Pan Seared Lamb Chops

5 from 5 votes

Incredibly delicious Pan Seared Lamb Chops filled with flavors from garlic, butter, and herbs! What makes this recipe incredible is how easy it is to make the Lamb Chops yet they taste so good! Perfect for special occasions like Easter, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Ready in 20 minutes from start to finish!

Prep Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Western

Servings: servings

Author: Precious

Equipment

Cast iron skillet

Ingredients

1½ Lamb Chops (8-9) pieces cut from a Frenched rack of lamb, see Note 1
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 plump garlic cloves, minced or grated easily grate the cloves using a Microplane grater
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plucked from their stems
1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary leaves

Instructions

Pat the lamb chops dry with paper towels. This step is very important as it helps the lamb chops develop a nice crust when placed in the pan.
Sprinkle the salt and pepper as evenly as possible on both sides of the lamb chops.
Place a cast iron skillet (preferred for a nice sear) or another skillet on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and let it heat up until smoking hot.
Place the seasoned lamb chops on the skillet pressing each lamb chop down as soon as each touches the skillet. Note: if using a small skillet, cook the lamb chops in 2 batches. I used a 12-inch cast iron skillet so I could cook all the lamb chops at once.
Let the lamb chops cook on one side for 3-4 minutes then flip them to the other side and let them cook for another 2-3 minutes or until desired doneness. See recipe notes below for a guide to varying degrees of doneness from rare to well-done.
Once you flip the lamb chops to the other side, add the two tablespoons of butter, minced/grated garlic, fresh thyme, and rosemary, distributing them around the pan. When the butter melts spoon some of the butter including the garlic and herbs over the lamb chops. Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with minced parsley if desired.
Serve lamb chops warm with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes, and sauteed veggies.

Notes

1. A Frenched rack of lamb is a rack of lamb that has the fat and meat removed from the bones. This makes for a prettier presentation. You can find already Frenched racks of lamb at the supermarket.

2. To cut the rack of lamb into chops, place the rack of lamb upright, bones standing upright on a chopping board, place your knife between two bones, and cut straight down. Repeat until you have cut the entire rack of lamb into chops.

3. Instead of using fresh thyme leaves and minced rosemary leaves, you could add entire sprigs of thyme and rosemary to the pan to infuse the lamb with their flavors. I have tried it both ways and both yield great flavor but I prefer that with the minced leaves.

*The lamb chops pictured in this recipe were made with full sprigs of thyme and rosemary.

4. Here is a guide for the varying temperatures for cooking lamb ranging from rare (rarely done) to well-done.

For Rare Lamb Chops: Remove at 120°F to get a temperature of 125°F.

For Medium Rare Lamb Chops: Remove at 130°F to get a temperature of 135°F.

For Medium Lamb Chops: Remove at 140°F to get a temperature of 145°F.

For Medium-Well Lamb Chops: Remove at 150°F to get a temperature of 155°F.

For Well Done Lamb Chops: Remove at 160°F to get a temperature of 165°F.

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