With my Frenched rack of lamb recipe, you can make restaurant-quality lamb chops in under an hour with no chef-level skills or expensive equipment. This dish is a family favorite seasoned with easy herbs and spices and served with two-minute mint chimichurri.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my pan-fried suya lamb chops and tender braised short ribs, too!
Jump to:
- What is Frenched rack of lamb?
- ❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
- What You'll Need for this Recipe
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Cook Frenched Rack of Lamb in the Oven
- Pro Tip #1
- Pro Tip #2
- Pro Tip #3
- How to Know When Your Rack of Lamb is Done
- Make it a Meal!
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Serve
- More Favorite Main Dish Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
What is Frenched rack of lamb?
Also called "French style" or "French cut" or "French lamb ribs," this is simply a rack of lamb ribs where the fat cap and meat between each bone has been cut away and removed. So you'll see eight rib bones sticking out along one end with meaty, fatty goodness at the other. When sliced up, you'll have lamb chops.
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - Don't be intimidated by the fanciness! This classic French rack of lamb recipe is straightforward with a quick and easy cook time. Read my pro tips below to get five-star results the very first time!
Elegant Presentation - Lamb is pricey compared to many other meats and poultry, so we often reserve it for special occasions. And this French trimmed dish presents beautifully for a date night dinner, Valentine's Day at home, or your Easter meal.
Full of Flavor - The lamb comes out juicy, tender, and tasty with notes of garlic, red pepper, and herbs. It's simply fabulous all by itself, but when you add the chimichurri, WHEW!
I have a few more lamb recipes for you to try next: Moroccan spiced lamb chili, Mediterranean lamb meatball bowls, and lamb shepherd's pie with sweet potato!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Frenched Rack of Lamb about one and a half to two pounds in weight with eight ribs sticking out. One side should be fatty.
Simple Spices and herbs like onion powder, rosemary, and red pepper combine with garlic and olive oil to create a simple but flavorful marinade for the lamb. I recommend using dried herbs here so that they don't burn in the oven.
Fresh Mint and Parsley for the chimichurri that comes together in just about two minutes. Chimichurri is typically made with parsley but mint pairs perfectly with lamb so it works wonderfully here. Using fresh versions of the herbs is a must.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Herbs - Feel free to play with the herbs in the marinade and/or chimichurri to suit your taste. Try basil or bay leaf to further enhance the flavors.
Citrus - You can add zest or juice from lemons, limes or oranges to brighten up the flavor of the lamb.
Cook Time - Lamb can be cooked to your preferred temperature--from rare to well done--similar to a steak. Check my notes for estimated cook times below!
Double it - This recipe doubles easily to serve a crowd. And the cook times remain roughly the same.
How to Cook Frenched Rack of Lamb in the Oven
- Step 1: Crush the garlic and mix it with herbs and spices and olive oil to make the marinade.
- Step 2: Season the lamb then coat it in the marinade and let it sit.
Pro Tip #1
I recommend marinating the lamb for a minimum of one hour to let the herbs and spices seep into it. But you can marinate it overnight in the refrigerator for even deeper flavor.
- Step 3: Mix up the chimichurri while the lamb marinates.
- Step 4: Place rack into a roasting dish and wrap the exposed bones with aluminum foil.
Pro Tip #2
You can use either a blender or food processor to make the chimichurri. No matter which you use, make sure to pulse it for a few seconds at a time until the herbs are chopped and the mixture is broken down. If you just run the appliance and step away, you'll end up with puree.
- Step 5: Roast the lamb for 15 minutes then flip and roast another five to 15 depending on your preference.
- Step 6: Tent the lamb with foil and let it rest before slicing and serving with the chimichurri.
Pro Tip #3
Use kitchen tongs to easily flip the lamb rack and to hold it in place while slicing the chops.
How to Know When Your Rack of Lamb is Done
Rack of lamb is commonly served medium rare but the USDA recommends cooking to an internal temperature of 145° Fahrenheit, which is about medium (and my personal preference). Here are some guidelines to make it how you want it:
- 120-125° Fahrenheit is rare (reddish pink, soft, and juicy)
- 130-135° Fahrenheit is medium-rare (deep pink, tender, and juicy)
- 140-145° Fahrenheit is medium (light pink, tender, and moist)
- 150-155° Fahrenheit is medium well (slightly pink and moist in the middle)
- 160° Fahrenheit is well done (fully gray-brown color and firm throughout)
Use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature and I recommend pulling the lamb out once it reaches five to 10 degrees shy of your desired final temperature. This is because the meat will continue to cook a bit while it rests.
Make it a Meal!
Prep Sides: In this recipe, there are three great opportunities to whip up any sides you want to serve with the lamb.
- While it marinates, you have enough time to prep a colorful massaged kale salad or roast sweet potatoes to make mashed sweet potatoes.
- As it cooks, you can simultaneously roast garlicky green beans or hot honey brussels sprouts.
- When the lamb is resting, you can quickly toss together a spring mix salad with champagne dressing or saute garlic green beans.
Build Bowls: To give leftovers new life, slice the meat from the bones and add it to bowls with veggies and grains or toss it into a salad and use the chimichurri as a dressing!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make this dish up to three days ahead of time as long as you store them properly.
Store roasted lamb chops refrigerated in an airtight container. They will keep for up to five days. Signs they have spoiled are a rotten smell and slimy meat.
To freeze, wrap room temperature lamb in aluminum foil then place in an airtight container and transfer to the freezer. They will keep for up to six months.
How to Serve
This lamb Frenched rib rack is a great dish to present to your family for Sunday dinner or Easter dinner. Serve it warm with the mint chimichurri.
The flavors in this dish pair nicely with jollof rice, curry carrots, and whipped mashed potatoes. Complete your spread with coconut iced tea or pineapple sherbet punch plus bourbon carrot cake for dessert!
More Favorite Main Dish Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this French cut rack of lamb recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Frenched Rack of Lamb
Equipment
- 1 garlic press optional
- 1 spoon
- 1 roasting pan or oven safe dish
- aluminum foil
- 1 knife
Ingredients
For the Garlic Herb Marinade
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
For the Lamb
- 1 French-cut rack of lamb about 1 ½ to two pounds
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
For the Mint Chimichurri
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or sweetener of your choice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Make the Marinade: Crush the garlic then use spoon to mix together with onion powder, rosemary, thyme, oregano, crushed red pepper, and olive oil in mixing bowl.6 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Marinate the Meat: Sprinkle salt and pepper over the lamb rack then rub into all sides of the meat. Then coat the lamb rack in the marinade and let sit at room temperature for one hour (or up to overnight in the refrigerator for even more flavor).1 French-cut rack of lamb, sea salt, black pepper
- Make the Chimichurri: Add mint leaves, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, sea salt, and maple syrup to food processor or blender and pulse until the herbs are chopped and mixture is broken down but chunky. Don't overdo it or else you'll end up with a puree--it shouldn't be smooth. Taste test and adjust seasonings to your preference.1 cup fresh mint leaves, ½ cup fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- Adjust oven racks so that the top oven rack is in the second-highest position. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prep the Lamb: Wrap the exposed bones of the lamb in aluminum foil so that they don't char in the oven. Transfer marinated lamb rack, fatty side up, to oven-safe dish then place dish to top oven rack.
- Roast the lamb: Allow lamb to cook for 15 minutes then use kitchen tongs to flip and roast another 5 to 15 minutes until it reaches your desired level of doneness (see recipe notes). Measure temperature by placing food thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, not near the bone.
- Rest the Lamb: Tent lamb with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving with chimichurri.
Notes
-
- 120-125° Fahrenheit is rare (reddish pink, soft, and juicy)
-
- 130-135° Fahrenheit is medium-rare (deep pink, tender, and juicy)
-
- 140-145° Fahrenheit is medium (light pink, tender, and moist)
-
- 150-155° Fahrenheit is medium well (slightly pink and moist in the middle)
-
- 160° Fahrenheit is well done (fully gray-brown color and firm throughout)
Dixie Montgomery says
Very good nice instructions thanks
Jazzmine Woodard says
You're welcome, Dixie! I'm glad you found the instructions helpful.