Chef John’s Grilled Lamb with Mint Orange Sauce

  4.9 – 47 reviews  • Chops

This dish for soft grilled lamb includes a lovely sauce made from a combination of orange, fresh mint, cinnamon, and a variety of Mediterranean herbs and spices.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Additional Time: 4 hrs
Total Time: 4 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 5

Ingredients

  1. 2 pounds lamb loin chops
  2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  3. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  4. 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  5. 1 teaspoon mixed herbs – Italian, Greek, or French blend
  6. ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  7. ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  8. ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  9. 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  10. salt to taste
  11. ¼ cup orange marmalade
  12. 1 pinch hot chili flakes
  13. ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
  14. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Instructions

  1. Place lamb chops in a large bowl. Season with olive oil, garlic, cumin, mixed herbs, pepper, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Toss until well coated with oil and seasonings. Cover and refrigerate. Allow to marinate at least 4 hours.
  2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate. Place lamb chops on grill. Sprinkle chops with a bit of salt. Grill until seared on the first side, 4 to 7 minutes depending on the size of the chops. Rotate chops a half turn on the grill about a minute before turning them. Turn and grill other side to desired doneness, another 4 to 7 minutes. For medium rare, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should bead 125 to 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Transfer to a serving dish and tent loosely with foil.
  3. Place marmalade in a bowl. Add chili flakes, mint, and rice vinegar. Stir together thoroughly.
  4. Brush sauce over the chops and serve.
  5. The magazine version of this recipe may be slightly different than the online version. Please follow directions carefully for whichever version you are using.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 438 kcal
Carbohydrate 12 g
Cholesterol 108 mg
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Protein 28 g
Saturated Fat 11 g
Sodium 126 mg
Sugars 10 g
Fat 31 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Joseph Williams
We like a spice kick so added more than a pinch of cayenne – probably 1/2 tsp. I forgot to get fresh mint, but as there was a sweet element with the marmalade I used mint jelly instead which we always have in the fridge. I’m trying to cut down the amount of fat in my diet and used the lamb equivalent of prime rib chops, the ones you see in a rack of lamb. I cooked the chops in a searing-hot cast iron pan rather than on the grill (difficult to grill in an apartment!) and they were perfectly good. It was delicious, the sauce is really good. I saw that another reviewer substituted pork chops so I’ll try that, also it looks like it would work really well with chicken thighs.
Tracey Randolph
One word……… FABULOUS!!!!!!!
Sarah Brown
So good! I think this recipe would work well with many fruit-based sauces. I followed the spice rub exactly, although only marinated for two hours. I had passionfruit sauce that I needed to use up, so I replaced the orange marmalade with it but followed the rest of the recipe including the rice vinegar and fresh mint. I glazed the lamb chops while they were still on the grill, about a minute on each side, and added another coat before serving.? We were so impressed!
Kathryn Hanson MD
First, this turned out great. But the video bore little resemblance to the recipe. I assumed that the ratings were for the recipe and not the video, so I basically followed the recipe. Publix labeled the meat as “lamb shoulder round bone chops” which is more consistent with the video. I marinated the lamb overnight using the recipe, but I made the sauce from the video. I cooked the lamb on the grill and served with baked potato wedges, grilled asparagus, and a nice Cab. Great meal.
Brian Payne
Will be making again. Sweet, spiced and tender.
Teresa Bruce
This is a wonderful way to grill lamb chops! Our whole family, including two teenage boys, loved it! The orange marmalade sauce was delicious and I used the leftovers on rye bread for breakfast the next morning. I cooked the lamb over medium heat on a gas grill, about 5 minutes per side, which resulted in “done” (no pink) but very tender. Thank you, Chef John!
Erin Rosales
Excellent! I made this exactly as described except that I used small leg-of-lamb steaks instead of chops. I’m normally not an orange marmalade fan, but combined with the mint, rice vinegar and pepper flakes, it made a really delicious sauce. I served it with steamed broccoli and brown rice with quinoa… the sauce was delicious on those too.
Jordan Reyes
Chef John, another great recipe! I didn’t have the mixed herbs, or fresh mint unfortunately , but used a really good Mint sauce. It was delicious served with baby roasted potatoes with some grated Parmesan sprinkled on the potatoes and Steamed asparagus on the side. Loved the marmalade glaze (Home made marmalade by the way). Very delicious dinner. Will be a regular choice when we have lamb
Melissa Parker
This was vert tasty and my family loved it
Marissa Kennedy
The best lamb chops I’ve ever made!!!
Joseph Smith
Turned out delicious! My lamb chops were very thick, but I kept the grill low so they didn’t burn. It took a little longer, but they came out great!
Sarah Evans
I cooked mine in a skillet instead of on the grill and yes, I would make it again. I used Lamb Blade Chops and they were thick but came out perfectly cooked and with great flavor. Next time I’ll use a little more salt. Otherwise the seasoning was perfectly balanced. Was delicious with a red wine from Portugal!
Michelle Green
I made this recipe for Passover, and follow the directions exactly including the extra ingredient pomegranate juice. I believe the pomegranate juice made it very tender and little juicy. The flavor of the Lamb was outstanding and I could cut it with a butter knife. I will definitely be making this again.
Donald Davis
My Lamb Chop with the Mint Orange Sauce was delicious! R. Winn
Cindy Acosta
Well, I didn’t exactly make it but I followed the seasonings to make ground lamb patties to serve gyro-style. I want to try it with the orange mint sauce as well.
Lindsay Goodwin
All I can say is “Wow” This is probably the best lamb chop recipe I’ve made. The flavors are amazing. Highly recommend!
Steven Thomas
My first time cooking lamb fillets. I followed the instructions and went with the Greek Spice Blend. I grilled them to medium rare. Delicious.
Tanner Carroll
THIS IS NOT THE SAME RECIPE AS ON THE VIDEO – THE ONE ON THE VIDEO LOOKS AMAZING
Amber Martin
We loved this. I really did not change anything!
Paul Simmons
I used a butterflied lamb but made it exactly as the recipe indicated. Both my wife and I thought it was delicious. I saved it to my favorites and willl make it again
Kathy Garcia
Beyond! Strange combo of flavors make for phenomenal lamb chops. I cut back the cumin to one teaspoon for sensitive palates. My go to recipe for lamb chops. Don’t omit the mint!

 

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