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.
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.
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.
- Brown pork chops on each side in the skillet. Set aside.
- Cook onions & apples until soft, combine sauce ingredients (per recipe below).
- 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!
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
- Crispy Breaded Pork Chops – oven-baked
- Crock Pot Pork Chops
- Instant Pot Pork Chops
- Crispy Breaded Pork Chops (Baked)
- Juicy Baked Pork Chops
- Mushroom Pork Chops
- Grilled Pork Chops
- Stuffed Pork Chops
Did you make these Fried Pork Chops? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Fried Pork Chops with Apples
Equipment
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
- ⅔ cup apple cider or as needed, not apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
- ⅛ 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
Nutrition Information
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© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
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.
Yummy! I love pork chops especially the crunchy one.
I made for supper and the family loved it. Very easy to make and very delicious! Definitely will be making more often.
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 stars
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”.
Sounds delicious Amy!
Delicious. I don’t even love pork chops but this was so good.
Delicious results. Easy to make I feel like a chef. Thank you!
So glad you loved it Eileen!
It looks delicious haven’t eaten yet but question I didn’t see when to add cinnamon so added it to sauce.
Perfect Barbara! I’ve updated, so thank you for letting me know!
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?
Apple juice will work in this recipe.
It looked complicated but was not. It was delicious.
Very good
Look delicious
Can you use bone in pork chops?
This should work just fine. You may need to adjust cook time based on thickness to ensure the pork reaches 145°F without overcooking.
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.
Glad you were able to save the pork, Matthew. And that it turned out so delicious!
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.
What a creative fix Erin! It’s great to hear it worked out for you.
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.
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.
Thanks so much Susan! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes!
Very delicious! The sauce is amazing! I will definitely be making this recipe again. Thank you for sharing it with us!
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
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.
Right click on your mouse and highlight what you want and then print.
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.