My grilled baby lamb chops with rosemary & thyme & roast garlic aioli on the side is a great meal for company since you can do a lot of it the day before. This is ALMOST a make ahead meal. Make your aioli and marinate your lamb the night before. Then you are just grilling your meat and serving when the guests arrive. Total cook time is under 20 minutes.
Don’t worry if you forgot to marinate your meat or make the aioli the night before. The roast garlic aioli comes together quickly and you can do a quick marinade (30-60 minutes) if you are in a rush.
Purchase your baby lamb chops already slide into chops. Alternatively, you can buy a rack of lamb and slice them yourself. Scrape off excess fat from the bones..
To get started on the recipe, I like to make the marinade. You are simply mixing the marinade ingredients in a measuring cup. I place the lamb chops and the marinade in a large zip lock bag, seal and squish the marinade into the meat. Place in the fridge overnight, flipping the bag several times.
How to make roast garlic aioli
When you are ready to grill the lamb chops, remove the lamb chops from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature for even cooking. This will take about 30 minutes.
Drain the liquid from the chops and scrape off any excess. Using either a grill pan (if cooking indoors) or an outdoor grill, place the chops on the greased pan or grill grates. I spray my skillet with cooking spray and I’ll use paper towels doused with oil to wipe the grill grates on my barbecue grill. This will keep the chops from sticking.
I quickly sear the chops on both sides over high heat for about two minutes on each side. If cooking in the house, I place the seared chops on a baking sheet and put in a 350 degree F. oven for 7-10 minutes to fully cook to my desired temperature. On an outdoor grill, after the hard sear, I move them to the cool side of the grill for another 10 minutes.
I like lamb chops cooked to 140 – 145 degrees F. Please use a thermometer. No guessing here. I tend to cook lamb slightly more than beef and look for more of a medium (slightly pink on the inside). The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that it should be cooked until at least 145 degrees F.
As with all cooked meat, let the chops rest covered with foil for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with the aioli on the side and enjoy. If you like this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below.
Looking for other tasty lamb recipes? Here are some of my favorites.
Braised Lamb Shanks
Rosemary Lamb Loin Chops with Pomegrante Glaze
Lamb Meatballs with Baked Feta Pasta
Lollipop Lamb Chops with Pistachio Pesto and Pomegrante Seeds
Grilled Baby Lamb Chops With Rosemary & Thyme & Roast Garlic Aioli
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS FOR LAMB
- 16 Individual Baby Lamb Chops trimmed of excess fat
- Salt & Pepper
INGREDIENTS FOR LAMB MARINADE
- 3 Tbsps. Chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 4 Chopped garlic cloves
- 1 Tablespoon Dried oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 Cup Olive oil
ROAST GARLIC AIOLI INGREDIENTS
- 8 Large Cloves garlic (unpeeled)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the aioli recipe below.
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Put the lamb chops in two extra large zip lock bags and divide the marinade evenly among the bags. Massage the meat so that all the chops are covered with the marinade. You can keep these in the refrigerator overnight for a long marinade OR for 30 – 60 minutes on the counter. If marinating overnight, bring the chops to room temperature before cooking.
- Heat a grill pan on the stove or heat up the outdoor grill. Scrape off the excess marinade and salt and pepper the lamb. Grill the chops until they are well seared on both sides. Put the chops on a tin foil lined pan and finish cooking in the oven until they reach the desired doneness. (5-10 minutes)
- Serve with the aioli on the side.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR AIOLI
- Place the garlic cloves, olive oil and salt and pepper in a square of tin foil. Please on a backing sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes until the cloves are soft. Carefully open the foil packet. Squeeze out the tender cloves of garlic into a medium bowl and mash with the olive oil from the pouch until smooth. Mix in the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice and Worcestershire to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Your Aioli is ready to go. (This can also be refrigerated over night.)
- Once the lamb has rested (about 5 minutes) serve warm with the aioli on the side.
