Apple Pork Chops

These beautiful and impressive skillet apple pork chops are hearty, comforting, and oh so easy to make. Not only that, but this dish comes together in about 30 minutes, but it tastes so good you’d think you spent hours on it! You can absolutely make these year around, but I especially love them when apples are in season, and the weather outside calls for a warm and comforting meal. Keep reading to see how to make these easy, sweet and savory skillet apple pork chops below!

Supplies Needed

• Two skillets: I used both my 10” cast iron skillet and my 12” cast iron skillet for this recipe.
• Measuring cups and spoons: I use these measuring cups and these measuring spoons.
• Spatula: You can use a wood spatula or a silicone spatula, whatever you prefer!
• Cutting board and knife: You’ll need both a cutting board and knife for chopping the apples.

Ingredients

For the Pork Chops:

• Salted butter
• Boneless pork chops
• Seasonings: salt, onion powder, and fresh-cracked pepper
• Apple cider
• Honey
• Stone ground mustard (optional)

For the Apple Topping:

• Apples: Choose an apple variety that holds up to cooking without easily turning into apple sauce. This includes apples that are good for apple pie making, such as honeycrisp (my favorite), granny smith, golden delicious, rome, braeburn, crispin, gala, pink lady, and more.
• Water
• Salted butter
• Pure maple syrup
• Cinnamon
• Salt

Directions

For the Pork Chops

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. While the skillet is warming up, season both sides of the pork chops with a generous amount of salt, onion powder, and fresh-cracked pepper.

Place the pork chops in a single layer across the bottom of the skillet. Sear the pork chops for 4-6 minutes per side.

Remove the chops from the pan and set aside. Note, they will not be cooked through yet, but that is okay. They will finish cooking in a future step.

Add the apple cider to the skillet. Use a spatula to scrape bits off the bottom to incorporate into the sauce. Add the honey and optional stone-ground mustard. Stir to combine.

Return the pork chops to the skillet, making sure to coat each side of the chops in the apple cider pan sauce.

Place the entire skillet into the oven, and bake for about 10 minutes or until the chops are cooked through.

For the Apples

While the chops are baking, prepare the apple topping.

Dice the apples, optionally peeling them as well if desired. (Try another of my recipes, apple brown sugar syrup, to use up those apple scraps!)

In a small skillet over medium heat, add the water and diced apples, and heat until the apples begin to soften, a few minutes.

Add butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt to the skillet. Continue to cook until the sauce is caramelized and coats the apples. Remove from the heat.

To Serve

Spoon the cooked apples over the top of the baked pork chops. Optionally garnish with parsley and fresh apples.

See below for sides that pair well with this dish. Enjoy!

Substitutions

This apple pork chops recipe is just the beginning of the possibilities of using apples to create a sweet and savory dish. Here are some substitutions you can make to customize this dish as your own!

• Try another protein, such as chicken, in place of the pork chops
• Oil instead of butter
• Add or substitute other seasonings, such as garlic powder or nutmeg
• Apple juice or bone broth in place of the apple cider
• Dijon mustard in place of stone ground mustard
• Honey or brown sugar in place of maple syrup

Sides that Pair Well

Because this dish is sweet and savory, you can go many different directions with the side options. Some of the best include:

• Baked sweet potato
• Green beans
• Rice
• Stuffing
• Brussels sprouts
• Mashed potatoes
• Roasted carrots
• Salad
• Soup

Be sure to pin the recipe for later!