Lemon Oregano Lamb Shoulder Chops Recipe
Looking for an easy, delicious lamb shoulder chop marinade recipe? If you don’t believe me, be sure to read the comments. This is one of my favorite ways to make lamb and I’m sorry, but here’s the only photo I captured from this dinner:
This is quick and easy – it doesn’t take long because the acidity of the lemons makes quick work out of the marinade. This is an easy lamb shoulder chop recipe but of course, the marinade works well with any cut of lamb.
If you don’t have fresh oregano, make sure you use the highest-quality dried oregano that you can
Lamb Chops with Oregano and Lemon Recipe
- 2 lamb shoulder chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick
- 1/2 – 1 lemon, juiced – about 1 tablespoon
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon good quality dried oregano, or 2 tablespoons fresh, crushed or chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 cup olive oil
Place your lamb shoulder chops in a shallow dish or pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and rub both sides of chops well. Let sit at room temperature for about 35-45 minutes or cover and refrigerate overnight. Be sure if you refrigerate to bring back to room temperature for 30 minutes or so, before cooking.
Preheat oven to 375
Heat a heavy, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Drain the marinade from your lamb chops into the pan and heat, about 3-4 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add the chops. Let sear about 4 minutes, turn and brown lightly on the other side, about 3 minutes.
Place pan with chops in oven and finish off, about 8-10 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Don’t over-think this…the lemon, oregano, garlic, and oil come together beautifully with the lamb. Even if you overcook the chops a bit, this marinade (due to the acidity of the lemon) is very forgiving.
It’s quick, easy and flavorful and you all know how much I love that. In fact, I love it so much that we were halfway through dinner before I realized I forgot to take a photo of the finished chops.
If you love lamb, be sure and check out my other lamb recipes!
- Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb
- Lamb Burgers with Pesto and Goat Cheese
- Lamb Loin Chops with Oregano, Mint, and Lemon
- Easy Lamb Stew
- Lamb Loin Chops with Garlic and Rosemary
As you can see, lamb can be very easy to prepare. Enjoy!
So glad I’m going to the grocery store tomorrow morning. So glad I ran into this post tonight. Total yum!
Thanks Shelley! I hope you love them as much as we do!
This sounds so delish! What did you pair the lamb with for the side dishes?
Thanks! I make lamb chops pretty often and they pair well with a lot of different side dishes; roasted asparagus, garden-fresh steamed or roasted green beans are two easy favorites of mine. The bright flavor of the lemon in these also pairs well with fresh greens, like arugula.
I’m trying this recipe out tonight! I will let you know how I like it. I bet it’s going to be awesome!
Wonderful! Hope you enjoy it and thanks!
It was awesome! One of the best lamb dishes ever! I am definitely making this a family recipe!
Happy to hear it!
I just made these and they were delicious thank you
Thanks so much for letting me know! Glad you enjoyed them!
I made these tonight and was a little leery because any Lamb recipe that I have used always called for a lot of spices. But I loved this. Turned our really well and most of the family loved it. I like it better than the Lamb Chops I have made. Now I just need to find a good Leg of Lamb recipe, hopefully one as easy as this. Thank You!
Thanks Gayle! I’m so glad you like them! Sometimes simple is better in my book. Who has time for complicated recipes, especially during the week? Thanks for your comment – I really appreciate it!
I found this recipe when looking for a technique for shoulder chops – I’m a complete novice with lamb. I bought a couple of chops to experiment (relatively inexpensively instead of getting enough for the whole family before I knew what I was doing). They turned out so well that I called my sister while I was eating them and just made yummy sounds on the phone… she couldn’t stop laughing. Hope I can duplicate them when I make them for the family. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for letting me know you liked these, Beth! I’m sure you’ll do just fine making them again for your family. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s pretty hard to screw up. 🙂 Thanks again!
This turned out delicious when we tried it!!! I was just wondering how much I should make to use on a 5lb leg of lamb?
I’m so happy to hear you love this! For a leg of lamb I’d triple everything and quadruple the oil and lemon juice. This should give you a healthy coating around. Leg of lamb is one of my favorites!
This was super easy and tasted amazing. Ty for sharing
I’m so happy you liked them! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know.
This was wonderful!!!!!
Thanks so much, Laura! I’m happy to hear you liked them!
2/18/18 –
I made this tonight and it was awesome. I did three shoulder chops and adjusted the marinade accordingly but other than that followed the recipe as stated. Congrats Leslie on an excellent post!
Thanks, Nick – I’m so glad to hear you liked these. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and let me know!
Lesley… Nick again. Okay, I could only eat two to these bad boys and gave the third one to my son-in-law. He sent me a text message after he ate them and said they were the best lamb (shoulder) chops he’s ever eaten. There is nothing better than getting great feedback when we prepare a meal for someone and it is all thanks to you!
You just made my day! Thanks for coming back and telling me that!
For all of you thinking about this recipe I have to tell you I’ve been dreaming about it since I made it on 2/18. I couldn’t take it any longer and went to the butcher today and had them cut two 1-1/2″ thick chops. I will be marinating them tomorrow and making them on Sunday.
Thank you again, Nick! Enjoy!
Hello Lola… we haven’t communicated since I complimented you on your lamb recipe and wanted to follow-up. Today, I made a pork tenderloin dish and wanted to marinade them before cooking. I was searching high and low when a light went off in my head. With all due respect, I commandeered your marinade and the tenderloins came our fantastic. Hope you don’t mind. It was too good to pass up.
Best regards,
Nick
Hi Nick! It makes me so happy to hear this because I used this marinade for chicken breasts recently and they were delicious! I’m glad you also learned it’s a multi-use marinade. 🙂 Cheers to easy recipes.
can’t believe it… I just checked the weekly specials at the place I purchase our meat and they have the lamb shoulder chops on sale for $5.99/lb. I would bet you don’t know what I’ll be doing tomorrow, but I know I’d lose.
That’s a great deal! You’re making me hungry for lamb chops! 🙂
Hello Leslie… It’s been quite some time since we communicated and I hope you are doing well.
Once again… I needed lamb and our local place had lamb steaks on sale for $8.00. I had them cut me one at 1-3/4″ and prepared it exactly to your specifications. It was off the charts. I am savoring the experience as I type this note to you.
Again… I hope you are doing well.
Kind regards,
Nick
Hi Nick! It’s great to hear from you! Wow, I wish I could find lamb chops that cheap around here, they’ve been crazy expensive lately. Thanks so much for stopping by to say hi! I hope all’s well in your world! 😊
I have to tell you Thank You!! I’ve made this twice now and it’s definitely going into my regular rotation. So simple, and so delicious. Great recipe. I think it’s a recipe that even people who aren’t normally lamb fans would enjoy because the marinade takes away the gamey flavor that some people attribute to lamb. Thank you again.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoy these lamb chops as much as I do! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop and let me know; I really appreciate it! 😊
I just made it for a very hungry husband. He’s been raving about it for the past hour. The lemon makes a huge difference! Thank you!
I love to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! 😊
I have never made lamb after 50 years of cooking. Fingers crossed… tonight is the night! Pared with quinoa, sweet potatoes fritters and cheesy zucchini with tomatoes.
Oh my gosh, good luck and thanks for your trust in my recipe! Your sides sound perfect! All my best! 😊
It was delicious!
Yayyyyyyyyy! So happy to hear that. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. 😊