Amazing Air Fryer Lamb Chops (with easy to find ingredients)

Not everyone loves lamb chops, but if you do, this version makes them so juicy and savory with easy to find ingredients.  Make a gourmet meal in 15 minutes or less in the air fryer.

Serve these juicy chops with no milk mashed potatoes, mashed purple sweet potatoes, or Japanese mushroom rice.

No muss, no fuss

Sometimes you truly appreciate the air fryer, and this is one of them.

As if you're going to heat up a skillet, have it splatter all over the stovetop, and clean it?

[shake head]

Make a gourmet meal at home with this very easy recipe and inexpensive lamb chops.

What kind of lamb chop?

Lamb chops = expensive

Lamb loin chops = much cheaper

Jamie Oliver does a very nice job explaining the difference between cuts of lamb.

I'm able to find very lamb loin chops very inexpensively at the regular grocery store.  And, they are usually grass fed and pasture raised too.

The only problem with loin chops is that they tend to have a lot of fat, which holds that gamey taste.

That gamey lamb taste

Some people don't like lamb because it is gamey.

According to this Splendid Table article,

It all comes down to is its fat and a particular type of fatty acid that lambs have that beef doesn't. It's called branched-chain fatty acid. This is something that humans can detect at tiny levels. It's what gives lamb this gamy, more earthy taste than beef.

That fatty acid has a smoke point that is lower than pork or beef.

To avoid accentuating that gamey flavor, you're best bet it is to cook it at temperatures below 375 degrees F to avoid smoking the fat and releasing the game.

The Secret Ingredient

Dijon mustard makes these lamb chops.

If you haven't had lamb cooked with dijon mustard, it just adds this unbelievable flavor that olive oil, salt and pepper just won't do.

It also helps mask that gamey flavor.

How long do you cook lamb chops in the air fryer?

In the Philips air fryer, it takes just about 4-5 minutes per side at 375 - 400 degrees F.

You get far more crusty brown goodness at 400 degrees, but use 375 degrees F if you'd like the least gamey flavor possible.

Since the marinade in this recipe is very wet, it won't actually get very brown anyway.

This is a quick cooking method for lamb chops. This cut needs to be cooked either quickly or braised for an hour to tenderize all those muscly sinews.

The Process

Step #1 - S&P

This chop needs salt as most red meats do.

I put a liberal dose of salt and pepper on both sides of the meat like a light snowfall.

Step #2 - Marinate

Mix together:

• extra virgin olive oil
• dijon mustard
• herbs - any combination of dried or fresh thyme, rosemary, chives, marjoram, mint, parsley or anything else.  I would just don't think cilantro would work well here.
• leave some fresh chopped parsley for garnish if you have it

Step #3 - Brush

Brush the mixtures on to both sides of the lamb.

Step #4 - Air fry

Cook at 375 degrees F for 5 minutes on each side or 400 degrees F for 4 minutes of each side.

I don't bother preheating the air fryer.  I haven't found it to save that much time.

The internal temp should be 135 degrees F for medium doneness or 145 degrees F for medium well.

I don't think this cut is suited for rare or medium rare temperatures.  Those work better for a rack of lamb.

Rather than take the temperature, I push my finger into the meat. If the flesh springs back, it is medium to medium well.  If it feels "mushy" inside, it is rare to medium rare.

Return to the air fryer for 1-3 minutes if additional cook time is needed.

Step #5 - Serve hot

Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley if you have it or a glass of wine.

Wine Pairing

It took me a long while to find the right dish to pair with a French Malbec from the Cahors region provided by the winery.

Dusty blueberry notes were gamey a little like lamb.  Together, though, all the rich blue and black fruit came to the forefront, and turned this little air fryer number into a French countryside meal.

Tips to make it better @ home

1. The earlier you can salt your meat the better, up to a day before.
2. Use dried herbs if you don't have fresh ones on hand.  Except cilantro might now work so well in this dish.
3. Could you try this with regular mustard or grain mustard? I supposed but dijon mustard is very pungent and stands up that lamb gameiness.
4. To avoid accentuating that gamey flavor, you're best bet it is to cook it at 375 degrees F.  Use 400 degrees F for extra browning.
5. Pair with an earthy French Malbec wine or musty red wine. The lamb will bring out all the juicy fruit notes in the wine.

Recipe

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