Marinated Lamb Chops with Mint and Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• Simple preparation
• Delicious sauce that is perfect for lamb chops
• The marinade brings a great flavor to the chops
• Grilling is easy and reduces the cleanup
• The short marination time is only a few hours

Why Marinate Lamb Chops

Marinating lamb chops, or any cut of meat for that matter, is one of the most used ways to impart flavors to whatever you are going to cook. There is an element of tenderization as well as keeping the meat juicier, but it's mostly for the flavor. The combination of ingredients in a good marinade result in flavorful and juicy lamb chops that complement the lamb's natural flavors.

The lamb marinade in this recipe is great for a tender cut of lamb, such as lamb rib chops, although it can easily be used for a variety of lamb cuts such as leg of lamb, loin chops, or lamb steaks if desired. It is our go-to lamb marinade, and what we feel is the best lamb marinade for flavorful meat! 

How to Buy Good Lamb Chops

Lamb is raised in many different parts of the world. Here in the US, Colorado lamb is widely available. However, we can also find lamb from Australia and New Zealand (we find the Frenched rack of these at Costco). The American rack of lamb tends to be the largest in size and has the most assertive, gamey flavor of the three. The New Zealand and Australian racks are our preference by a wide margin due to the more delicate lamb flavor and tenderness of the meat. They are smaller, but have a sweeter, better flavor in our opinion and are the best lamb chops for those who don't love gamey meats.

Generally, younger lamb will not have any significant gamey flavor that you find in even slightly older lambs or sheep, which produce mutton. 

Ingredients

Here is what you need to make this recipe:

For the Simple Marinade:

• Lamb: We usually have one whole rack of lamb per two people (about 1.5-2 pounds per rack) for a good amount of meat per person. The rack is trimmed and cut into 8 individual lamb chops and we plan for 4 chops per person. 
• Neutral Oil: Neutral oil is used in the marinade. We like to use avocado oil, but grapeseed oil or canola oil will work here as well.
• White Wine: A little dry white wine brings acidity and flavor to the marinade. We use sauvignon blanc, but Pinot Grigio is another good option. 
• Lemon: Both the zest and juice of a lemon are in the marinade.
• Fresh Mint: Chopped fresh mint leaves are a natural pairing for lamb and it goes great in the marinade and yogurt sauce.
• Yellow Onion: A little onion is great in almost every marinade and this one is no exception
• Garlic: Lamb loves garlic and so do we in this marinade. Fresh garlic cloves are the preferred choice here.
• Ground Cinnamon: This warm spice really enhances the flavor of grilled lamb chops.
• Oregano: Dried oregano adds a nice, deep flavor.
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper

For the Yogurt Sauce:

• Greek Yogurt: We like Greek yogurt the best as the basis for the sauce, but any plain yogurt will work here as well.
• Fresh Cilantro: Cilantro pairs well with lamb as well as mint and adds another dimension to the sauce.
• Fresh Mint: Lamb's natural partner is perfect in the sauce.
• Lemon: Lemon zest and just a little of the juice enhances the flavor of the sauce.
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper: We tried the sauce without pepper and it's definitely better with it in.
• Champagne Vinegar: Just a dash really wakes up this sauce!

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

Here are a couple of common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

• Lamb: Lamb loin chops are a good substitution for the rack of lamb if desired.
• Lemon: Lime can be used instead of lemon anywhere in the recipe.
• Cilantro: If you are someone who doesn't like cilantro, omit it and use more mint in the sauce.
• Champagne Vinegar: White wine vinegar is a good substitute for Champagne vinegar. 

How to Make Marinated Lamb Chops

This simple recipe just requires 3 hours of marination. Once that is done, the sauce takes no time and the lamb chops can be grilled to perfection in about 10 minutes! 

Equipment

Here is what you need to make this dish

• Blender for the marinade. Either a regular electric blender or an immersion blender will work.
• Large Bowl  for the marinade and lamb chops.
• Plastic Wrap  to cover the bowl of marinade and lamb chops.
• Small Bowl  for the herby yogurt sauce.
• Grill: Charcoal/wood, gas, or propane all work perfectly.
• Instant-read thermometer/ meat thermometer to temp the lamb for desired doneness.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare the Marinade

• Add all of the marinade ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. 

Marinate the Lamb

• Cut the lamb into individual chops, and add the individual lamb chops to the bowl of marinade, ensuring that all of the meat is fully submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator for three hours. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling to bring the lamb closer to room temperature. 

Make the Sauce

• While the lamb marinates, add all of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and mix with a spatula until combined. Cover and refrigerate until the lamb is ready to grill, then remove the sauce to take some of the chill from it. 

Grill the Lamb Chops

• Remove the lamb chops from the marinade and place them directly on the hot grill. The chops are done when the internal temperature reaches 130°F, which will take around 5 minutes per side.
• Remove the lamb chops from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving. The carryover cooking during the 5 minutes will produce perfectly medium-rare lamb chops. Serve with a bit of the sauce and your favorite side dish! 

Variations

Here are a couple ways to change up this recipe:

• You could use pork chops instead of lamb chops if desired. If so, marinate the pork for 5 hours for best results.
• If you're one of the folks that hates cilantro, use more mint in its place.

Storage

How to store leftover marinated lamb chops:

• Store leftover lamb chops in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

How to reheat leftover marinated lamb chops:

• The best way to reheat leftover lamb chops is wrapped in foil in a 325°F oven until warmed through. They are also delicious cold!

Can you freeze leftover lamb chops?

The leftover lamb chops can be frozen in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. When you want to eat them, first defrost in the fridge then follow the reheating instructions above.

Troubleshooting

If you don't have a blender, the marinade will still work. Just chop the onion, garlic, and mint finely first.

What to serve with Marinated Lamb Chops

Rice or potatoes and a nice vegetable go perfectly with lamb chops. Since you're using the grill, consider grilling a vegetable or multiple vegetables on a skewer to serve with the lamb!

Our favorite vegetable sides to serve with these marinated lamb chops are green beans, zucchini, or eggplant.

For potatoes, you can go a little fancier with fondant potatoes or potato pave. Or do a simple mashed potato or hasselback potato.

What Wines To Drink with Marinated Lamb Chops

These lamb chops are a perfect pairing with a bold Cabernet Sauvignon from California! There are many options, however, such as Bordeaux, Merlot, Zinfandel, or a bold Australian Shiraz.