These Pork Chops with Apples are such an easy weeknight dinner! They are done in just a few minutes, and finished off in a delicious apple cider glaze. The cinnamon-spiced roasted apples and sweet potatoes will have your house smelling like autumn in no time. Originally published October 2, 2018.
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I’m now accepting any and all ideas for genius kid’s Halloween costumes that are cheap and easy (read: sewing is neither cheap nor easy.) My kids are still young enough that they are strongly open to suggestion, so I always try to get them to choose something that is creative but doable.
I’m like a roller coaster when it comes to Halloween costumes: half the time I’m totally gung-ho about it (memories! Fun times!), but there is this other Scrooge-y part of me that is incredibly cheap and can’t handle spending tons of money on something my kids are only going to wear once.
Truman said he wants to be a chameleon. Nothing says cheap and easy like having to sew a chameleon costume. (Have YOU seen any chameleon costumes at Costco?? Also I mentioned that I know less than zero about sewing right?)
Wish me luck. A part of me wants to make them all be bags of Jelly Belly’s. I’ve pulled that one a couple times myself. (Wear a clear plastic bag with multicolored balloons inside.)
To get in the fall spirit, we headed up to Apple Hill last weekend, which is kind of like the pumpkin patches you’ve been too, but it’s all apples and orchards instead of pumpkins and vines. They have the BEST apple cider there, and also amazing apple cider donuts that are to die for. I also bought 8 ounces of caramel for $12, which sounds crazy, but since then I’ve made multiple batches of (failed) caramel to try and recreate it. The kind at Apple Hill makes the best caramel apples. Stay tuned, I WILL CONQUER! I will go broke spending that much on caramel, I’m addicted and I need a home remedy.
Pan Seared Pork Chops
I used the apple cider and apples we bought to make these fall-inspired pork chops. I roasted the apples with sweet potatoes and onions. Pork chops and apples just go together, right? And roasted sweet potatoes are my favorite. This recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts is one of the most popular recipes on my blog.
Today’s recipe calls for cinnamon on the roasted veggies and apples, and also a bit of brown sugar. It gives it just a little touch of sweetness that makes you want to eat it like candy. I was this close to posting these roasted sweet potatoes and apples with cinnamon as a whole separate recipe. You could serve it with lots of different main dishes, and it’s so good!
What you’ll need for these Apple Pork Chops
Here’s a quick list of ingredients to put on your shopping list. Scroll down to the recipe card below for more details!
- Sweet potato
- Onion
- Apples
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Cinnamon
- Garlic salt
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Brown sugar
- Pork chops
- Apple cider
- Chicken broth (I love Better than Bouillon)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Whole grain mustard
- Soy sauce
- Butter
- Fresh thyme or rosemary (to garnish)
How to Make Apple Glazed Pork Chops
- Preheat the oven and line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Chop the sweet potato, peel the onion and slice into wedges, core the apples and cut into slices, and smash the garlic. Add them to the pan and drizzle with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, garlic salt, kosher salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Sprinkle over the pan, mix everything together, and spread it on the pan in one layer.
- Roast at 400 for about 30 minutes.
- Prepare the pork chops by patting dry with a paper towel and sprinkling with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil.
- When the oil shimmers, add the pork chops one at a time and sear over medium high heat until golden brown, then flip each pork chop and sear the other side. Remove the pork chops to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add apple cider, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer until slightly thickened. Add butter and continue simmering until melted.
- Return the pork chops and any juice to the pan. Cover, continuing to simmer until done.
- Serve the pork and the roasted veggies with the apple cider glaze drizzled over the top. Garnish with fresh thyme or rosemary.
Apple Pork Chop Recipe Tips
Here are my tips for making sure your pork chops and veggies turn out perfectly.
- Cut the fat. Use a sharp serrated knife to make 2 slits in the line of fat on the edge of the chop. This will keep your pork chop from curling up when you sear it, which can make it uneven and difficult to cook properly.
- Give your pork chops room. I know it can be tempting to cozy them up together in the pan, but they need enough space in between them (about an inch) so they can brown nicely and develop that beautiful sear. Do it in batches if they don’t fit – it’s worth it!
- Check the temperature. You don’t want those chops going above 145! Use an instant read thermometer and check before you think you need to. Especially if you have thin chops, they may be done quite quickly.
How to Store Apple Cider Pork Chops
These pork chops and veggies will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. I don’t recommend freezing them, because the textures of the pork and vegetables won’t be quite the same. If you do have extra and know you need to save it, you can safely freeze them.
If you are working quickly and don’t have any toddlers thwarting you, you can get these apple cider pork chops done and on the table in about 45 minutes, and most of that time is just waiting for the veggies and apples to roast. Let me know if you try it out! You guys know I love seeing pictures of what you’re making from the blog, right?? Tag #thefoodcharlatan so I can tell you how awesome you are that you made dinner for your family :)
FAQs for Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops
Moist pork chops, tender pork chops, not dry-as-a-bone pork chops: whatever you call them, the secret is temperature. Overcooking pork chops makes them tough, dry, and downright unpleasant.
The best apples for pairing with pork are sweet and don’t fall apart when you cook them. I recommend trying Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp. They’re easy to find at the store and have the right sweetness to contrast with the saltiness of the pork.
It doesn’t matter if you cook pork chops in the oven or on the stove–the important thing is making sure that you don’t overcook them. Just say no to dry pork!! The benefit of cooking pork chops on the stove is that you can sear them, which creates amazing caramelized flavor.
Get out your thermometer. Throw everything out the window that your mom told you about how long to cook pork. Cook your pork chops to 135, then tent them with foil, where they’ll continue rising in temperature to 145. The thing about meat is that it keeps cooking internally after you remove it from the pan, so if you pull it out at its “done” temperature, you’re actually overcooking it.
More like this Apple Pork Chop Recipe
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Saucy Pork Chops << this was my favorite meal as a kid. My mom made these pork chops on special occasions. It’s really simple, but it’s so good!
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Pan Seared Pork Chops with Apple Cider Glaze
Ingredients
For the roast
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled
- 1 medium onion
- 2 large apples, cored and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
For the pan sear
- 4-5 pork chops*
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- fresh thyme , or rosemary to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Chop the sweet potato into 1 or 2 inch chunks. Peel the onion and slice into wedges. Core the apples and cut into about 8 slices each (leave the peel on the apples). Smash the garlic with the side of a chef’s knife.
- Add sweet potato, onion, apples, and garlic to the pan. Drizzle with 1/3 cup olive oil.
- In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, garlic salt, kosher salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Sprinkle over the pan and then use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix it all together. Make sure everything gets coated with oil and the spices, then spread it all out on the pan in one layer.
- Roast at 400 for about 30 minutes, or until you can slide a fork into the sweet potato and apples. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pork chops. Pat dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use a sharp serrated knife to make 2 slits in the line of fat on the edge of the chop. See photo. This will keep your pork chop from curling up when you sear it. (which then makes it uneven and difficult to cook properly.)
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add about 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- When the oil shimmers, add the pork chops one at a time, with plenty of space in between. Sear over medium high heat for about 2 minutes until golden brown, then flip each pork chop and sear the other side. If you have more pork chops, work in batches. Don’t add more than about 4 to the pan, otherwise they will steam and not get a golden sear.
- Remove the pork chops to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add apple cider, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer (it should still be bubbling slightly.)
- Simmer for about 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add 3 tablespoons of butter and continue simmering until melted.
- Return the pork chops and any juice to the pan. Cover and continue to simmer for another 5 to 15 minutes. How long you cook at this stage depends on how thick your pork chops are. I used thin-cut pork chops, so it was done pretty quickly. If you have thicker pork chops, cook for longer. The pork should just reach 145 degrees. I would definitely use a meat thermometer, over cooked pork is the worst. (If you are using thin pork chops, you may want to remove the chops as soon as they are cooked, so that your sauce can thicken a bit more without the pork becoming tough.)
- Serve the pork and the roasted veggies with the apple cider glaze drizzled over the top. Or you can dump the veggies into the pan you cooked the pork in, whatever works for you.
- Garnish with fresh thyme or rosemary.
How do you get an accurate read of temperature with your thermometer on the thin chops?
I prefer the thin chops but I’m always stuck winging it on cook time bc my thermometer doesn’t want to work properly unless it’s 1/2-1” deep
I hear you Janet, the same thing happens to me. I try to insert the thermometer into thin chops at an angle so the full tip is inside the meat. With time you’ll get used to how long they take without needing to temp them, but until then, try the angle! Enjoy :-)
The sweet cider and the whole grain mustard heaven I didn’t know I was looking for!! Loved how sticky and crisp the sweet potatoes got with the brown sugar in the spice mix. I added two extra cloves of garlic. The sauce didn’t thicken as much as I wanted so I added a little cornstarch slurry. I think next time I will try with thicker chops.
Love it Melanie! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review along with your tips, it means a lot :-)