!