How to Grill Lamb Chops (Chimichurri Sauce)

Learn how to grill lamb chops in a chimichurri sauce. This simple method will give you really juicy meat with a sauce that is so fresh and flavorful. It’s a perfect recipe for special occasions.

Grilled Lamb Chops are such a special treat, especially marinated in a Chimichurri Sauce, which gives them a really terrific garlic and herb flavor. It’s so easy and quick to prepare and is perfect to serve for special occasions when you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. Lamb is most definitely a great option when you want to serve something special for company or for holidays and special occasions. It’s delicious, impressive and couldn’t be easier to make. Lamb chops are so tender, as long as you don’t overcook them, and I will show you a few tricks how to get a great sear on the outside without overcooking the meat in the center too.

I think it’s especially wonderful for the days when you just can’t commit to anything that requires time consuming prep work. It literally takes a few minutes to make the sauce – just mix everything up in the blender. The sauce is used both to marinate the lamb and then to serve alongside the grilled meat as an extra boost of flavor.

Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe with measurements.

• lamb chops
• salt, ground black pepper

Chimichurri Sauce

• olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• fresh parsley
• fresh cilantro
• green onion
• garlic
• crushed red pepper flakes
• salt, ground black pepper

Preparing the Lamb Chops For Grilling

If you buy the partially trimmed rack of lamb, the prep is very minimal.

1. Trim off some of the excess fat cap and discard.
2. Use a sharp knife to cut the rack of lamb into lamb chops, by cutting in between the rib bones. You can choose to cut them into smaller pieces, by cutting in between each rib bone, or cut them into larger pieces by cutting lamb chops that have two rib bones.

We prefer cutting the lamb chops into thicker chops, with 2 rib bones for each section. You can get a much better sear on the lamb chops without overcooking them. The meat stays much juicier that way.

How to Grill Lamb Chops

1. Season the lamb chops evenly with salt and ground black pepper on both sides. Set aside in a large bowl.
2. Prepare the chimichurri sauce.
   • Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor. Process all the ingredients in the food processor until smooth.
   • You can also just use a knife and minced the garlic and the herbs as small as possible and then mix with the olive oil, vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes.
3. Set aside at least half of the sauce to be served on the side of the grilled lamb chops later.
   • You will have more than enough sauce to marinate up to 2 racks of lamb, but don’t make less than the full recipe if you are using the blender or the food processor. The sauce won’t mix properly if you don’t have enough ingredients.
4. Pour the remaining sauce over the lamb chops and mix until the sauce is evenly covering the lamb.
   • There is no need to marinate the meat for an extensive amount of time unless you want to prep it for your own convenience.
   • If marinating in advance, keep the meat and the reserved sauce refrigerated, tightly covered. Remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before grilling. 
5. Preheat the grill on high for at least 20-30 minutes, covered.
6. Finally, grill the lamb chops.
   • Place the lamb chops on the diagonal on  the preheated grill.
   • Cook, covered, for about 5 minutes, until you get a nice golden color and sear, flip to another part of the grill that is also hot, so that the second side is placed on searing hot grates as well.
   • Grill for another 3-5 minutes, depending on how thick your lamb chops are and depending on how you like the meat to be cooked.
7. Serve the grilled lamb chops with the reserved Chimichurri Sauce.

What Meat Should You Buy When Cooking Lamb Chops?

Lamb chops are sold in three different ways.

1. Lamb chops – cut into chops with the rib bone attached to the meat,
2. Untrimmed rack of lamb-  this has the entire fat cap attached to the rib bones
3. Partially or fully frenched rack of lamb – this is where part of the fat cap is trimmed and the end of the bones are either fully or partially cleaned (this is called frenched).

I recommend buying the partially or fully frenched rack of lamb. When you buy the lamb chops that are cut already at the store, they are often butchered very unevenly and you have very thin, jagged lamb chops. Many times they are so thin, that it is impossible to get a sear on the lamb chops without overcooking them on the inside. Plus, it’s usually much more expensive.

When you buy the untrimmed rack of lamb, you will need to cut off A LOT of the fat cap and it will just be discarded, so even though it’s supposedly more economical, it won’t be by the time to  cut off and throw out half of it. Plus, cleaning the rib bones is a lot of fussy work – it’s not hard, but time consuming for sure.

I bought the partially trimmed rack of lamb at Costco.

What to serve with Grilled Lamb Chops

• Roasted Smashed Potatoes
• Long Grain White Rice
• Tomato Avocado Salad
• Grilled Zucchini and Mushrooms

Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

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