These apple pork chops are browned in butter, then simmered in the most delicious cider sauce with fresh apples and sage. The ultimate fall dinner that’s quick to make and always gets rave reviews!
We eat a lot of chicken, but sometimes I buy some pork chops to mix things up a bit. These apple pork chops only have 6 ingredients but are huge on flavor. This recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight but elegant enough to serve to guests, and the flavors just scream fall! Pork chops with apples is a classic flavor combination, and the addition of apple cider here really makes this dish special.
How to make apple pork chops
The ingredients list is very short for these apple pork chops, which means you want the highest quality that you can find. You can use your favorite type of apple here, these photos show red delicious apples simply because the color is so pretty, but most types of apples will work. You can use bone-in or boneless pork chops, but I do think that bone-in chops have more flavor and they’re less prone to getting dry. Fresh sage is absolutely essential here, the dried stuff won’t do. If you don’t have sage on hand, fresh thyme or rosemary are nice substitutes. I use an unfiltered apple cider that’s full of spices and aromatics. If you use the clear apple cider that looks just like apple juice and doesn’t have any spices like cinnamon on the ingredient list, your end result won’t be quite as delicious.
A mixture of pan drippings, apple cider and dijon mustard form the base for this sauce. This sauce tends to be on the thinner side, if you’d like it to be a little thicker, you can reduce it by half on the stovetop. That being said, I like a lot of sauce to go around so I keep it as is. These apple pork chops are great served over egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes with a green veggie on the side. This dish will be on regular rotation at my house all through the cold weather months!
More fall favorites
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
- Brown Sugar Delicata Squash
- Butternut Squash Pasta with Chicken
- Cider Glazed Chicken
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
Apple Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter divided use
- 4 bone in pork chops approximately 5-6 ounces each
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons apple cider divided use
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
- 3 apples cored and thinly sliced
- salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large skillet melt 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper; cook for 6 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown.
- Add 1/2 cup of cider to the pan and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes. The bake time depends on the thickness of your chops and your desired level of doneness. I like my pork medium well and bake it for 10 minutes, if you prefer well done, bake for 15 minutes.
- While the pork is in the oven, In another skillet, cook the apples in the remaining butter over medium-high for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of apple cider, turn the heat to high and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Season the apples with salt to taste.
- After the pan comes out of the oven transfer the pork to a plate. Whisk the mustard and sage into the cider drippings; season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the apples on the plate with the pork and pour the sauce over the top. Serve.
Cheryl Ann Shipman says
This is a simple delicious way to make pork chops that come out tender without breading and doesn’t take forever. I remove the pork chops from the pan and put in a baking pan for the oven, then “fry” my thick sliced and peeled apples in the pan with the drippings from the chops so they caramelize in the butter. With the obligatory mashed potatoes on the side, they were heaven. Thank you, I actually came back to rate this recipe, which I rarely do!
Sara says
Loved this! The mixture of the sweet apples and the mustard sauce was fantastic.
Sz says
I do not have apple cider. Has anyone ever made this dish without apple cider?
Sara says
You could use chicken broth if needed, you might just want to add like 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar or honey to make up for the sweetness that would be in the cider.
Barbara says
I used apple juice organic and added cinnamon
Also poultry seasoning I did not have fresh sage.
Tg says
What kind of apples should be used?
Sara says
Good choices are Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith or Braeburn!
David gaeb says
Wife and I just made this, absolutely loved it,.!
Tracey says
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! It was easy but tasted so good! Will definitely be making it again! I had to use dry sage, all my herbs except parsley died in the frost!
Nan R Smith says
Delicious and easy!! Served with roasted butternut squash. Perfect fall meal!
Morgane says
This was delicious! I had a little red onion to add which worked well. The recipe by itself was fabulous! It’s a new staple in our house. My husband does not like fruit with his main dishes, but he really liked this.
PATRICIA WYKOFF says
Fixed these tonight. They were easy and yummy! Great fall dinner.
alexis burkhardt says
The nutrition facts are lower than the rest of the recipes I was looking up, is this healthy for a diabetic? I’m looking for recipes low in carbs and sugar.
Sara says
There is no added sugar in this recipe, but the apples and apple cider do naturally contain some sugar.
Camilla M Coy says
1/2 C of vinegar sounds like a lot. Did anyone who has made this think it was overly sour?
Sara says
It’s apple cider juice not vinegar!
Jen says
wow I misread that… but I did it with ACV and it wasn’t too sour at all. turned out delicious!
Debbie says
These pork chops look so good! Headed out now to get the ingredients!
Jeanette says
Could you use boneless chops.
Sara says
Yes that will work!
Nicole Madison says
I was looking for a recipe for bone-in pork chops as I bought some on sale at Whole Foods. Not having ever cooked them before, I searched the internet and came upon this recipe which seemed simple enough and perfect for fall. They were the best! The sauce was so tasty and paired with the apples, it was delicious, and my husband and three kids loved it.. This is a keeper! Thank you!
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thank you for reporting back!
jeffrey polissack says
followed this recipe to the “T” and every one loved them!!! it seamed like they cooked faster but came out great!! the apples alone were a treat! though i think mine were under cook but no one complained so all good this one is a good one to have if your looking for something different if your in a pinch and need to throw a good meal i like this one!