I look forward to apple season all year just to make this skillet Pork Chops with Apples again. Tender, juicy pork chops are nestled in a buttery apple cider pan sauce with onions, fresh herbs, and sweet apples for an easy one pan dinner.
My secret is a quick 20-min quick dry brine, which keeps the pork chops juicy. I usually use this time to prep the rest of the ingredients. It’s very easy! There’s comfort in every bite on this easy pork chop dinner.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes, Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Method: Stovetop, skillet
- Main Ingredients: Pork chops, apples, onions, apple cider
- Flavor Profile: Savory, buttery, lightly sweet, herbaceous
- Ideal For: Fall dinners, easy weeknight meals, one pan dinner
Jump to:
- Quick Look at the Recipe
- Easy Pork Chop Dinner For Fall (One Pan)
- How To Keep Pork Chops Juicy
- Ingredient Notes
- Best Apples To Use
- How to Make Pork Chops with Apples
- Tips for Success
- Recipe FAQs
- Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Pairing and Serving Ideas
- More Delicious Pork Recipes
- Pork Chops with Apples and Onions
How To Keep Pork Chops Juicy
The last thing you want are tough and dry pork chops! A wet brine prevents this, but that’s a lot of work and a little messy. Here’s where a quick dry brine comes in!
What is a dry brine? A dry brine basically involves salting the meat and letting it rest before cooking. Salt naturally removes excess moisture. So, in this case, the salt uses the meat’s moisture to make its own “brine” and then soaks it back, which is what keeps the pork chops juicy and tender. And obviously, it also adds flavor.
Typically, for smaller cuts of meat, I tend to dry brine for 45 minutes to 1 hour, but even 20 minutes helps if you just want dinner fast. Or overnight is even better!
Ingredient Notes
- Pork chops: I usually use ½-inch-thick, bone-in pork chops for this pork chops with apples and onions recipe, but boneless works too. Thinner chops work especially well in the skillet, whether you’re making this for a weeknight dinner.
- Apples: Honeycrisp apples are my favorite because they’re sweet, firm, and hold their shape while simmering.
- Onions and garlic: One large yellow onion slowly caramelizes into the sauce, adding natural sweetness and plenty of savory flavor. And garlic is always a must!
- Fresh herbs: Fresh rosemary and thyme add warmth without overpowering.
- Apple cider: Use fresh apple cider (the fall beverage), not apple cider vinegar. It gives the pan sauce its signature fall flavor.
- Dijon mustard: A small amount goes a long way. Dijon adds brightness while acting as a natural emulsifier, helping the butter and cooking liquids come together into a thicker, silky sauce.
- Chicken broth: For the savory base of the sauce. Use homemade or store-bought, regular or low-sodium.
- Unsalted butter, olive oil, salt, and pepper
As always, ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
Substitutions and Variations
- Bone-in vs. boneless pork chops: Both work well. Bone-in chops may take a couple of extra minutes, especially near the bone. Thick-cut chops can also be used, but may need to finish in the oven after searing. Pork tenderloin medallions are another great option.
- Apple cider: If fresh apple cider isn’t available, substitute unfiltered apple juice (Simply Apple Juice). Don’t use the translucent apple juice that’s light amber in color, as it’s too diluted.
- Herbs: If using dried herbs, reduce the amount to about one third of fresh.
Best Apples To Use
- Honeycrisp apples: My go-to! They stay sweet, firm, and crisp.
- Fuji: My second favorite. They are actually very similar to honeycrisps.
- Gala or braeburn
- If you like a little more tartness, mix both honeycrisp granny smith apples for sweet and tangy contrast.
I do NOT recommend Red Delicious apples here because they’re much softer and won’t hold up well during cooking.
How to Make Pork Chops with Apples
- Prep and cook pork chops. Season each pork chop with ½ tsp kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Let rest for 20 minutes. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook fully. Bone-in chops may need a couple of extra minutes.
- Cook the onions. Melt most of the butter and cook the sliced onions until softened and golden. Stir in the garlic, rosemary, and thyme, cooking just until fragrant for another 2 minutes.
- Build the apple cider pan sauce. Add the remaining butter, Dijon mustard, chicken broth, and apple cider, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet as you deglaze.
- Add the sliced apples and cook until tender but still a little crisp in the center, letting the sauce reduce slightly. The sauce won’t be thick, more like a thin glaze.
- Return the pork. Nestle the cooked pork chops under the apples and onions and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Tip: Pork is safe at 145°F, but I prefer cooking mine to about 150-155°F. Since the pork was dry brined earlier, it stays juicy at this temperature.
- Finish the sauce. Off the heat, stir in a small piece of cold butter for extra richness, if desired. To serve, spoon the sauce generously over the pork. And there you have it, a beautiful one pan pork chops with apples and onions!
Tips for Success
- Make sure you use apple cider (the fall beverage) and NOT apple cider vinegar.
- Leave the apple skin on: They help the apples hold their shape better and add beautiful color. But if you’re not a big fan, feel free to peel.
- Don’t overcook the apples: They should be tender but still have a slight bite so they don’t fall apart. Slice them to about the same thickness for even cooking.
- Adjust the pan sauce: If it reduces too much, simply stir in a splash of chicken broth and apple cider to loosen it back up.
- A note on the apple cider pan sauce: This sauce is meant to be fairly thin, more like a light glaze than a gravy. For a richer sauce, whisk in 1 tablespoon cold butter off the heat. Some readers have also enjoyed adding a little apple butter for extra thickness and flavor. If you do, reduce the apple cider slightly and replace it with a bit more broth to keep the sauce from becoming too sweet.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Thick-cut pork chops work well, but they’ll need a little longer to cook. I recommend searing them on the stovetop, then finishing them in a 375°F oven before proceeding with the apples and onions.
That’s intentional! This recipe is designed to have a light, buttery pan sauce rather than a thick gravy. See the “Tips for Success” section above for easy ways to add a little extra richness if you’d like.
Substitute unfiltered apple juice (Simply Apple Juice) or similar. Don’t use the clear-colored apple juice that comes in shelves (too diluted).
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
Make ahead: You can dry brine the pork chops up to 24 hours ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator overnight. Slice the onions aromatics ahead. The apples should be sliced right before cooking to prevent browning.
Reheating: Warm gently in a skillet with a splash of chicken broth or apple cider to loosen the pan sauce. The microwave oven works too.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
These one pan pork chops with apples and onions already have plenty of flavor thanks to the apple cider sauce, but they’re even better with a few fall-inspired sides! Serve with a side of my Apple Cider BBQ Sauce!
Potatoes: Mashed potatoes soak up the apple sauce, and it’s so good! I’d recommend these Red Mashed Potatoes or my favorite Spinach Mashed Potatoes. You can also serve with Herb Roasted Potatoes or these simple Roasted Potato Wedges.
Vegetables: Lemon Green Beans, Balsamic Brussels Sprouts, or Roasted Rainbow Carrots for a colorful side of veggies.
Bread or noodles: Sometimes warm bread and a side of buttered noodles is all you need!
Salad: Try these apple pork chops with more apples! Serve with Kale Apple Salad or this gorgeous Fall Harvest Salad.
More Delicious Pork Recipes
Need more fall recipes? Check out my Apple Cider Pulled Pork and my Stuffed Pork Tenderloin.
I’d love to hear from you! If you loved my recipe, please consider leaving a 5-star rating and a comment down below. Sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest
Pork Chops with Apples and Onions
Ingredients
- 4 boneless or bone-in pork chops - about ½ inch thick, see notes below
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil - for searing
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter - divided
- 1 large yellow onion - peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
- ½ cup chicken broth - plus more as needed
- ½ cup apple cider, plus more as needed - NOT apple cider vinegar, see notes
- 2 medium honeycrisp apples - sliced, no need to peel
Instructions
- Quick dry brine pork chops: Season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Let them rest for 20 minutes (or alternatively season overnight, refrigerated). Use about ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper per pork chop. Tip: In this step, we are “quick dry-brining” the pork with salt. This will keep it juicy and tender.
- Cook pork chops: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook the pork for about 5 minutes per side, or until it's 150ºF in the center (it will finish cooking later). Remove from pan and set aside. Note 1: Bone-in pork chops may take an extra 2-3 minutes to cook, especially around the bone. Note 2: Pork is safe at 145ºF, but I prefer mine a little over; feel free to adjust to taste.
- Cook onions: In the same skillet (do not wipe clean), melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally until softened, about 12 to 15 minutes. Add a splash of broth as needed to deglaze any brown bits. Tip: Try not to stir too frequently so that the onions have a chance to turn golden.
- Add aromatics: Then, add the minced garlic, rosemary and thyme. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
- Build the pan sauce: Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, dijon mustard, chicken broth, and the apple cider until incorporated. Scrape the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the apples and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes, until softened but still crisp. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. At this point, the sauce should slightly thicken, but still be relatively thin. If needed, more liquid (equal parts broth and cider) until desired consistency.
- Return the pork chops to the pan, nesting them under the apples. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes over medium-low heat to finish cooking. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Apple cider: We’re using apple cider, the popular fall beverage. If not in season, see substitutions below.
- Best apples: Sweet and firm apples, like Honeycrisp or Fiji are ideal. Gala and braeburn work too. Slice them into the same size so they cook evenly.
- Variation: For sweet and tart flavors, use both Honeycrisp and Granny smith apples.
- Use bone-in or boneless pork chops, depending on your preference. Boneless are easier and faster to cook, they cook more evenly. Bone-in pork chops tend to be juicier and tastier, but take longer to cook especially around the bones. Always use a thermometer to be sure.
- Safe temperature for pork: A minimum of 145ºF in the thickest park, plus 5 minutes of resting time for medium-rare. 150-155ºF for medium and 155-160ºF for medium-well. 160ºF is well-done.
- I personally like my pork chops closer to medium. Since the pork is dry-brined for 20 mins, it will stay tender and juicy even when cooked to medium.
- Storage and reheating: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave oven with the pan sauce plus a splash of broth.
- If you can’t find apple cider, use unfiltered apple juice, such as Simply Apple Juice. It comes in bottles in the refrigerated section. Don’t use the clear-color apple juice that comes in shelves (too diluted).
- Fresh herbs: You can use dried herbs, about one-third or half of the quantity of fresh herbs.
- Chicken broth: Vegetable broth.
Maddy says
Absolutely fantastic! We like to keep this in our dinner rotation for the fall and winter, everyone loves it!
I passed this recipe along to a friend and she noticed the timing listed in the recipe is off. The recipe says it takes about 20 minutes to cook, but in reality it takes about 35-40 minutes. I didn’t notice this before, but she’s right. Passing that along for planning purposes for anyone else who decides to try this recipe. Definitely worth the time it takes!
Tania says
Thank you Maddy! I am so glad you loved it. I fixed the typo, thanks for letting me know!
Buffy says
I thought this was very tasty but too sweet for me. I’ll adjust apples next time and use more mustard perhaps (didn’t taste it at all). Probably more onions as well,
Additionally, note that the cook time at top of the recipe is way off, not the 20 minutes under any circumstances.
Note the times listed,
– cook chops about 5 minutes each side (10 mins)
– onions 12 – 15 minutes (now minimally we are ALREADY at 22 mins!)
– garlic 1 – 2 minutes
– apples 5 – 7 minutes
– add chops back, simmer another 2 minutes
So this recipe cooks for between 30 minutes – 36 minutes, not the 20 minutes noted!
Tania says
Hi Buffy! Thanks for your feedback – I’ll check that on my end!
Sara says
Rave reviews from the little kiddos on this one! I’ve been looking for a replica recipe for a local restaurant that eliminated a dish like this. Theirs had carrots so I might try adding those next time – maybe before the apples or steamed separately so they soften through. Adding to the rotation for sure!
NorCal Ellen says
Yummy! Made this for dinner on a cold December evening. Had to make a couple minor adjustments, but it came out great. Didn’t have apple cider, so I did use unsweetened apple juice. I didn’t have fresh Rosemary or Thyme, so used dried. All else was followed per the recipe and it was delicious! I’ll make this again for sure.
Gail says
Great recipe. I didn’t have apple cider so I substituted a little bit of pear balsamic vinegar to keep the sweet profile. I learned a trick from America’s Test Kitchen for moist pork chops. Put them in a cold pan and fry as usual. It works every time.
Kate says
So good! Such a delicious recipe on a very cold, gray, almost-winter day. I had to use unsweetened apple juice instead of apple cider. I also used garlic paste. I had some dried Italian herbs that I used. I added some extra sweet onions. The Honeycrisp apples were amazing. I bought two huge ones, which I was happy about because I kept eating them when I was slicing. Super thin slicing on the apples was good. We are looking forward to sandwiches with spicy brown mustard. I love this recipe and will use it again.
BURKE CLARK says
I cooked it exactly as the receipe said!
I love the apples, onions and chops.
I am going to try this with chicken too.
Thanks
Burke
Laura Ryan says
This was delicious and very flavorful. Thank you for sharing.
Jeanette Houston says
I tried this tonight because I had some leftover apples from when my mom visited and was wondering what to do with them. I’m also allergic to apples and tend to shy away from them. Well, my son and his girlfriend absolutely loved this recipe! Gave it a 10/10. They said it’s a battle between this recipe and my Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe. I loved it too. I hate trying new things because you never know how it will turn out but this was fantastic! I also made the apple cider from your link. Well done! Thank you!!!!
Tania says
Thank you so much for trying the recipe! I’m so glad to hear.
Amanda says
My husband is not typically a pork chop fan, but I am. I convinced him to let me add this to our menu for the week and we tried it tonight. Not only did I love this recipe, but my husband devoured every bite on his plate. This is a fantastic recipe!
Jess says
Delicious. Came together fairly easy. I dry brined for 30 – 45 min … didn’t really keep track as I did it as soon as I got home from work then had to go harvest some beets and leeks and tomatoes. I think I will be using this technique, though, in other dishes as I think it lended to the nice sear on the meat. I used thick cut boneless pork chops. Which I cooked for 5 min each side. I also used a spicy brown mustard, honey crisp apples, fresh herbs, and red onions as that what I have on hand atm. I would make again.
Ro says
Wonderful fall recipe that is very forgiving. Bravo! Harvested apples from old orchard of mixed varieties at our local community garden. No reds, grannies or yellows, apple crisps too new but other than that idn. Used what I had on hand so dry herbs, salted butter (reduced salt elsewhere), no apple cider but did throw in a bit of sugar to chicken/ Dijon/added water broth. Only had 5 minutes to brine. Meat thermometer didn’t seem to work. However recipe came through packed full of flavor. Young adult son, mother in law, and husband commented throughout the meal how good it was. Paired it with mixed steamed greens drizzled w/ sesame oil.
Jane says
Delicious! This will go into rotation. Easy weeknight meal that feels special! Thanks for posting
Tania says
Thank you, Jane!