Ready in under 15 minutes, these delicious Moroccan Lamb Chops are perfect for a quick and easy midweek meal, they also make a great alternative to burgers and sausages for the barbecue and are easily impressive enough for a dinner party!
This year I’ve teamed up with the ‘LAMB. Tasty Easy Fun’ campaign to share my love of lamb and to bring you lots of delicious and easy lamb recipes. A couple of months ago, as part of my role as a ‘Lambassador’ for the campaign, I hosted a giveaway to win a hamper of lamb products for Easter and the entry question I posed was ‘What lamb recipe would you most like to see on Easy Peasy Foodie?’
I got so many fabulous requests and I’m currently working hard to create some of the most popular. I’ve already shared two recipes which you requested…my delicious Leftover Lamb Korma – perfect for using up leftover roast lamb (though if you don’t happen to have any roast lamb, I share in the recipe how to ‘create’ some leftovers to use in this curry), and my easy Greek Style Lamb Kebabs – perfect for the barbecue (though you can easily cook them inside, if it’s not BBQ weather – I share both methods in my recipe).
Today I am sharing another recipe you requested: an easy lamb chops recipe – this one was super popular, so many people asked for it…and it’s easy to understand why…we all need a few quick and easy recipes to do on a busy weeknight – but while it needs to be simple to do and super speedy, you definitely don’t want to compromise on taste!
This Moroccan Lamb Chops recipe ticks all those boxes and more – with just a few simple spices, the marinade is so easy to throw together…and you can either marinate the lamb overnight or in the morning before you go to work, or just an hour or two ahead of time, whatever suits you best (you can even just give the lamb a quick 5 minutes in the marinade if you are pushed for time – it will still taste great!) and then the cooking part couldn’t be easier – simply cook the lamb chops in a griddle pan, under the grill or on the barbecue for 3-4 minutes each side and serve.
In an ideal world you would allow these lamb chops to rest for 5-10 minutes after cooking – you really will notice the difference if you do!
To go with this simple lamb dish, I have created an equally simple Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce…inspired by the flavours of Greek tzatziki, Indian raita and the garlicky yogurt sauces you find all across the Middle East.
To keep things simple on a busy weeknight you could serve the Moroccan Lamb Chops and Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce with couscous, rice or flatbreads, but my favourite way to serve these chops is with my Easy Tabbouleh Salad…so light and refreshing and just the perfect accompaniment. Later in the year, when the weather turns chilly, you could also serve these chops with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables for a comforting British twist to this dish.
For a wine pairing, I would suggest either a Southern French red, such as Côtes du Roussillon or Côtes du Rhône, or a Spanish Rioja Crianza. If you wanted something a little lighter and more summery, a rosé from the same regions will work well too.
Moroccan Lamb Chops with Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce
Ingredients
Moroccan Lamb Chops
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 garlic clove crushed or grated
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper or to taste
- 8 lamb chops
Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce
- 200 g cucumber coarsely grated
- 250 g full fat Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove crushed or grated
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint chopped finely
- ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper (or to taste)
- Extra sprig of mint for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Moroccan Lamb Chops
- Place all the ingredients (except the lamb chops) in a large bowl and stir together thoroughly.
- Put the lamb chops in the bowl and coat thoroughly with the marinade. (I find it’s easiest to use my hands!)
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and marinate for 2 hours in the fridge (or even overnight), or if you don’t have time, simply continue with the recipe.
- Remove the lamb from the fridge 15 minutes before you need it, if you can, to allow it to come up to room temperature.
- Get your BBQ, grill or griddle pan nice and hot and cook the lamb for 3-4 minutes on each side until slightly charred on the outside, but still soft and juicy and just slightly pink on the inside.
- Ideally rest for 5 to 10 minutes before eating (but I don’t blame you if you just can’t wait!).
- Serve the chops with the Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce and my Easy Tabbouleh Salad, or alternatively serve with couscous, rice or flatbreads.
Yogurt and Cucumber Sauce
- While the lamb is cooking, grate the cucumber on the coarse side of the grater, then pick up the grated cucumber in your hand and squeeze gently to remove some of the water. Place the grated cucumber in a medium sized bowl and add the rest of the sauce ingredients.
- Stir the sauce thoroughly to mix and garnish with a sprig of mint, if you wish.
- Eat straight away or cover and store in the fridge until required.
Notes
(1) 2 hours for marinating the lamb, or alternatively marinate overnight.
(2) Ideally rest the lamb for 5 to 10 minutes before eating.
Alternatively, if you simply don't have time, skip the marinating and resting times and you can have a delicious and easy meal on the table in 15 minutes! Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
This is a collaborative post with the ‘LAMB. Tasty Easy Fun’ campaign. ‘LAMB. Tasty Easy Fun’ is an EU funded campaign which aims to increase the use of lamb in everyday cooking. Lamb is often considered difficult to cook, expensive, or something to be saved for Sunday roasts. The aim of the campaign is to demonstrate just how tasty, easy and fun lamb is to cook with every day of the week!
Want more delicious lamb recipes? Find more here…
Want more Middle Eastern Inspired Recipes? Find more here…
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Corina says
These look delicious and sound so tasty too! It’s definitely a recipe that we’d love as well. I don’t often do lamb chops as I tend to make lamb stews or curries but as you say, they’re so easy for midweek that I really should get chops for a change. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Corina – indeed, they are lovely for a change and so perfect for the summer – either under the grill or on the BBQ, the cook so fast and are of cores super easy! Eb x
jacqui says
Lovely recipe. thank you for adding to the #CookBlogShare linky.
The chops sound divine. I often serve a yogurt cucumber sauce in the summer it goes with so many things, like simple grilled meat, fish and chicken. In fact I was going to blog the recipe next week (maybe i’ll leave it now) but what can I say great minds think alike 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jacqui – I make lots of different variations of this sauce…sometimes with cucumber, sometimes with mint, sometimes with cumin and sometimes all 3 – it’s so delicious and versatile and perfect for summer cooking! I don’t mind at all if you blog your own version…the more the merrier in my book 🙂 Eb x
Lisa (mumdadplus4) says
These look amazing I love lamb chops so will have to give these a try #brillblogposts
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Lisa! I do hope you enjoy them…let me know how you get on! Eb x
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
I am a huge fan of lamb, but it’s been a struggle to get the rest of my family to adopt it without lunging for a jar of mint jelly. GAH! I love the spices going on in these chops—particularly paired with your brilliant, cooling raita/tzatziki-like yogurt-cucumber sauce. This sounds wonderful! I’ll definitely test drive this meal with the fam. 😉
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Michelle, I hope they like it! At least my yogurt sauce has some mint in it…so your family won;t feel too out of their comfort zone!! 😀 Do let me know how you get on. Eb x
Claire Thomas says
Not had lamb chops for ages- got me craving!
#recipeoftheweek
Eb Gargano says
Haha – yeah sorry about that, Claire! 😉 They are soooo good aren’t they…and super duper easy! Eb x
Mel says
My husband and children absolutely love lamb chops. I love the idea of serving them with yoghurt and cucumber dip rather than mint sauce! Thanks for joining in with #FreeFromFridays.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Mel, the yogurt and mint sauce works sooo well with the chops – and there’s a touch of mint in there too, so everyone’s happy! Eb x
Monika Dabrowski says
I love fuss free recipes when you put something in a marinade and forget about it for a while and then the cooking itself takes minutes and the dish is ready. This is a fantastic recipe:)
Eb Gargano says
Me too! Can you tell??! 😀 Marinading is such a lovely easy peasy way of making food taste amazing, but with very little hassle. Thanks for your kind comment 🙂 Eb x
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Lamb chops are a favourite of mine, but we don’t often have them….. not sure why?! The spices on these chops sound amazing and the colour is fabulous. Nice to see a non-traybake….. although I suspect these would be equally delicious cooked that was too!
Eb Gargano says
Haha -it’s funny, so many people have said that to me – I think lamb often gets a bit forgotten about…which is such a shame, because it’s so yummy! Lamb does make a terrific traybake – I have one already, and I’m currently working on another, but sometimes you need something even quicker and easier, and then something like this recipe is just perfect! Eb x