Grilled Lamb Chops Recipe with Bonus Guide to Cuts

Lamb lovers, this one’s for you! Don’t let lamb intimidate you—this easy dinner recipe for Grilled Lamb Chops with veggies and vibrant chimichurri made with fresh herbs is as simple as it is delicious. Perfect for weeknights or weekend grilling, it’s a flavorful way to impress without the stress.

This grilled lamb chops recipe post is sponsored by lamb producers from the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. I am happy to partner with them to share this delicious recipe with you. 

Jump to:

• Why You Should Consider Cooking Lamb
• Rich Flavor + Nutrition
• How to Buy and Cook Lamb
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Grilling Lamb Chops
• Recipe

Why You Should Consider Cooking Lamb

Up until a year or so ago, I would pass right on by the lamb in the meat section of my grocery store without even thinking. “Who really cooks that anyways?” was my common thought, if I even had one. Honestly, I think this response comes from a lack of knowledge and experience with lamb more than anything else. I never ate it growing it up and for some reason, I thought it was a super complicated meat to work with. 

In the past year, however, my attitude toward lamb has completely changed. This is largely in part to a sponsored trip I took to New Orleans last year with The Tri-Lamb Group to learn all about lamb at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine. It was an incredible experience learning how lamb is raised, the different ways to cook it and the many flavor options.

So now, I am authentically a lamb fan, and it makes me very happy to present to you this Grilled Lamb Chops with Chimichurri recipe. Take a look:

Rich Flavor + Nutrition

Lamb is a favorite in Mediterranean cuisines. Being who I am (a registered dietitian), and this website being what it is (Make Healthy Easy), there has to be some nutrition angle about lamb to get me excited enough to share it with you. So here’s the good news. 

While it’s often not even brought up in the “healthy protein” conversation, lamb holds its own as a great choice in a healthy diet:

• On average, a 3 oz serving of lamb is considered a lean protein and has about 150 calories. This perfect portion (which happens to be the size of most rib and loin chops) is also an excellent source of protein.
• Lamb provides a wide array of nutrients needed for a healthy body. It provides 34% of the Daily Value of niacin,14.61% of selenium (making it an good source), 79.16% of vitamin B12 and 25.18% of zinc.
• The type of fat found in lamb is also noteworthy as 40% of the total fatty acid content comes from healthy monounsaturated fat. That’s pretty significant. 

Lastly, I think it’s very interesting to briefly talk about how lamb is raised. While some lamb are finished on grain, they spend most of their time grazing on pastures. The shepherds that care for the lambs commit to practices that foster animal well-being. These shepherds remain intimately involved in their day to day life. The lamb we enjoy in the US comes from our country as well as Australian lamb and lambs from New Zealand. 

How to Buy and Cook Lamb

You may be passing right on by the lamb at your grocery store too. When I stopped to look, I realized my store carries lamb nearly year round.

Lamb Meat Cuts

I've seen various cuts of lamb at my local grocery store. The most common cuts I find regularly stocked are ground, chops, loin and leg/shoulder. Here's a quick breakdown of a few different lamb cuts:

• Lamb Shank: this cut of meat comes from the lamb leg 
• Rack of Lamb: this is the unsplit primal rib. When two rib roasts are sewn together, it makes a lamb crown roast forming a circle or crown.
• Lamb Shoulder Chops: the shoulder has excess fat, strong flavor, and inexpensive compared to other cuts of meat.
• Lamb Neck: a versatile cut of lamb with high fat and good for slow cooking.
• Lamb Breast: contains excess fat but is a flavorful cut good for low heat recipes with long cooking times. 

Cooking Techniques

• Lamb Shank: best for slow cooking methods. This method will help break down the connective tissue and create a tender meat.
• Ground lamb: use like any ground meat. Cook to an internal temperature of well done at  170 degrees F.  
• Single Rib Chops: perfect for searing and grilling. Cook to medium rare at 145 degrees F. 
• Lamb Loin chops: grill or sear indoors. 
• Legs and shoulders: the right choice for braising low and slow until an internal temperature of medium at 160 degrees F to well done at 170 degrees F.

Don’t be afraid to ask the butcher at your store to cut up one of the pieces of meat to make it work for a recipe. You can also order a certain cut of meat ahead of time if it’s not usually carried in your store. My store usually gets me a certain cut in 1-2 days. 

Ingredients

Chimichurri Sauce

• Olive oil
• Garlic cloves (minced)
• Kosher salt
• Jalapeno (seeds removed, finely chopped)
• Fresh lime juice
• Fresh cilantro (chopped)
• Fresh Italian parsley (chopped)

(See recipe card for exact quantities.)

Grilled Lamb Chops and Veggies

• Roasted Tri-colored Mini Sweet Peppers and Cherry Tomato Medley
• Tri-colored mini sweet peppers (rinsed and dried)
• Multi-colored cherry tomato medley (rinsed and dried)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Grilled Lamb Loin Chop
• Lamb loin chop (4-5 oz each bone-in)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. For the Chimichurri Sauce, heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and remove from heat; let stand for a few minutes, allowing to cool. Stir in the salt and jalapeno.
2. In a small bowl, combine the cilantro, parsley, lime juice, and garlic oil mixture; set aside.
3. Preheat the gas grill over high heat.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes; toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
5. Cook the vegetables on the grill for about 5-10 minutes, turning the vegetables a few times to prevent burning and allowing to cook on all sides.
6. Remove the vegetables from the grill and place them on a platter.
7. Preheat grill over high heat.
8. Lightly brush olive oil on grill grates.
9. Pat lamb dry with paper towel. Rub both sides of chops with salt and pepper.
10. Grill lamb chops on hot grill about 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked to 145°F for medium rare.
11. Transfer the lamb chops to the serving platter with the grilled vegetables.
12. Top the platter with the reserved Cilantro Parsley Chimichurri Sauce and serve.

Equipment

A great addition to your grilling tools is this meat thermometer. It can withstand high heat and has two thermometers that can be used simultaneously. I really like that you can actually leave this instant-read thermometer in your meat, on the grill. 

Storage

Allow to cool to room temperature, and then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Grilling Lamb Chops

I think the best method to cook lamb, especially if you're a beginner, is to grill lamb chops. This Grilled Lamb Chops recipe with Chimichurri and grilled peppers and tomatoes seriously knocked my socks off (as well as a few other people). It convinced me that grilled lamb needs to happen much more often in my life. It’s seriously so easy to grill, just like any other meat. It’s quick because lamb chops are the perfect, individual portion size. 

The flavor of lamb is so rich (in a great way) that it needs little help to taste delicious. This lamb chop recipe couldn’t be easier, but it tastes like you slaved all day! As I mentioned in the video, it is perfect for casual al fresco dinners any time of the year. Here’s the full recipe:

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Recipe

I hope you give this grilled lamb chops recipe a try the next time you have friends coming to your dinner table or for any special occasions. I’m pretty sure you will win the night with this easy recipe. 

For more recipes using your outdoor grill, try my Grilled Green Beans with Pistachio Pesto and my Chimichurri Beef Burger with Grilled Carrots. 

Cheers!