These apple pork chops are browned in butter, then simmered in the most delicious cider sauce with fresh apples and sage.
These chops are the ultimate fall dinner that’s quick to make and always gets rave reviews! Serve them alongside other fall favorites such as sour cream mashed potatoes and roasted parsnips for a complete meal.
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.
Along with these pork chops, I also like to make some of my other favorite pork recipes like grilled pork tenderloin, crock pot pork roast and smoked pulled pork. If you want to see some other fall favorites, check out this list of fantastic fall recipes!
Apple Pork Chops Ingredients
To make this apple pork chops recipe, you will need butter, bone-in pork chops, apple cider, Dijon mustard, fresh sage, apples, kosher salt and black pepper.
How Do You Make Apple Pork Chops?
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then cook them in butter in a large pan or skillet. Once the meat is seared and golden brown, pour in some apple cider and let the pork and cider simmer until the pork is cooked through. In a separate pan, melt some butter and add sliced apples. Cook the apple slices with a little more cider until the fruit is tender. Transfer the cooked pork chops to a serving plate. Whisk the mustard, sage, salt and pepper into the cider drippings left behind in the pork chop pan. Spoon the apples over the chops, then pour the sauce over the top and serve.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- You can use your favorite type of apple in this recipe. Some great choices include firm apples such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith apples, Pink Lady, Gala apples or Fuji. Be sure to slice them thin so that they cook quickly.
- You can use bone-in or boneless pork chops. 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.
- I use a fresh 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.
Quick Tip
Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
These apple pork chops are great served over egg noodles, rice or garlic mashed potatoes Try a green veggie on the side like roasted green beans or bacon wrapped asparagus.
Pork chops are ready to eat when they reach an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees F. I recommend using a digital probe thermometer to make sure your chops are cooked properly. It’s best to not let the pork temperature go higher than 145 degrees F, otherwise your pork could be dry.
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Flavor Variations
This recipe is delicious as is, but you can easily customize some of the flavors to suit your tastes.
- Protein: Feel free to use chicken tenders, chicken thighs or pork tenderloin instead of chops.
- Fruit: Swap out the apples for pears, and use pear juice instead of apple cider. Choose a firm pear such as a Bosc variety so that the fruit does not fall apart in the cooking process.
- Flavorings: No sage on hand? Fresh rosemary and thyme are both great options. Feel free to add other seasonings to the dish such as a cinnamon stick, sliced red onion, brown sugar, a pinch of nutmeg, minced shallots, or a splash of lemon juice.
Apple pork chops are easy to make, and embody all the great flavors of fall. This dish will be on regular rotation at my house all through the cold weather months!
More Fall Favorites
Cranberry Meatballs (Slow Cooker)
3 hrs 5 mins
Butternut Squash Pasta
30 mins
Cider Glazed Chicken
30 mins
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
1 hr 50 mins
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Apple Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter divided use
- 4 bone in pork chops approximately 5-6 ounces each
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons apple cider divided use, fresh cider is best
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
- 2 cups apples cored and thinly sliced such as Pink Lady or Honeycrisp
- salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- In a large skillet melt 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 simmer for an additional 6 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork chops registers 145 degrees F.
- While the chops are cooking, melt the rest of the butter in another large pan over medium heat. Add the apples, and cook for 5 minutes or until the apples start to soften.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of apple cider to the apples, turn the heat to high and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Season the apples with salt to taste.
- Transfer the pork chops to a plate. Whisk the mustard and sage into the cider drippings from the pork pan; season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place the apples on the plate with the pork and pour the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe calls for apple cider, as in the juice. Do not use cider vinegar!!!
- Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- It’s important to use a meat thermometer to make sure your chops are properly cooked. If they’re overcooked, they could end up dry.
If you don’t have cider you can use Sherry- also, onions with the apples are a great addition
Hi, Sara!
I tried this recipe tonight, and it is delicious!!! I did not have fresh sage on hand, so I put in about 1 1/2 tsp. of ground sage. It was so tasty! Everyone loved it, and it had those wonderful Fall flavors!
I would like one clarification from the recipe. You have 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. of apple cider in the ingredients list, but only use 1/2c (w/pork chops) + 2 Tbsp. (w/ apples) used in the directions. I’m not sure where the other 1/2c of cider was to go. I added it in with the 2 Tbsp. of apple cider to the apples. I just wanted to make sure this is where you had intended for it to be used. It seemed like only 2 Tbsp. of cider with the apples would not be enough. Is this correct???
I don’t have apple cider, what can I substitute instead?
Apple juice will also work!