Vietnamese Pork Chops (Com Suon Nuong)

Name: Vietnamese Pork Chops
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 525 min
Ingredients: 2 stalks lemongrass (minced); 2 to 3 shallots (minced (½ cup)); 4 cloves garlic (minced); 4 tbsp fish sauce; 4 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium); 3 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tbsp oil; 4 pork chops (bone-in); 4 cups cooked rice; cucumbers; quick pickled carrots; scallion oil

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Easy to make and packed with flavour, this Vietnamese Pork Chops recipe comes together with only a few simple ingredients! This is a classic Vietnamese recipe that you can find at any restaurant. It’s a hearty meal that you can make at home in a few simple steps.

You’re going to love this simple Vietnamese pork chop recipe. It’s so easy to make and I love preparing it ahead of time, freezing it, and then pulling it out on a busy weeknight. It’s always a crowd-pleaser and I always start drooling once I smell the fragrant aromatics.

A plate with Vietnamese pork chop on top of rice with scallion oil, cucumbers, and pickled carrots.

Growing up, this Vietnamese pork chops recipe was always my go-to. I’m obsessed with the marinade for these pork chops and my favourite part was literally the rice under the pork chops that absorbed the marinade. It is so flavourful and I always wish I had enough room to eat a second serving!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make Vietnamese pork chops.

shallots — I love the flavours from the shallots but if you do not have any, you can use yellow onion. However, I highly recommend you use shallots if possible.
garlic — in my opinion, the more garlic, the better!
lemongrass — if you cannot find lemongrass, lemongrass paste will work as well. I’ve recently found lemongrass in the freezer section so I stock up whenever I see it so take a look in the freezer section the next time you’re at a Asian grocer!
fish sauce — this adds a savory umami element that is difficult to replicate. While I’m not a big fan of fish sauce, it works well in this recipe and you don’t even notice it.
soy sauce — I recommend using light sodium soy sauce.
brown sugar — I prefer dark brown sugar in this lemongrass pork chops recipe but you can always use light brown sugar instead.
oil — use a neutral oil of your choice. I usually just use olive oil as it’s right on my kitchen counter.
pork chops — use bone-in pork chops for the best flavour! In the photos, I’m using a centre cut, but you can use any cut. Do not trim the fat!!! It is SO flavourful.

For the plate

quick pickled carrots and cucumbers— I love serving these Viet pork chops with pickled carrots and cucumbers. They add a refreshing flavour to the plate.
rice — I serve mine with jasmine rice.
scallion oil — I love serving these pork chops with scallion oil. I have the instructions on how to make them down below. H likes to have his with nuoc mam but I prefer scallion oil.

How to Make Vietnamese Pork Chops

Minced shallots, lemongrass, and garlic in a bowl.

Vietnamese pork chop marinade in a bowl.

In a bowl mix together the minced shallots, garlic, and lemongrass.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and oil. Mix to combine.
Add the pork chops to the marinade. Marinate overnight or for a minimum of 2 hours.

Four marinated pork chops on a lined sheet pan.

Heat oven to 375°F.
To a foil lined sheet pan, add the pork chops.
Bake the pork chops for 15 to 20 minutes, more if they’re very thick.
Finish off the pork chops by heating a cast-iron pan with a thin layer of oil over medium-high heat. Brush off excess lemongrass/garlic/shallots (they’ll burn!) the pork chops and sear them for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Let them rest for 3 to 5 minutes before serving so the moisture can redistribute throughout the pork chops.

Recipe Tips and Notes

Ideally, you marinate this pork chop recipe overnight for the best flavour.
The shallots, garlic, and lemongrass need to be minced finely. You can blitz them in a food processor if you’re having trouble with cutting them finely.
This recipe is pretty flexible. I usually make them like my mom would, by eyeballing the marinade ingredients, so I took a day to make this while measuring exactly how much of each ingredient I put in. So if you’re off by a splash, don’t worry, it’ll still taste amazing!
While the pork chops are perfect as-is, it’s usually served with broken rice. They’re half-sized grains of rice but I usually serve my lemongrass pork chops with jasmine rice as it’s more readily available in my pantry. You can also order it with a fried egg but I usually don’t as I find the meal to be filling enough without it.
This Vietnamese pork chop recipe can be grilled, baked, or cooked on the stove-top with a grill pan or cast-iron pan. I personally prefer baking mine in the oven then finished off on the stove-top for a nice sear. This way I can work on other sides while the pork is cooking in the oven.
If you do not want to finish these pork chops off in the pan, you can broil them in the oven. Keep a close eye on the pork chops and flip them so they broil evenly.
When marinating, make sure as much of the pork chops are submerged. If not, try to rotate the pork every few hours.

My Recommendation

This is my go-to meat thermometer for making sure that the internal temperature of my meat is good to go. It’s also magnetic so I have it on my fridge door to save drawer space!

Get it Now!

Close up of a Vietnamese pork chop over a bed of rice with scallions on top.

What is lemongrass?

Lemongrass is an herb that smells like its namesake, lemon. It’s made from stalks of the lemongrass plant and is grown in tropical climates. So what does lemongrass taste like? Lemongrass is like a mix between lemon and ginger.

When using fresh lemongrass, you want to remove the bottom bulb of the stalk and remove any thick and tough outer “husk.” Be sure to avoid lemongrass that looks or feels brittle and the colour of them has started brown.

How to make scallion oil?

Wash the green oils and trim off the tops and bottoms. Pat them dry and slice them up and transfer them to a heat-proof dish.

Add oil to a pot or skillet and heat on medium-high heat for around 30 seconds. Test if it’s ready by dropping one piece of sliced green onion into it. It should sizzle.

Carefully pour the hot oil into the bowl of green onions and stir to combine.

How do I pan-fry or grill these pork chops?

Simply add the pork chops in a single layer (in batches if pan-frying), and cook until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145 °F. I flip the pork chops every couple of minutes so they cook evenly. The time will depend on the thickness of your pork chops.

Make Ahead Tips

Meal prep: once cooled, store the cooked pork chops in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. These pork chops reheat really well in the air fryer!
Freezer: all the pork chops with the marinade to an airtight container or ziptop bag before storing them in the freezer. They can last for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and cook as directed.