Next level lamb chops – flavour infusion with a rosemary garlic lamb chop marinade, sear aggressively to create a thick crust, then smother in rosemary gravy. You will lick the plate clean, do the happy dance and wonder why you don’t cook lamb chops more often!
Lamb Chops
I was going to start off today’s recipe by saying that lamb is the national meat of Australia. But then I stopped short, remembering how proud we are of our beef, and the seafood we catch in our pristine oceans, and how far we’ve come to make ethical and sustainably farmed chickens more accessible to everyday Aussies…..
So let me try again.
We Aussies love our lamb. And we really love a good lamb chop. So here’s a wickedly good way to cook up your next lamb chops – lightly marinated in garlic and rosemary, aggressively seared to create an awesome crust, then doused liberally in a rosemary gravy made using the pan drippings.
It tastes like a Sunday night roast lamb leg – served up quick smart!
What you need for Lamb Chops with Rosemary Gravy
You need very little for this recipe because lamb has so much flavour, we’re going to use it to the max and just compliment it with flavours that lamb loves: garlic and rosemary.
Best cut of lamb for pan frying
Use this recipe for any cut of lamb suited to pan frying or grilling:
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Lamb loin chops (aka mid loin chops) (pictured below) – the lamb equivalent of T-bone beef steaks, very juicy, excellent flavour, tender meat. Best cooked medium or medium rare, but ok to go to well done because it’s such a juicy cut. Comes with a band of fat around it – either leave it on or trim it off;
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Lamb cutlets (aka lamb rib chops) – the most expensive and for many, the most prized cut of lamb, the meat is extremely tender and sweet. Criminal to go beyond medium!
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Forequarter chops – the most economical option, this is lamb shoulder sliced into steak form. Lamb shoulder is a cut associated with slow cooking (like this Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder) to break down the tough meat. However, when cut into thinnish steaks (as sold at butchers and grocery stores in Australia), they make excellent steaks. While not as tender as midloin and cutlets, it is not tough, it has terrific chew and very, very good lamb flavour. The RecipeTin Family is a great fan of forequarter chops!
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Lamb leg steaks – this is the lean alternative. Because it comes from the leg, best not to take it beyond medium (as it will get quite tough).
How to cook lamb chops
Being one of the stronger flavoured meats, lamb doesn’t really need marinating but in this recipe, I really like to drive home the rosemary flavour – and while I’m at it, I add a good wack of garlic flavour too (being that lamb loves both).
So I marinade the lamb chops in rosemary and garlic first before pan frying aggressively so they get a terrific crust (lamb loves a good sear, like steaks). Then while the lamb is resting, we use the pan drippings to make a rosemary gravy (it takes 3 minutes flat!).
Internal temperature of cooked lamb chops
The internal temperature of cooked lamb chops for different levels of doneness are as follows:
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Rare 50°C / 122°F
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Medium rare 58°C / 136°F
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Medium 62°C / 144°F
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Medium well done 70°C / 158°F
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Well done 75°C / 167°F
It’s the 21st century. Take the guesswork out of cooking meat – get a thermometer!!
How long to cook lamb chops – for medium rare
The cook time depends on the cut you’re using and how thick it is. Here’s my guide:
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Loin chops (midloin chops) 2cm / 4/5″ thick – 4 minutes each side
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Forequarter chops 1.5 cm / 2/3″ thick – 4 minutes each side
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Cutlets (French or not) 1.5 cm / 2/3″ thick – 3 minutes first side, 2 minutes second side
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Boneless leg steaks usually about 1 cm / 1/2″ thick – – 3 minutes first side, 2 minutes second side
The photo above is medium rare – a hint of pink, but most certainly cooked, optimal juiciness!!
What to serve with lamb chops
Normal lamb chops might be highly flexible with regards to what they can be served with. But for this one, a creamy, gravy-soakable starchy side is essential. Preferably mashed potato – because lamb + gravy + peas is pretty much perfection on a plate.
But if you’re doing the low carb thing, then Cauliflower Mash is the way to go.
If you’re out of potato, serve it over anything that can be used to smother with gravy – pasta, rice (plain, basmati, jasmine – or try this fabulous Seasoned Rice), polenta, couscous. Just trust me when I say that you won’t want to waste a drop of that rosemary gravy! – Nagi x
PS Oh – and as for greens! Green Bean Salad is always a firm favourite with lamb, or just a big leafy salad or garden salad with a classic Vinaigrette.
Watch how to make it
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Lamb Chops with Rosemary Gravy (Loin chops, forequarter, cutlets)
Ingredients
- 750g/ 1.5lb lamb chops (loin chops, forequarter, cutlets) (Note 1)
Lamb Chop Marinade:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 tbsp rosemary leaves , finely chopped (Note 2)
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
Gravy:
- 2 cups beef stock , low sodium
- 3 tbsp flour , plain/all purpose (Note 3 for GF)
- 1 tbsp rosemary leaves , finely chopped (Note 2)
- 2 rosemary sprigs , optional
Instructions
- Marinade: Mix Marinade ingredients together, then pour over chops. Turn to coat and leave to marinade for at least 1 hour, preferably 3 hours or overnight.
Cooking:
- Take lamb out of fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking (to bring to room temp).
- Heat a large skillet over high heat (no oil needed).
- Pick up a chop, scrape off excess bits of garlic (it burns) and let excess oil drip off. Place in skillet. Once all chops are in, turn heat down to medium high.
Cook times for medium rare (internal temp 62°C/145°F):
- Loin chops & forequarter chops - 4 minutes each side, or until internal temp is 62°C/145°F for medium rare (Note 4 other doneness)
- Cutlets & thin leg steaks - 3 minutes on the first side then 2 minutes on the second side.
- Rest - Remove lamb from skillet and place on a plater. Loosely cover with foil and rest for 3 minutes while you make the gravy.
Gravy:
- Pour off all but about 3 tbsp oil (if you're short, add butter), return skillet to medium heat.
- Add flour and stir for 30 seconds.
- Pour in beef stock while stirring constantly to dissolve flour mixture in. If you have lumps, use a whisk.
- Add chopped rosemary and sprig.
- Simmer, stirring regularly, for 2 - 3 minutes until it thickens in a gravy consistency.
Serving:
- Serve lamb chops with gravy over creamy mashed potato and a side of peas!
Recipe Notes:
- Loin chops (midloin chops) - 2cm / 4/5" thick
- Forequarter chops - 1.5 cm / 2/3" thick (usually cut thinner than loin chops)
- Cutlets (French or not) - 1.5 cm / 2/3" thick
- If using boneless leg steaks, use 500g/1lb, they are thinner and boneless.
- Rare 50°C / 122°F
- Medium rare 58°C / 136°F
- Medium (recommended) 62°C / 144°F
- Medium well done 70°C / 158°F
- Well done 75°C / 167°F
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Oh shock horror, look who was standing right there when I opened the shoot room door. 😂
Just to let you know, this makes a great marinade and gravy for pork as well as lamb. I am fixing it tonight with a pork tenderloin.
Yes perfect Susanamantha!!! N x
Hi Nagi, i am going to make this tonight but was wondering if i could bake it instead and if you think the result would be ok?
Hi Mia, I prefer to fry lamb chops and get that good sear – baking would suit larger pieces of lamb. N x
Hi Nagi,
I am so glad I stumbled on this site. I just wish I could download this as an app. I am loving all the recipes you publish. Do you a good one for Waffles
Sounds amazing, turning the volume to high on rosemary lamb shops!!!
Thanks for sharing Nagi
Oops ! I am in trouble ! A very dear American friend published a delicious lamb recipe on Sunday using beautiful cutlets which he called chops. Guess what this lamb-loving Aussie gal did ? Told him to use ‘correct’ nomenclature !! Never thought that naturally they were rib chops – hope he accepts my apology !! Love the recipe naturally – my favourite meat and best way of cooking as far as I am concerned . . . shall read your way word-by-word and correct any differences ! . . . wish I would win a lottery tho’ !!!
Looking forward to making this recipe, but it’s 96° here in the States this summer and will save it for a cool weather meal. Just wanted to add one point: I print those recipes that I want to save for later use, but there’s always so much info included that they take multiple pages to print. Any chance you could provide consolidated recipes for printing? Thanks. Love your style!
Hi Mike, you can click the “print” button in the recipe card for a printable version of the recipe card without printing the whole blog post 🙂 N x
Just bought lamb chops today becuz they were on sale…came home to find this recipe in my email…kismet or what ?!?
Great to hear your advice to adapt to gluten free!
do you have any recipes for ground lamb?
Hi Beverly, I do – you can find all my lamb dishes here: https://www.recipetineats.com/category/lamb-recipes/ N x
Hi Nagi
I don’t generally buy lamb simply because I don’t like the smell. However these chops look so inviting and I love rosemary. One thing I’d like to know is I like my meat tender, falling off the bone. What category would this fall into, well done?
Love & Hugs to you and gorgeous Dozer x x x
Hi Jayne, yes lamb can have quite a strong smell when cooking – tender fall off the bone meat is slow cooked (beyond well done) and more suited to larger hunks of meat like shoulder and leg 🙂 N x
Have you tried rosemary infused Yorkshire pudding with Barnsley (butterfly) chops. Just as you would for ‘toad – in- the – hole.Absolutely scrumptious with potatoe mash and green beans, plus. thick gravy of course, your mushroom gravy is great with it as well !
rosemary infused Yorkshire pudding with Barnsley (butterfly) chops Recipe Please
Good lamb chops do not need anything other than a little bit of salt and pepper, putting garlic and other crap on lamb or mutton makes a bollocks of it
Jim that’s ok if you can get good lamb, sometimes the quality is lacking where I live so dressing it up a bit is a good thing.
Hi Jim, yes you can definitely keep it simple if you prefer. That’s the beauty of cooking – you can cook to your own tastes! N x
Thank goodness Nagi’s tastes differ from yours or I would find no reason to buy lamb at all.
Hi Nagi.
Love your recipes and this is no exception.
Only quibble with this one is the danger of burning the garlic; it looked a bit well done in the film, and this would leave a bitter taste as I know from experience.
Hi Anthony, it’s fine in this recipe – but yes, overcooking it and burning it will leave a bitter taste. N x
I agree with Kathleen, cups are so variable around the world. Would you be able to use ml instead of cups.
Hi Douglas, my recipes show both cups and ml – just click the button above the ingredients to change to metric. N x
There is a button under ‘Ingredients’ which allows you to convert to Metric 🙂
Looks delicious! I will make this tomorrow night for dinner. Have a beautiful rosemary tree in our back garden. Thank you
Perfect Giulia! Enjoy! N x
I am in the uk and a bit confused about the cup measurements. Should i buy Australian measuring cups?
Thank you
Hi Kathleen – you can convert it to metric by clicking the button just above the ingredients listed. It will convert the recipe to ml’s which are standard no matter where you are located. N x
Nagi
Thank you so much for your quick reply
Can we use veal chops instead of lamb ? As lamb is not available here
Yes 100% Rabia! N x
Sounds delicious but I don’t like Rosemary…can I substitute it for Mint?
Hi Pauline – yes definitely, or any other herb of choice! N x
Your video shows the chops frying in the skillet – is this the marinade they are frying in?
Thank you!
Hi Ron – yes it’s the marinade 🙂 N x