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Za’atar Lamb Chops

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Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za’atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt. Cook them on the grill or make them in the Air fryer!

Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za'atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt.
Air Fryer (or Grilled) Lamb Chops

My family loves lamb chops, I make this quick and easy dish all year long served with this Feta Chopped Salad, delish! You can make it on the grill, broiler, grill pan or air fryer!

Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za'atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt.

Za’atar is a tasty blend of spices used for amazing Mediterranean dishes. You can make it yourself of buy the blend, I use Penzey’s (affil link). It’s also great in grilled steaks, chicken or pork.

My daughter’s boyfriend, Maurice is Lebanese and gave me the inspiration for this recipe!

I tested them both in my oven and Skinnytaste Vremi Air Fryer which you can pre-order now, it comes out early May! The results came out great both ways. Making lamb loin chops on the grill or air fryer takes less than 15 minutes, which makes it perfect for weeknight dinner, and they come out so juicy and bone sucking good! If you’re not a fan of lamb, try these with pork chops instead!

Notes:

  • If you don’t have Za’atar, use a blend of thyme, sesame and salt.
  • Baby lamb chops can be used in place of loin chops.
  • If you don’t have a grill, you can use a grill pan.

Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za'atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt.Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za'atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt.Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za'atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt.

Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za'atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt.

Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za'atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt.

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Za’atar Lamb Chops

4.83 from 17 votes
5
Cals:206
Protein:29
Carbs:1.5
Fat:8
Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za'atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt.
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Grilled lamb loin chops seasoned with Za'atar, a Mediterranean blend of sumac, thyme, sesame and salt.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 2 chops

Ingredients

  • 8 lamb loin chops, trimmed (about 3.5 oz each bone-in)
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 fresh lemon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp Za’atar
  • fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

Grill or Broil Method:

  • Rub the lamb chops with oil and garlic.
  • Squeeze the lemon over both sides, than season with salt, zatar and black pepper.
  • Grill on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat to desired liking, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or broil in the oven on the top rack, 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Air Fryer Method:

  • Rub the lamb chops with oil and garlic.
  • Squeeze the lemon over both sides, than season with salt, zatar and black pepper.
  • Preheat the air fryer to 400F. In batches in an even layer, cook to desired liking, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
  • *My chops had 2 1/2 oz raw meat on each bone, nutritional info is based off of that.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Serving: 2 chops, Calories: 206 kcal, Carbohydrates: 1.5 g, Protein: 29 g, Fat: 8 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 91.5 mg, Sodium: 441.5 mg, Fiber: 0.5 g, Sugar: 0.5 g

Categories:

Photo Credit: Jess Larson

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37 comments on “Za’atar Lamb Chops”

  1. I just made this for dinner on the grill with grilled shallots and Gina‘s Chipotle Lime Rice subbing lemon juice for the lime. Huge hit!

    1. As per instruction #3- “broil in the oven on the top rack, 4 to 5 minutes on each side”. Hope you enjoy them!

  2. Avatar photo
    Dolores Othman

    WE LOVE LAMB. MY HUSBAND IS FROM EGYPT, SO LAMB IS ALWAYS ON THE MENU. THANK YOU GINA, THIS WAS SO EASY AND SO DELICIOUS.

  3. This was my first time making lamb chops. They were DELICIOUS! Made them in the air fryer and adjusted to account for the difference in wattage. Also added some extra Sumac because I love it, but otherwise followed the recipe as posted. So, so good! Will be adding this to my favorites. 

  4. I have been making these since the recipe first came out.  I marinate for a few hours, then prepare on the grill.  Love this recipe!

  5. EXCITED WHEN I SAW THESE INGREDIENTS
    Love them all and have a familiarity with middle eastern cuisine.
    The flavors did not come through enough for me.
    I prepared the recipe as is aside from instead of rubbing with the smashed garlic I pressed the garlic and massaged it into the meat.
    The zaatar came from Jordan as did my sumac so the spice was right on. It just needs some kind of kick.
    Please, fellow cooks, chime in with ideas.
    I’m thinking red pepper flakes, mint, way more garlic?
    I’ll make this again and will review with my changes.

    Thank you for this recipe idea.
    I will again visit the site

    1. I lived in the Middle East for years, where I learned to make a very similar dish with chicken. The biggest difference is that the chicken was marinated at least an hour, sometimes overnight. I haven’t tried this lamb recipe yet, but when I do I will add a bit more olive oil and marinate the chops as I would the chicken. That should kick up the flavor. Once I taste the marinade, I’ll decide if I want more zatar, which I doubt will hurt it. I’m excited to try it with lamb. Good luck!

  6. Made this with my air fryer, used the 4 lamb chops I had, cooked them 3 mins one side, 4 mins the other side. These were absolutely delicious!  Also, I combined the oil, minced garlic and lemon juice, turned the chops in that and then dusted with Za’atar.  IMO salt and pepper not necessary as the Za’atar covers those notes perfectly. Gina, thank you for yet another fantastic recipe that will be in frequent rotation in my home. Loved it!!!!!

  7. I hadn’t considered eating lamb now that I’m on Weight Watchers. Now that I see how low in points it can be, could I just buy a seasoned rack of lamb (like that at Trader Joe’s) and grill it? As long as we cut off the fat, wouldn’t the points be the same as in this recipe?

  8. This reads pretty good. I will make my own za’atar omitting the salt (which I always do) because I am on a salt restricted diet. I find that too many store bought foods are chock full of sugar and salt, neither of which I want or need. By the way, are you aware the just about all low fat foods have more sugar in them then the non-low fat foods. This is just to supposedly enhance the flavor of the food. This in some cases is also true for low-fat or non-fat milks. Safeway brand low fat milk does not contain sugar. So if you are diebetic, stay away from low fat foods is my advise. And always read the labels very carefully. I do.

  9. These were amazing!! Super fast and simple. I combined the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic then brushed that onto the lamb chops. Sprinkled with salt and za’atar and let rest a few minutes. Grilled for 4 minutes on one side and 3 on the other for a perfect medium. We will be making these again! Served with the chopped feta salad as suggested.

  10. I will definitely try this. I love zatar on pita bread. Please make some more Lebanese recipes. ❤️

  11. Avatar photo
    Lisa Rosenkoetter

    Making these for a birthday party soon! Do you think you could season the lamb ahead of time to sit in teh fridge for a few hours before grilling ?

  12. Used pork because lamb was not readily available in our store and we didn’t want to run place to place.

    Used Spice House Zaatar and made the salad attached to the recipe.

    My husband has declared it “the best yet!”. He really enjoys the Skinnytaste recipes we prepare.

    Thanks for another great meal idea!!!

  13. I had bought a rack of lamb which I cut into 8 pieces for the two of us. I seasoned them per the recipe’s instructions and my husband grilled them on the Weber. They were fantastic!! We will definitely make them again!

  14. I love za’atar and would like to use it on chicken and then chop it for the feta salad! Any recs for doing this with chicken? Thanks!

  15. This was delicious!  I actually used pork chops instead of lamb so that the kids would eat it, but I am looking forward to trying it with lamb as well.  The seasonings were so yummy.  Thank you!

  16. What other meat could I substitute? Chicken? Pork chops? I have tried so many of your recipes and they have all been wonderful. My family use to be hesitant about all the new recipes I try, but they love SkinnyTaste.

  17. Gina, first off, I don’t believe you look old enough to have a daughter who is old enough to have a boyfriend!!!! LOL!!!!
    Secondly, I also wanted to mention that my husband made a similarly delicious seasoning for lamb (thyme & garlic are a winning combo!!), which we also love. But that we buy a whole or half leg of spring lamb (he plus is = very lean!) and have the butcher slice into 1.5″ steaks, or whatever size we wanted at the time. Then whatever didn’t come out to wonderful looking steaks, we would cut-up into varying sizes of chunks for soups/stews, or in skillet dishes–and freeze it all. The steaks are so wonderful BBQ’d!!!! The leg is so tasty and flexible!! And not tough. 🙂

  18. Hi! This looks delish! Do you have a recipe to make Za’atar at home? We already have all the ingredients including sumac (my hubby is Turkish), so I was just wondering the proportions. Thanks!! 🙂

    1. 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, 2 teaspoons ground sumac, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt