Charred and tangy, spicy and juicy, these Habanero Grilled Pork Chops up your dinner game any night of the week; they’re perfect for weekend grilling too!
These easy Habanero Grilled Pork Chops are seriously flavorful! They’re perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, and they’re fun for weekend grilling with friends (with wine on the side, obvi). Grilled Pork Chops are inexpensive to buy, making them perfect for Labor Day Weekend too!

Truth be told, I love a little heat, but my taste buds generally do not. This makes no sense to my husband, but I am who I am – what can I say? These Habanero Grilled Pork Chops spicy, but not over-the-top-I-can’t-handle-it-hot. I wouldn’t do that to you (or me).
WHAT KIND OF PORK CHOPS SHOULD I BUY FOR GRILLING?
Bone in pork chops are the best for grilling. For this pork chop recipe, you’ll want a pork chop that is at least 1-inch thick to use on the grill. If you don’t see any out for purchase in the meat case, you should be able to ask the butcher at the meat counter, and they’ll cut for you. Ask for a 1 1/2 to 2 inch bone-in center cut rib chop or loin chop.


HOW TO MAKE A HABANERO MARINADE:
A super simple marinade with the spice of 1-habanero, fresh lemongrass and coconut aminos will take regular pork chops from standard to flavorful in no time at all.
To make this marinade, you’ll need to whisk the following ingredients together:
- 1 habanero chile, seeded, very finely chopped
- 2 lemongrass stalks. chopped (look for already trimmed at your grocery store)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce (look for no sugar added if on a whole30)
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
You can easily use a mini chopper to chop the habanero chile, lemongrass and garlic before stirring together with the remaining ingredients.

If you don’t have time to pull out the grill, you can easily make these Habanero Grilled Pork Chop using a grill pan on the stovetop. Cheers!

Habanero Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1 habanero chile - seeded, very finely chopped
- 2 lemongrass stalks. chopped - look for already trimmed at your grocery store
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce - look for no sugar added if on a whole30
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 4 (1 1/2-inch thick bone-in pork chops
- 3 tablespoons olive oil - plus more for grill
Instructions
- Using a fork, prick pork chops all over and add to a bag or shallow dish (13×9).
- Whisk to combine chopped habanero, lemongrass, garlic, orange juice, fish sauce, coconut aminos and vinegar in a small bowl. Pour marinade over pierced pork chops and seal in bag or shallow dish and turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes.
- Prepare grill to medium-high heat; oil grate with olive oil. Remove pork chops from marinade and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Grill four minutes over direct heat, until charred and flip, cooking for 3-4 more minutes, until cooked through, about 6–8 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and let rest 5 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition
Thank you to CK Mondavi and Family for sponsoring today’s post. All opinions are my own. Please see the disclaimer here.
I am in love with this recipe. Great combo of heat and sweet with a huge bonus of CK Mondavi wine!!
I love a good pork chop and this one combining flavors of habanero and lemongrass sounds amazing! The CK Mondavi Sweet Red Blend is perfect to contrast the spicy notes. Cheers!