These Grilled Teriyaki Pork Chops combine the best of sweet, zesty, and savory in a restaurant-quality dinner that's ready in under 15 minutes. Perfectly cooked, tender, juicy bone-in pork chops marinated in a tangy homemade honey teriyaki sauce steeped with fresh orange juice, ginger, and garlic. The marinade doubles as a basting sauce for the pork chops as they grill, resulting in the juiciest citrus-flavored pork chops.
For specifics on the recipe, use the table of contents to click on sections of the recipe.
Jump to:
- Why you'll love Grilled Teriyaki Pork Chops
- Ingredient Needed
- Kitchen Tools Needed
- How to make Grilled Teriyaki Pork Chops
- Tips for Grilling Pork Chops
- Eileen's Tips for Success when making Teriyaki Marinated Grilled Pork Chops
- Make-ahead, storage, and freezer tips
- Variations to Grilling Teriyaki Pork Chops
- FAQs for the best Teriyaki Pork Chops
- What to serve with Teriyaki Pork Chops
- More Pork Recipes
- My Top 10 Family Favorite Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why you'll love Grilled Teriyaki Pork Chops
- Homemade Marinade: The pork chops are marinated in fresh orange juice and homemade teriyaki sauce, adding mouthwatering flavor.
- Quick and Easy: The pork chops marinated in teriyaki sauce can sit overnight in the refrigerator. Grilling is quick, around 8 minutes.
- All Grills Work: I have made these grilled pork chops on all types of grills, gas, charcoal, and a grill pan. The results are always delicious.
- Affordable: Pork chops go on sale often. Buy on sale and freeze in the teriyaki marinade for later.
- Great for a Crowd: Having a summer barbecue, these are easy to cook for a crowd. Plus, they grill fast.
Love pork chops? Be sure to try our popular Pork Chops and Sauerkraut, Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin, and our juicy Grilled Mexican-Inspired Pork Chops.
Ingredient Needed
- Bone-in pork chops: Recipe testing has shown me that bone-in pork chops work best for this recipe. If using boneless, marinate at least 1 hour and use an instant-read meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature while grilling.
- Olive oil: Use your favorite oil.
- Yellow onion: Any of your favorite onions will work.
- Fresh garlic: Adds a pungent flavor.
- Fresh ginger: The perfect pairing with garlic to balance flavors
- Orange juice: Fresh orange juice works well with teriyaki flavors.
- Homemade teriyaki sauce: The base of flavor for the marinade to make the pork chops delicious.
- Raw honey: I prefer raw honey for caramelizing the pork. Use your favorite honey.
- Kosher salt/ Black pepper: Always needed for balancing flavors
Kitchen Tools Needed
- Grill Pan
- Gas or charcoal grill
- Measuring Spoons and Cups
- Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
- Immersion blender (or regular blender)
- Pastry Brush
- Instant Read Thermometer
How to make Grilled Teriyaki Pork Chops
This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are in the recipe card.
- Sautè diced onions until soft. Add minced garlic and ginger.
- To the pan, add the remaining ingredients for the orange teriyaki marinade. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly. Use an immersion blender or blender to blend the marinade until smooth.
- Divide the marinade. Place pork and half the teriyaki marinade in a resealable plastic storage bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.
- Place the marinated pork chops on the grill. Brush the teriyaki marinade on the pork chops while they are grilling. Grill 4 minutes per side. Flip and continue brushing the marinade and grilling until the pork chops reach 145°F.
- When the pork chops are cooked through, the internal temperature reaches 145°F/63°C. Let pork rest about 5 minutes before serving.
Tips for Grilling Pork Chops
- Bone-in Pork Chops: In my recipe testing, bone-in pork chops are best for the juiciest BBQ teriyaki pork chops. The bone adds flavor and slows down the cooking so the pork cooks evenly.
- Size of the chop: Use pork chops between 1 ½ and 2 inches so they retain the juicy flavors of the marinade.
- Use 2-zone heat: Heat up one to two zones of the gas grill to medium and keep the other zones off. The pork can be moved from direct heat to indirect heat to prevent overcooking. This will also help if there is a flare-up; quickly move the pork to the lower heated zone.
Eileen's Tips for Success when making Teriyaki Marinated Grilled Pork Chops
- Pat the pork chops dry before marinating. It helps the marinade cling and promotes a better caramelized crust on the grill.
- Don't skip the thermometer. Pork chops go from juicy to dry fast — pull them at 145°F and let carryover heat finish the job.
- Keep the basting marinade separate. Always reserve a clean portion for basting that never touched the raw pork. If you only have one batch, bring it to a full boil before basting in the last few minutes.
- Let the chops rest for 5 minutes after grilling before slicing to lock in the juices.
- Oil the grill grates, not just the pork chops, so the caramelized glaze doesn't tear or stick.
- Pat the pork chops dry before marinating. It helps the marinade cling and promotes a better caramelized crust on the grill.
Make-ahead, storage, and freezer tips
Storage: Store leftover cooked pork chops in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of water or broth, or in a 300°F oven, just until warmed through. The microwave works in a pinch but tends to dry the pork out.
Freezing cooked pork chops: Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. (Want to freeze the raw pork chops in their marinade instead? See the FAQ section below.)
Variations to Grilling Teriyaki Pork Chops
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Do you want to change up this recipe?
- Teriyaki Sauce: Store-bought teriyaki sauce can be used.
- Gluten-Free Options: Use coconut liquid aminos or tamari soy sauce
- Citrus: Try pineapple juice for a change of flavor.
- Sweetener: Brown sugar can be used.
- Low Glycemic Sweeteners: For dietary reasons, other sweeteners that can be used are monkfruit, Agave, or coconut sugar.
FAQs for the best Teriyaki Pork Chops
After a lot of recipe testing, I prefer using bone-in pork chops, about 1 ½ inches thick. The bone helps keep the pork juicy and tender, and prevents it from drying out as quickly on the grill.
Marinate the pork chops in the teriyaki marinade for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.
To freeze marinating pork chops: Combine the raw pork chops with the teriyaki marinade.
Place everything in a freezer bag or container in the freezer.
When ready to cook, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. The pork marinates as it defrosts. Discard marinade before cooking or grilling.
To cook pork chops on a grill, preheat the grill to medium-high heat, about 400°F, or use a grill pan over medium-high heat.
Depending on the thickness of the pork chops, slightly thicker chops are best to grill. After about 4 minutes, turn the pork over and grill another 3-4 minutes.
Internal temperature should be 145°F/63°C. Let pork rest about 5 minutes before serving to keep it juicy.
I did a lot of recipe testing, and adding orange juice to the teriyaki marinade gave the pork the zest it needed for juicy, tender pork chops.
What to serve with Teriyaki Pork Chops
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Eileen xo
If you click the number of servings to the right of the ingredients in the recipe card, you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
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Easy Teriyaki Pork Chops
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat add 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Add 1 medium chopped yellow onion and sauté about 2 minutes to soften the onions. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and ½ teaspoon fresh ginger (minced), sauté for another 30 to 40 seconds to bloom the garlic and soften the ginger.
- To the pan, add ½ cup orange juice, 3 Tablespoons homemade teriyaki sauce, 2 Tablespoons raw honey, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes to blend flavor. Remove from heat, let cool slightly. Use an immersion blender or blender to blend the marinade until smooth.
- Divide the marinade into two equal portions. Place the first half of the marinade in a storage bag or large mixing bowl with the pork chops to marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
- The second half of the teriyaki marinade will be used to brush onto the pork while grilled. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to grill.
- Preheat the grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. (Grill temperature should be 400 degrees) Remove pork from marinade.
- Place the marinated pork chops on the grill for about 4 minutes per side. Brush the teriyaki marinade on the pork chops while they are grilling.
- When the pork chops are cooked through, the internal temperature of the pork should be 145°F/63°C. Let pork rest about 5 minutes before serving.
- Optional, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley before serving. Serve along with your favorite sides.
