Pan-fried pork chops with apples is an easy, one-skillet recipe with a delicious Dijon sauce!

Tender boneless chops, onions, and sweet juicy red apples are gently simmered to tender perfection. This dish is great served with mashed potatoes or even over homemade egg noodles.

Fried Pork Chops with Apples in a frying pan

Ingredients & Variations

PORK CHOPS
Boneless chops are used in this recipe. Choose thicker chops (.75″ – 1″ in thickness), each about the same size, for even cooking.

APPLES
Any type of apple will pair perfectly with the pork chops but I find red apples have a thinner skin that doesn’t get tough and they are a bit sweeter. If you prefer, the apples can be peeled first.

SAUCE
Apple cider (the drink, not apple cider vinegar), dijon mustard, garlic, and thyme are whisked together to create an amazing sauce!

Most of the ingredients for this recipe are probably already on hand, but notice the recipe calls for apple cider, not apple cider vinegar!

Technically, any kind of mustard will do, but Dijon (or a stronger grainy mustard) gives the sauce a depth that yellow mustard can’t.

ingredients to make Fried Pork Chops with Apples

How to Fry Pork Chops

The best way to fry the pork chops in this recipe is to sear the outside, not to fully cook them as they will finish off in the sauce after the other ingredients are added.

Pork chops can (and should) be served a little bit pink in the middle and cooked to about 145°F on an instant-read thermometer. Do not overcook.

  1. Brown pork chops on each side in the skillet. Set aside.

pork chops frying in a pan

  1. Cook onions & apples until soft, combine sauce ingredients (per recipe below).

process of frying ingredients to make Fried Pork Chops with Apples

  1. Add pork chops back to the pan and simmer until tender and cooked through. (do not overcook)

Serve pork chops with apples with: garlic mashed potatoes, rice, roasted sweet potatoes, or Parmesan roasted broccoli. And don’t forget some homemade French bread to soak up that savory sauce!

cut Fried Pork Chops with Apples on a white plate with rice

Tips for Juicy Chops

  • For even more amazing flavor, use leftover bacon grease for frying the chops!
  • When preparing the apples, make sure they are evenly and thinly sliced so they cook at the same rate. Whether or not to peel them is purely the cook’s choice. Unpeeled apples will add a bit more color and fiber to the dish, however, peeled apples make the dish a little more elegant.
  • Pork chops should reach an internal temp of 145°F at the thickest point. Once the skillet is removed from the stove, they will still continue to cook.

More Perfect Pork Chops

Did you make these Fried Pork Chops? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! 

close up of Fried Pork Chops with Apples
5 from 64 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Fried Pork Chops with Apples

These fried pork chops with apples are cooked in an apple-dijon sauce until tender and flavorful!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients  

  • 4 boneless loin chops about 1” thick
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • kosher salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ red onion sliced
  • 2 large tart apples sliced
  • cup apple cider or as needed, not apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
  • teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions 

  • Season pork chops with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork chops about 5 minutes on each side or until browned (be sure not to overcook the pork). Remove from the pan, and set on a plate.
  • Add butter and onions to the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes or until onions start to soften. Add apples and continue to cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
  • Whisk apple cider, mustard, and cinnamon, and add to the skillet with thyme. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the pork chops, along with any juices on the plate, back into the skillet.
  • Push the pork chops down into the apples. Simmer an additional 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has cooked down slightly and the pork reaches 145°F with a meat thermometer.

Notes

*Ensure you are using apple cider and not apple cider vinegar in this recipe.
Pork chops can (and should) be served a little bit pink in the middle and cooked to about 145°F on an instant-read thermometer. Do not overcook. Keep in mind that the pork chops will continue to cook a little bit once removed from the heat.
If using a very large skillet, the cider may evaporate quickly and you may need to add a little bit extra.
Red apples (or thinner skinned apples) can be peeled if preferred. If using thicker-skinned apples, they should be peeled to keep the skins from being tough.
5 from 64 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 430 | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 764mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 172IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pork
Cuisine American

Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!

Follow us on Pinterest

Fried Pork Chops with Apples in a frying pan, and ingredients used to make the dish under the title.
Fried Pork Chops with Apples with writing
cut Fried Pork Chops with Apples on a plate with writing
close up of Fried Pork Chops with Apples with a title

Categories:

, ,

Recipes you'll love

About the author

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
See more posts by Holly

Follow Holly on social media:

pinterest facebook twitter instagram

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

latest & greatest

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. This was pretty good! I didn’t have apple cider, so after thinking about what I could use instead, I found cranberry juice in my pantry. Apples and cranberries pair well, and it worked out nicely. The sauce was a little thin. Next time I’ll thicken it with a corn starch slurry.5 stars

    1. I made for supper and the family loved it. Very easy to make and very delicious! Definitely will be making more often.5 stars

  2. This was a wonderful recipe!!! It has been added to my monthly rotation. This could be on a fine dinning restaurant menu and easy to prepare. I give it 5 stars5 stars

  3. Delicious and easy. I didn’t have apple cider so I subbed apricot preserves thinned down with a water. Otherwise followed directions to a “T”.5 stars

  4. It looks delicious haven’t eaten yet but question I didn’t see when to add cinnamon so added it to sauce.

  5. This looks so good and I’m going to be making it tonight however I don’t have Apple cider, will regular Apple juice work?

    1. This should work just fine. You may need to adjust cook time based on thickness to ensure the pork reaches 145°F without overcooking.

  6. Amazing!
    I’m definitely adding this to my list of go to meals. The only thing that went wrong was the meat thermometer. Good thing I didn’t trust the temp reading and I saved the pork from being over cooked. I served with garlic horseradish mashed potatoes.5 stars

  7. This was really great! The prep was really simple, and it came together very quickly. I didn’t have any apple cider on hand so I substituted chicken stock. I was afraid I’d miss out on some apple flavor by missing the cider, so I put a tablespoon of applesauce in with the chicken stock and about a teaspoon of brown sugar to make up for the missing sweetness. It was great! I served it with mashed potatoes. I’ll definitely be making this again! Thanks for the great recipe.5 stars

  8. These pork chops had great flavor. My chops were a bit thinner than I wish they were. When cooking they cooked fast so a bit over cooked.
    Overall I’m cooking these again. Everyone loves em.5 stars

  9. Hi,
    Thank you for the recipe. I have made this dish over the years thinking that I invented it. I had apples and pork chops on hand along with a few Sweet Onions and the arrival of unexpected company. Made it exactly as you described along with mashed potatoes and an apple inspired stove top stuffing with sauted onions and celery using orange juice and chicken broth to dampen it. Also served a fresh green salad on teh side which made it a more balanced meal. I have enjoyed reading your easy and quick to prepare recipes. They are always spot on.5 stars

  10. Very delicious! The sauce is amazing! I will definitely be making this recipe again. Thank you for sharing it with us!

  11. i would like to print out several of your recipes and only the recipe. i don’t want the part about nutritional information too. is there a way to do this since you don’t need that while making your dish. most other web sites are the same way. they also include the nutritional information in the printed form. if not then i will keep on writing it out by hand. thx

    1. Hi Michael. You can preview prior to printing and select 1 or 2 pages only to skip the nutritional info at the bottom.
      Hope this helps.

  12. An easy & excellent recipe! My husband made this tonight for dinner. He made no changes. The pork chops were tender & juicy. The apples were perfect and the sauce was superb! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.