Our tender Greek Lamb Chops-Paidakia will excite your taste buds on the very first bite. Paidakia are marinated in extra virgin olive oil, mustard, lemon, and fresh herbs. Grilled on charcoal, broiled or roasted in the oven, they are delicious and aromatic, guaranteed to impress your guests and family.
If you love Greek Lamb Chops-Paidakia, you will also love our Pork Steaks, Lamb Burgers or Bifteki The Greek Burger!
What are paidakia
Grilled Greek lamb chops-Paidakia (pronounced pa-ee-da-kia) is one of those dishes embedded into the Greek DNA. Most of us associate paidakia with a festive gathering at a favorite taverna or a barbecue in the home garden, surrounded by family and friends, talking fast and loud and chilling simultaneously, and eating delicious charcoal-grilled chops.
Greek lamb chops and their various cuts
In butcher terms, Merriam-Webster defines “chop” as “ a small cut of meat, often including part of a rib.” In the discussion below, we will be even more liberal.
In Greek cuisine, lamb chops-paidakia mostly refers to ribs cut from the rack, usually from the less meaty part. Sometimes, Greek butchers cut them from the leg. Leg chops are usually oval, with a round bone in the center. The ideal thickness for real paidakia is about 1cm / 1/4″ of an inch for true ribs and 1.5cm / 5/8″ for fake paidakia thigh chops.
In the US lamb chops come in a rack of lamb or separate loin chops. The rack is often cooked as a slab and not cut into separate ribs. You can have your butcher cut individual paidakia from a rack of lamb or get lamb loin chops and use the same marinade. You must adjust the cooking time because the lamb chops will be larger.
Lamb loin chops or leg chops can be just as tasty. They don’t have as much fat as the ribs and have more meat. So, they require more cooking and seasoning -always at the end, more frequent turning, and less direct heat.
The marinade of this recipe works great with any cut of chops.
Note: Paidakia can also be from pork or chicken. For chicken, Greeks call ribs a whole chicken chopped into small pieces that can be grilled or roasted. Check out our delicious recipe for chicken chops.
Why this recipe sings
Here is what you need
- Lamb chops. Individual ribs cut from a rack of lamb.
- Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Fresh oregano leaves, thyme or rosemary. Substitute with dried versions anytime.
- Dijon mustard. You can use any type of mustard. I love the spiciness of Dijon.
- Lemons. You will use the zest of one lemon for the marinade and their juice for serving.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
How to make Paidakia
Marinate
Rub the ribs with the sea salt and the herbs.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, mustard, and lemon zest and mix well with a spoon. Pour the mixture over the ribs, cover, and refrigerate for about one hour. You can marinate them for up to 4-5 hours.
Before cooking: Allow the ribs to reach room temperature before cooking. Place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet to drain most of the marinade (or gently remove it with a paper towel.
Oven method
- Preheat the oven to 200° C.
- Brush a large baking sheet (or two) with olive oil. Arrange the lamb ribs in a single layer. Roast in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes until they are golden brown.
Broiler method
- Preheat the broiler.
- Lightly oil the oven rack and place it in the highest position. Place a tray under it to catch the cooking liquids and prevent the oven from getting dirty.
- Sprinkle the ribs with freshly ground pepper on both sides and put them on the rack under the broiler.
- Broil for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked to your liking.
Charcoal grill method
Calculate about 15-20 minutes of cooking, depending on the thickness of the ribs. You can brush your grill with a bit of lemon and olive oil (optional).
Grill on one side for about 5 minutes. The ribs will start to “melt,” and the fat will drip off. When the ribs are browned and easily come off the grill, turn them over and cook for 5 minutes. Grill for another 5-10 minutes, turning them regularly. This way, you ensure even cooking, avoiding unwanted, unpleasant “charring.”
Gass grill method
Calculate about 20-25 minutes of cooking depending on the thickness of the ribs. Preheat the grill for 10 minutes and grease it with a little oil. Grill initially for about 7-8 minutes. Grill for another 5-10 minutes, turning them regularly.
Serving
Drizzle with much lemon juice to taste and serve on a platter with warm toasted pita bread, salads and tzatziki sauce.
Side dishes to try with paidakia
Greek Lamb chops Paidakia are rich and best paired with lighter dishes. Check out some of the options below:
- Salads. A classic Greek tomato salad-Horiatiki salata is perfect. Our corn-tomato salad is fresh and bright and goes well with the rich lamb chops..
- Horta. The traditional boiled greens are dressed with olive oil and lemon-ladolemono and suit the robust flavor of the lamb chops.
- Potatoes. Whether you like lemon-roasted potatoes, regular fries, or those seasoned with rosemary parmesan, all are great with chops.
- Dips and sauces. Tzatziki and tirokafteri-spicy whipped feta are perfect with lamb, matches made in heaven. And have you ever tried a fry dipped in tzatziki? No? You are missing out!
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Greek Lamb Chops-Paidakia
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb chops individual ribs cut from rack of lamb
- ½ tablespoon coarse sea salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or thyme or both
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 lemon juiced and zested
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Marinate
- Rub the ribs with the sea salt and the herbs. In a small bowl, put the olive oil, mustard and lemon zest, and mix well with a spoon.Pour this mixture over the ribs, cover refrigerator for about one hour.You can marinate them for up to 4-5 hours.
Before cooking
- Allow the ribs to reach room temperature before cooking. Place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet to drain most of the marinade(or gently remove it with a paper towel.
Broiler method
- Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil the oven rack and place it in the highest position. Place a tray under it, to catch the cooking liquids and do not dirty the oven.Sprinkle the ribs with freshly ground pepper on both sides and put them on the rack under the broiler.Broil for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked to your liking.Preheat the oven to 200° C on the resistances,Brush a large baking sheet (or two) with olive oil. Arrange the lamb ribs in a single layer. Roast in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes, until they are golden brown.
Charcoal grill method
- Calculate about 15-20 minutes of cooking depending on the thickness of the ribs.You can brush your grill with a little bit of lemon and olive oil (optional).Grill on one side for about 5 minutes. The ribs will start to "melt" and the fat will be dripping off.When the ribs are browned and easily come off the grill, turn them over and cook for 5 minutes. Grill for another 5-10 minutes, turning them regularly. This way you ensure even cooking, avoiding unwanted, unpleasant "charring".
Gass grill method
- Calculate about 20-25 minutes of cooking depending on the thickness of the ribs.Preheat the grill for 10 minutes and grease it with a little oil.Grill initially for about 7-8 minutes. Grill for another 5-10 minutes, turning them regularly.
Serving
- Arrange on a platter, and serve lemon wedges, toasted pita bread, salad and tzatziki sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
