Honey garlic pork chop

Honey garlic pork is a Chinese-American restaurant classic, not a traditional regional Chinese dish, and the version I cook at home is very similar to what I order at a Chinese takeout spot. The move that separates this version from a whole pork chop is tenderizing the meat, then cutting the meat into bite size pieces before frying. A whole chop only crisps on the top and the bottom in the pan, but each cube gets browned on every side, so there is more crust for the sauce to grip and the dish stays crispier from the first bite to the last. If you’re interested to learn more pork chop recipes, my Chinese fried pork chops is extra crispy, and my Instant Pot pork chops with black bean sauce go savory instead of sweet.

My dad cooked a version of this dish when I was growing up, and I asked for it on birthdays and on Friday nights at home. He fried his pork chops whole rather than in pieces, but the honey garlic sauce was the same, and the smell of garlic going into hot oil is what still pulls me to the stove when I make it now.

In my kitchen the order is fast and short, pound the pork thin, cut it into bite size pieces, marinate while I mix the sauce, dredge, shallow fry, then build the sauce in the same pan with fresh garlic. I love that it is ready in 25 minutes from cutting board to plate. Try it once on a weeknight and you will see why this is the version I keep coming back to.

Crispy pork with honey garlic sauce

Ingredients

The recipe splits into 3 groups, the pork and its marinade, the dredge, and the sauce. I prep all of it before the oil heats up because the pork goes from raw to crispy in 4 minutes total.

The pork and marinade: Bone in thin cut pork chops are my first choice, since the bone keeps the meat from drying out and the thin cut crisps fast. I season the cut pork with garlic powder, salt, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil, and let it sit while I mix the sauce.

The dredge: Cornstarch and all purpose flour at equal ratio. The combination is what gives the crust both a crispy snap from the cornstarch and a golden brown color from the flour, and using either one alone gives up half of that.

The sauce: Honey, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, lemon juice or rice vinegar, sesame oil, white pepper, black pepper, and a splash of water. Honey is the only sugar in the dish, and the lemon juice or rice vinegar is what keeps the sauce from going one note sweet. My essential Chinese ingredients guide covers the pantry side in more detail.

The fry: Neutral oil for the shallow fry, fresh garlic minced for the sauce, and sliced green onion or fried garlic chips for garnish.

Homemade honey garlic pork chop

How to Make

1. Pound the pork: Pound the pork chops with a tenderizer or the back of a heavy knife until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into bite size pieces and transfer to a medium bowl.

Pound the pork chop thin

2. Marinate the pork: Add garlic powder, salt, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil to the bowl. Massage the marinade in with my hand and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

marinating the pork in a bowl

3. Mix the sauce: Combine honey, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, lemon juice, sesame oil, white pepper, black pepper, and water in a small bowl. Stir until the honey dissolves and set the bowl next to the stove.

4. Heat the oil: Heat 1 cup of neutral oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat until it reaches 350 degrees. I like to use my small wok here, because the high wall contains the oil splatter well.

5. Dredge the pork: Add the cornstarch and all purpose flour to the bowl with the marinated pork. Toss with my hand until every piece is coated.

Dredge the pork

6. Fry the pork: Lay the dredged pork into the hot oil in a single layer with room between the pieces. Fry until both sides are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

frying the pork in a oil pan

7. Drain and rest: Remove the cooked pork to a plate lined with paper towels. Turn off the heat and ladle out most of the oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the skillet.

pork plate lined with paper towels

8. Cook the garlic: Turn the heat back on to medium. Add the minced garlic to the reserved oil and fry until fragrant and golden, about 1 minute.

cooking the garlic

9. Reduce the sauce: Pour the mixed sauce into the pan with the garlic. Cook and stir until the sauce reduces to a thin syrupy consistency that coats the back of a spoon.

cooking the sauce

10. Toss and serve: Return the cooked pork to the pan and stir until every piece is glossed in the sauce. Transfer to a plate, garnish with sliced green onion or fried garlic chips, and serve immediately.

mixing pork with sauce

Tips I recommend

Pound to consistent thickness: Uneven thickness fries unevenly, with thicker spots staying raw while thinner edges burn. I move the tenderizer across the chop in a steady grid pattern instead of pounding the center harder.

Dredge right before frying, not earlier: Cornstarch and flour added to a wet marinade hydrate into paste within minutes and fry soft. They go in only once the oil is on the stove and climbing toward temperature.

Test the oil with one piece first: I drop one dredged piece into the oil before committing the batch. It should sizzle hard and float in seconds. If it sinks and bubbles slowly the oil is too cool, and if it browns in under 30 seconds the oil is too hot.

Reduce the sauce by sight: The sauce is ready when it goes from pourable to glossy and the bubbles grow larger and slower. Pulling early leaves a watery glaze, and pushing too far burns the honey bitter.

Hold the pork crispy until the sauce is done: I do not return the pork to the pan until the sauce is fully reduced, since pork sitting in unreduced sauce softens fast.

Reuse the frying oil: I strain the cooled oil through a coffee filter and reuse it for the next stir fry. Used once at 350 degrees, the oil stays clean and only lightly pork scented.

Chinese honey garlic pork close up

Serving Suggestions

I serve honey garlic pork chops over a bowl of plain steamed jasmine rice with a side of bok choy with oyster sauce for the green. The rice catches the extra sauce, the bok choy keeps the plate from going too sweet, and the first piece goes straight from the pan to my mouth standing at the stove because the crust does not stay loud after 5 minutes on the table.

For a fuller table when friends come over, I start with authentic hot and sour soup, set out easy Chinese cucumber salad for crunch, and add my sesame miso shortbread sandwich for a sweet treat at the end of the meal. Sooo good!!

Frequently Ask Questions

Can I use boneless pork chops instead of bone in?

Yes, boneless chops work and the recipe is written for either cut. I pound boneless chops a touch longer to reach 1/4 inch since they tend to start thicker around 1/2 inch, and the crispy result is the same, though bone in chops stay slightly juicier through the fry. I avoid super thick chops that are more than 1/2” (1 cm) thick.

Can I cook these in an air fryer?

I do not recommend cooking thin pork chop in an air fryer, because it usually takes longer to crisp up the coating, and the meat of the chop tends to over cook. If you have an air fryer pork chop recipe that you trust, use that part for the pork, and cook the sauce from this recipe, then toss together.

How long do leftovers keep?

Honey garlic pork chops are at their crispy best the moment they come out of the pan. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days, and they freeze for up to 1 month with a small trade off in crust. To reheat from the fridge, I warm them in a hot oven or air fryer at 375 degrees for 4 to 5 minutes to recover some of the crust. Reheating in the microwave softens the coating, so I avoid that. To reheat from frozen, I thaw in the fridge overnight first, then warm in the oven the same way.

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Thin and crispy Chinese restaurant-style honey garlic pork chops use common ingredients to bring you an uncommonly exciting flavor everyone will love for dinner! {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

By Maggie Zhu
4.80 from 29 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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These honey garlic pork chops are my 25 minute Chinese restaurant style version. It is so easy to make using thin pounded pork cut into bite size pieces, shallow fried until crispy, then tossed in a garlicky honey soy sauce that reduces to a glossy syrup.

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb bone-in thin cut pork chops , about 4 pork chops (*Footnote 1)

Marinade

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or rice vinegar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Pinch of white pepper
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons water

Fry

  • 1 cup vegetable oil (or other neutral oil) (*Footnote 2)
  • 4 cloves garlic , minced (*Footnote 3)
  • Sliced green onion and / or fried garlic , for garnish (Optional)

Instructions

  • Pound the pork chops with a tenderizer or the back of a heavy knife until 1/4” (1/2 cm) thick. Cut the pounded pork into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
  • Add all the marinade ingredients except the cornstarch and flour into the bowl with pork chops. Massage in the marinade with your hand. Marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well.
  • Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed skillet until about 350°F (176°C).
  • Meanwhile, add the cornstarch and flour to the bowl with marinated pork chop. Mix until the pork is evenly coated. Add the chops to the preheated oil. Fry until both sides are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the cooked pork onto a plate.
  • Turn off the heat. Drain most of the oil from the skillet using a ladle, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.
  • Turn on the heat to medium. Add the garlic. Fry until fragrant and golden, about 1 minute.
  • Pour in the sauce. Cook and stir until it reduces to a thin, syrupy consistency.
  • Add the cooked pork back to the reduced sauce. Stir a few times until it is well coated. Transfer everything to a serving plate. Garnish with sliced green onions and more fried garlic chips, if using.
  • Serve immediately as a main dish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. You can either use bone-in or boneless pork chops.
  2. The result will be the best if you use a bit more oil to shallow fry the chops. Alternatively, you can spray the pork chops with a generous amount of oil and fry them in an air fryer.
  3. I fried some extra garlic chips to garnish the dish at the end. It adds a more savory taste to the pork. You can totally skip it or use store-bought fried garlic if you like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 390kcal, Carbohydrates: 16.6g, Protein: 18.5g, Fat: 27.7g, Saturated Fat: 8.4g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 358mg, Potassium: 300mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 9.8g, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 1mg

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