Sweet and Sour Pork Chops (Oven Baked)

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These easy oven-baked Sweet and Sour Pork Chops are a favorite family dinner recipe from when I was a kid. The sauce is sweet and tangy with ketchup and vinegar and takes regular old pork chops up a notch. It’s a unique flavor and is a simple meal to make on a busy weeknight with a few pantry staples.

Plate of pork chops stacked and covered in a sauce. — These simple pork chops are an easy-to-make family favorite everyone is guaranteed to love!

Figuring out what to make for dinner is one of my least favorite things. So when I find a recipe my family loves I rejoice! And I think you’re family is going to love this recipe for Sweet and Sour Pork Chops too.

These pork chops are super easy to make, which is great on a weeknight. And this tart and tangy sauce is a great change of pace to your boring old dinners.

I’m not calling YOU boring. But you know that your dinners get boring…

And since my kids try to tell me they are allergic to chicken (they are not) pork is something I know they will eat without a fight.

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Why This Recipe Works

Oven-baked pork chops are one of my favorite things to make for my family on weeknights. Both of my kids love pork and it’s a nice change of pace from having chicken.

Whenever I share this Sweet N Sour Pork Chops recipe with friends they always look at me a little funny. I’ll admit, the ingredients seem wrong.

This sauce for the pork chops is unique. And I’m not a lover of vinegar but somehow these tangy ingredients work together and make pork chop magic.

While these chops are sweet and sour, this is not the same flavor of your favorite Chinese take-out meal. This sauce is more savory than sweet and has a different consistency.

The vinegar helps to tenderize the meat and keep the tomato flavor from being too sweet. And if you’re like me, and tend to overcook your meats, the sauce also helps to keep things moist.

If you have kids who love to put ketchup on everything, they will probably love this!

And while this recipe does take a little bit longer to cook than some recipes I make on a weeknight, it’s still so simple! There are just about 20 minutes of hands-on time and then they bake up on their own in the oven.

If you love these oven-baked sweet and sour pork chops, you’ll definitely want to try this Green Chile Pork Chop recipe too!

Printable pages on top of an image of kitchen gadgets with text next to it.

Ingredients

You will need:

6 pork chops, approximately 1″ thickness
2 TBSP butter
1 cup ketchup
2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

Weird!!! Right? I know these ingredients seem crazy together. But they work!

One of the things I really love about this recipe is that all of these are things you should have in your pantry.

Ketchup is one of those condiments that can have lots of hidden sugars. I always look for one that has no added sugar! I prefer to know what sugar I’m stuffing in my mouth in the form of delicious desserts.

There aren’t a lot of substitutions for celery salt but if you had to, you could use dried dill and salt or Old Bay seasoning.

It’s such a unique flavor (it’s also nice in some cocktails!) so you should probably buy a small bottle. I’ve also heard it’s an ingredient in KFC’s secret recipe so…

And let’s talk about the pork chops for a second. I am never impressed by the chops they sell at my local grocery store. I’ve also switched to shopping for groceries mostly online. I buy almost everything on Amazon Fresh, but I buy my meat on PerdueFarms.com.

These Coleman Natural Pork Chops are my go-to pork chops. Read all about ordering from Perdue online and having it shipped right to your home. They also sell their products in bundles for greater value keeping dinner time stress-free.

Directions

Overhead view of a measuring cup and spoon on a cutting board.

1. Brown the pork chops

Start by browning the chops, in butter, on both sides in an oven-proof dutch oven.

Usually, I don’t like recipes that have multiple steps, especially for a weeknight. But browning the pork chops gives them such amazing flavor before you bake them!

2. Mix the sauce

While the pork chops are browning, mix up the sauce for the pork chops – the celery salt, ketchup, vinegar and nutmeg, in a small bowl.

Woman scooping sauce into a post with pork chops.

3. Put the chops and sauce in a pan

Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the pork chops in the same dutch oven you browned them in.

Close up of pork chops in a pan covered in sauce.

Use tongs to make sure the pork chops are fully coated in the yummy, vinegar-based sauce.

4. Bake the pork chops

Bake, covered, in a 350-degree oven for about an hour.

Little boy smiling with a plate of pork chops in front of them.

Don’t forget to save the extra tangy sauce for leftovers! Leftover pork chops are always a great lunch the next day.

What to serve with these pork chops

Again, not pretty to look at but so delightful to eat. I like to pair these oven-baked pork chops with a tasty side dish.

Mashed Potatoes (OMG, have you tried these Bob Evans potatoes? They take just a few minutes in the microwave! Mom hack, yo! And the flavor is ridiculously good.)
Roasted Green Beans (quickly roasted with a little garlic salt and onion powder.)
Frozen Rice is one of my go-to side dishes during the week.

Close up of pork chops with sauce on them.

Tips

Have you ever had sweet and sour pork chops baked like this before? Whether you are making this dish or another oven-baked pork chops recipe, here are 5 mistakes to avoid when cooking pork chops!

When you add the sauce to the dutch oven after the pork chops are browned, be sure to scrap up on bits stuck to the bottom of the pan which are full of flavor. But make sure they’re only brown, not black and burnt!
If you don’t have time to brown the chops, you can still make this recipe. The browning creates a nice crust on the chops and adds another layer of flavor but the dish will still be delicious without it.
You may want to double the sauce recipe. While this amount is fine for serving on night one, if there are any chops leftover, having extra sauce is ideal for reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you know the pork chops are done?

Pork chops should be cooked to 145 ºF when tested with a food thermometer. Let pork chops rest for about 3 minutes before serving once they are at temperature.

Do you have to cook them covered?

Covering your pan while cooking will create steam and help the pork become tender. I prefer to cover them with a piece of aluminum foil. If you don’t have foil, you can bake them, uncovered. Be sure to baste with the sauce throughout to keep them moist.

A few more easy recipes you might also enjoy!

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