These cozy skillet pork chops with apples will become your favorite fall weeknight dinner. It’s so easy, quick, and delicious! The apples are cooked until crisp tender. This dish is packed with so much flavor. You’ll love it!
You’ll love this weeknight dinner recipe! These skillet pork chops with apples are absolutely fantastic. It’s the perfect combination between sweet apples and savory pork chops.
This easy pork chops with apples recipe features savory pork chops, Honeycrisp apples, sweet onions, herbs, and apple cider. So delicious!
Plus, it only about 30 minutes to make, so it’s great for a simple and delicious weeknight dinner. I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for quick dinners because life is always so hectic. One-pan quick dinners to the rescue!
It’s All About Fall
I’ve been going out for walks a lot lately. Most trees around my neighborhood have already turned orange and yellow, and this makes me really happy. I think fall is the best season of the year!
So to continue celebrating my favorite season, I made these easy apple pork chops. Key fall-inspired ingredients here are Honeycrisp apples (aka the best apples!), thyme and rosemary, and apple cider.
All these ingredients make this dish so cozy and comforting. The best!
Ingredient Overview
I love using fresh ingredients here, including freshly sliced apples and onions, as well as fresh herbs.
The specific ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card all the way below, but I wanted to give you an idea of each ingredient and what it’s for:
- Pork chops: Either bone-in or boneless pork chops work, but make sure they are half inch thick so they cook properly. If they are too thick, you’ll need to cook them longer, turning them dry and tough.
- Unsalted butter: For the sauce and for flavor.
- Honeycrisp apples: This is my top choice for apples. Honeycrisp apples hold their shape very well, and stay crisp tender.
- Onions: Use sweet yellow onions for milder onion flavors.
- Fresh garlic: For flavor.
- Fresh thyme and rosemary: For amazing aromatic flavors!
- Apple cider: To build the sauce. Apple juice will work too, but I prefer apple cider.
- Dijon mustard: To help the sauce emulsify.
Most of the time I already have all these ingredients at home, so this skillet pork chops with apples dish is one of those recipes that I can make without much pre-planning.
Let’s Make It!
Making this pork chops with apples recipe takes about 30 minutes. It’s the perfect one-pan weeknight dinner! Plus, it reheats really well if you have leftovers.
The specific instructions are in the recipe card below. To give you an idea of the process:
- Cook the pork chops: Make sure they are half inch thick. Season with salt and pepper, and cook on a pan for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until fully cooked through.
- Cook the onions: This will take about 4-5 minutes. The trick here is to not stir them too much, so that they caramelize a bit.
- Build the sauce This is where you add the garlic, herbs, apple cider, mustard, and butter. Also, remember to scrape those brown bits on the pan to get all that flavor!
- Add the apples: Once the sauce starts to form, add the sliced apples and cook for 5 more minutes or until slightly softened.
- Return pork chops to the pan and serve! Allow the pork to simmer in the sauce for 2-3 minutes.
That’s it! These apple pork chops are so easy, convenient, and delicious. You will love how the apple cider based sauce brings everything together.
Plus, because this is a one-pan recipe, it requires minimal clean-up. That’s a win for me!
How to Serve this Dish
The great thing about this recipe is that it pairs really well with several side dishes. Here are my favorite sides for these apple pork chops:
- Red skin mashed potatoes
- Light and fluffy mashed potatoes
- Fall harvest salad (you’ll love this one!)
- Roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash salad
- Shaved Brussels sprouts salad
I could honestly pick so many other amazing side dishes, but these are my faves. They are the perfect seasonal sides for a cozy weeknight dinner at home.
If you’re looking for quick skillet dinner recipes, this is it! Comforting, delicious, and so easy to make.
The tricks here are to ensure the pork chops are not too thick (I pound or cut them to half inch thick) and to use firm apples, such as Honeycrisp or Fuji.
It’s definitely on our regular dinner rotation, and I even make extra sometimes for leftovers. Yes, it reheats really well too! I love it.
Tips for Success
- Pork chops: bone-in or boneless work here. Just make sure they are half inch thick. Thick pork chops require more time to cook, and this can turn them dry and tough.
- Choice of apples: Use firm sweet apples, such as Honeycrisp or Fuji.
- I’d recommend using fresh herbs (thyme and rosemary). You can also use dried herbs, but use less or to taste. Dried herbs can be overpowering.
Skillet Pork Chops with Apples
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork chops (½ inch thick)
- Olive oil for the pan
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, sliced (no need to peel)
- ½ cup apple cider (NOT apple cider vinegar)
- ½ tablespoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides. I use about ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper per pork chop.
- In a large skillet, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Cook the pork chops, about 4-5 minutes per side, until fully cooked through or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from pan and set aside.
- On the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook the sliced onions, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Tip: try not to stir them so much so that they can caramelize a bit.
- Then, add the minced garlic, rosemary and thyme. Cook for another minute, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, dijon mustard, and apple cider until incorporated. Scrape the brown bits with a wooden spoon, if needed. Add the apples, and simmer for about 5 minutes softened. Season with more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. At this point, the sauce should slightly thicken, but still be relatively thin.
- Return the cooked pork chops to the pan, nesting them under the apples. Simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Special equipment: Large skillet.
- Pork chops: bone-in or boneless will work here. Just make sure they are half inch thick so they cook properly. If they are too thick, you’ll need to cook them longer, and this can result in dry and tough pork chops.
- Apples: use firm apples, such as Honeycrisp or Fuji.
- Use fresh herbs, if possible. You can also use dried herbs, but use less since they can be overpowering. Adjust to taste.
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