Lamb Shoulder Chops are so juicy and flavorful, plus they’re super easy to prepare. This is a guaranteed go-to, no-fail recipe.
Lamb Shoulder Chops are best served with Mashed Potatoes and Garden Salad.
Lamb Shoulder Chops are naturally more flavorful. The general lamb meat has a strong gamy taste to it and requires extra effort to bring out the right flavors. With Lamb Shoulder Chops, the cooking process is much simpler, while providing an outstanding dish.
Lamb Shoulder Chops Video
How to Cook the Lamb Shoulder Chops
Marinate the lamb with garlic, seasoning, rosemary and oil. Preheat the skillet on very high heat and add lamb to the skillet. Cook on both sides for about 6 minutes.
To cook lamb shoulder chop in an oven, use a cast iron skillet. Brown both sides to a nice crust. Place it in an oven for the remainder of the cooking time.
To verify the readiness of the chops – they should be cooked to 145°F for medium rare, 160°F for medium, or 170°F for well done.
How to Grill Lamb Shoulder Chops
Place the marinated lamb shoulder chops on a preheated grill to 450°F. Grill the lamb on each side for 5-7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cut and how well you want the meat to be done.
Other Lamb Recipes to Try
- Pan-Seared Lamb Loin Chops – Lamb steaks in garlic and herbs
- Lamb Kabobs – Lamb and veggie skewers
- Roasted Lamb – Roasted leg of lamb
- Uzbek Plov with Lamb – Rice dish with lamb
Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients for the lamb shoulder chops recipe.
- Chop garlic and break down the fresh rosemary; combine with oil, salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag.
- Add lamb shoulder chops into the seasoning and leave it to marinate for at least an hour.
- Preheat the skillet on high heat. Remove all seasoning from the lamb shoulder chops and add them to the skillet. Cook for about 6 minutes on each side. To verify the readiness of the chops – they should be cooked to 145°F for medium rare, 160°F for medium, or 170°F for well done
- Let lamb shoulder chops rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Holy cow, no pun intended, but this was amazing. My first time making it. Only thing I changed was marinating it in balsamic vinegar and then I did garlic power instead of garlic cloves as I was to lazy to go back to the store. LOL Had it with garlic mashed potatoes (Bob Evans brand) and steamed spinach.
Haha, thank you Lance! Your pun made me laugh, even if it wasn't intended. I'm glad you enjoyed the lamb chop!
I'm confused. So, this doesn't go in the oven at all?
Hi Julie! You're correct, this lamb shoulder chop recipe is cooked on the stove, not the oven. However, if you read the blog post, I do mention how to grill or bake it in the oven too if that is what you prefer.
I made them tonight...perfect! The lemon from one of the comments was a real nice discovery.
Hi Cynthia, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We may need to add that lemon tip to the recipe 🙂
I cook a meals once a week for my Sister going thru chemo/immun therapy treatments. She said she loves lamb. So, do I not put the rosemary nor the garlic from the marinade in the skillet? Can I put fresh rosemary in while cooking? Wondering if I can cook them just under, as she will reheat them to eat, probably in the microwave. Don't want them to become leather. Thank you.
What a wonderful thing you're doing for your sister—she's lucky to have you! ❤️
For the lamb, you can absolutely add fresh rosemary while cooking, but if you’re using garlic and rosemary in the marinade, I’d recommend not putting them directly in the skillet, as they can burn. Instead, you could strain the marinade or just discard the garlic and rosemary after marinating.
To avoid the lamb becoming too tough when reheating, it's a great idea to cook it just under done since the microwave can overcook it. I hope that helps, and I’m sure she’ll love it!
Can I marinate this overnight?
Yes, that will work because this marinade isn't too acidic.
Delicious! I used garlic powder. I scraped all the herbs and put a clove of garlic in the pan with some olive oil and butter and sautéed it until medium rare.
Yum! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Great recipe! These were as good as any lamb chops I've ever had.
That’s such a huge compliment—thank you! So glad you enjoyed them.
Lamb chops can be prepared like this. Short cook time and still tender. Every time I make lamb shoulder, I cook it for over an hour to be tender and flavorful. I have no clue how u cooked it for minutes and for a tender shoulder cut.
Mine turn out tender and flavorful with a nice sear. I'd love for you to try this method and report back. How do you typically cook shoulder chops?
The nutrition facts for this look wrong. No protein?
Hey Nic, Thank you for flagging this. I'll update the nutrition facts correctly, as some information is missing.
Don't have fresh rosemary but l do have it dry as well thyme.Can use it and how much of it?
I personally love fresh rosemary with lamb, but dried herbs work great too! I would use 2-3 teaspoons of dried rosemary or a combo with thyme if that's what you prefer.
My first time cooking this cut of lamb and I was worried that the meat would be tough. However, the recipe turned out well. I added some balsamic vinegar to the marinade and also marinated for 2 hours to give the meat a chance to tenderize. Bbq'd but not as long as the recipe suggested as the meat would have been overdone. Used a thermometer to check doneness.
That sounds fantastic! I’m glad the recipe turned out well for you, especially since it was your first time cooking that cut of lamb. Adding balsamic vinegar is a great choice for flavor and tenderness! Thanks for sharing!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious!! Perfect temp, not tough. I added butter to the oil while cooking. I let it rest for a few minutes in the pan with a cover for a few minutes to cool down and finished it with fresh lemon before eating. Yum!
That sounds amazing! Butter and lemon are perfect additions. I’m so glad it turned out great for you.
Came out great! I used a liquid marinade for a little over an hour, cooked in butter, pan was a little toasty with seasonings but the chops came out perfect. Even my picker eater enjoyed it. Served with some roasted potatoes and green beans. Add this to the weeknight rotation.
Hi, your dinner sounds amazing! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback, I so appreciate it!
What a disaster! I preheated on high, but didn’t see where I should turn the heat down and burnt it to a crisp—going for rare
🙁
Oh no! So sorry to hear that! I hope you will give it another try Val.
Excellent instructions and yummy results!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!
Don’t leave in marinade too long, cook in cast iron skillet on medium heat for 5 mins, turn, reduce heat cook another 3-4 mins. If you overcook meat will be tough. If meat is very gamey, you probably have mutton chops, not lamb
Thanks for the feedback and great suggestions Carol!
Hey Linda, Thanks for sharing your feedback and suggestions!
Instructions burned the lamb.
Hey HF, What about the instructions is it that you think caused the lamb to burn?
This isn't rocket science Nat. Cooked too long in too much heat. Reduce one or both.
This isn’t rocket science, she literally says to verify doneness by checking with a meat thermometer. Its not HER fault YOU over did it
Same here. I wish I would have looked at the comments. My bad.
I read that people thought that lamb shoulders were tough. This is how i prepare it for the oven. I Season both sides and i sear it on high heat until brown on both sides. Then i place it in the oven for 1:30 minutes at 450 or until the juices start flowing into the pan. Soft every time. Add some golden potatoes also. Yummy
Why would u use 1:30 format for this. Does this mean 1 minute and 30 seconds or 2 hour and 30 mins?
Are you saying 1 hour and 30 minutes at 450? Seem too long.
She mentioned minutes. That means 1 minute 30 seconds.
Hi Ken, Thanks for sharing! I appreciate the feedback. 🙂
I am preparing this dish for dinner.It is an easy recipe to prepare. I didn't have a large zip lock bag. So I put it in a large container with a lid. I hope it won't change the taste of the chops.
I did the same in a rectangular baking dish and covered with plastic wrap at room temp for an hour.
Hi Debra, I only recommend a Ziploc bag because it's convenient and easy to clean up. The taste won't change if you use a container. Enjoy!
Hey, the lamb cooked at high heat to me always gets tough for me. I decided to marinate it for 3/4 hours and i added Tarragon and Worcestershire sauce as well to bring out a little more flavour. I’m from the Caribbean so adding a little Angoustura Bitters helps as well with flavouring
Hi Brent, glad you made it your own. It sounds delicious!
This is how I've always cooked them, but they are always tough.
Love lamb, and can't reproduce that that tender dish with the gravy that my mom used to make.
Like pork chops I do not cook the lamb shoulder chops at a high heat. My mom use to make lamb shoulder chops Pizziola. chopped tomatoes, oregano, onion, peppers and sliced potatoes.
If you can get loin lambs chops for more tender cut. I go to Sam's or Costco type place to get a better price.
Hi Sue, Hmm, my lamb chops are not tough. I wonder why yours turn out tough - perhaps overcooking them or using low heat? That dish your mom used to make sounds delicious! I love a good gravy as well.
Would you prepare this way for the air fryer?
Hi Christopher, I haven't tested this recipe in the air fryer so I don't have tips regarding that.
Is it better to marinate over night if possible?
Hi Ariella, you can marinate the meat over night. I would love to know what you think about this recipe when you make it! Happy cooking!
Made this tonight. Marinated it for 3 hours and used the airfryer at 375 for 18mins. Delicious. Served with carmelised onions and broccoli slaw
I didn't marinate it but used all the seasonings and oil, and cooked it in the air fryer at 375 for 18 minutes like you said. It was tender and delicious! Thank you for this tip, and of course to the original recipe. I don't usually cook lamb and this was perfect.
I cooked it tonight and was about to put in oven and saw your comment and pivoted and put it in the air fryer. Thanks for sharing it was absolutely delicious! Definitely will be putting this recipe and your tip in rotation.
Hi Charlotte, wow! That sounds amazing! I am thrilled that the recipe was a success. Thank you for sharing your process and feedback. Enjoy!
This recipe was followed exactly! The meat was soo tough! It was like chewing on Boot Leather it was so bad! It was oily with no flavor. All around horrible dish.
Hi Richard, where do you purchase lamb shoulder chops? Mine are never chewy. I get them at Whole Foods or Costco. I am trying to understand why yours would be chewy. Did you get an extra thick cut?
I have never had a tender lamb shoulder chop in my life unless it was slow-cooked in one form or another. I always season them, brown them in a skillet, add a little chicken broth or water, cover and cook on low heat, turning occasionally. Beautifully tender every time.
Lamb shoulder chops are also excellent for lamb stew (they do not need to be cut up.)
I get mine from a wonderful local farmer whose lambs are beautifully raised and fed, and Intend to agree with Richard in that there are many sinus, bones and some fat, making them quite a challenge to eat! The meat was tender, but for me this recipe was much too fatty what with the fat of the lamb and the oil. As for Costco meats, I used to get them all the time until I became more conscious of where their meat comes from, and what the animals are fed to make their meat so incredibly tender! Now I shop locally and I know how the animals are treated and what they are fed. This is more important to me now than excessive tenderness! What I loved about this lamb recipe, though, is the flavour of the garlic, fresh rosemary and salt! Thanks for posting!
Hi Janet, I love how conscientious and picky you are about your meat. You are doing the right thing. Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback, I am thrilled that the recipe was a success. Enjoy!
Just made this last night for my wife and she loved it. Very easy to prepare. I used a little Morton salt and pepper rub with a little Island Spice all purpose seasoning and let it marinate for a few hours in the fridge. Prior to cooking in a cast iron skillet, I rubbed some of the seasoning off. This is a can't miss!!!!! Thanks
Hi Alton, I am so thrilled that you and your wife loved this recipe! Sounds like it turned out delicious! Thank you for sharing your feedback, enjoy!
I made them tonight marinated them from
yesterday good thing I did read comments about putting them in the oven. They came out very good
Nanette, thank you so much for sharing this. I am so glad you enjoyed them!
I marinated my chops in Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, Mint, Salt & Pepper 3 tbp of lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic and olive oil. They came out very tasty, it's just that there was not a lot of meat on the chops that I bought, so this was disappointing. Your recipe saved me because I was following another "lamb shoulder recipe" and this recipe must have been if you were cooking the whole roast! I started the shoulder chops in the oven at 450 for about 15 minutes and then lowered the heat to 350. I thought I had to cook these for at least 1-2 hours (in the oven), however, they reached 160 degree internal temperature in less than 20 minutes. To me, they were a bit tough - and I would like this same recipe with regular lamb chops I think would be delicious. I served them with carmelized onions done with 2 tbsp honey and Near East Rice Pilaf - both were a nice compliment to the lamb. Can you cook regular lamb chops slowly in the oven? I don't cook them a lot because if I broil them they smell up the whole house.
Hi Maria, I am glad that you had a way of saving them, sounds like a delicious combo. Personally, I wouldn't recommend cooking lamb chops on low heat, I think high temp will make them crispy and tender. Low and slow can make them dry. Hope this helps. Thanks for sharing your tips.