This might be my favorite way to cook a pork chop, full stop. Juicy, thick-cut chops seared until golden, apple wedges browned in the same butter, and a creamy apple cider sauce that pulls the whole pan together in under 30 minutes. Company worthy, weeknight easy.
Apple Cider Pork Chops Summary
- 🍎 Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, then rest 30 minutes
- 🧈 Brown apple wedges in butter, 2 minutes per side, then set aside
- 🥩 Sear the chops in the same pan, about 4 minutes per side, until deeply golden
- 🍷 Sauté onion, garlic, and thyme, then deglaze with white wine
- 🥄 Stir in flour to form a paste - this is what thickens the sauce later
- 🍁 Add apple cider and reduce, then stir in chicken stock and heavy cream
- 🔥 Return the chops and apples to the pan, warm through, and serve
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Apple Cider Pork Chops
Pork chops get a bad reputation for drying out, and I get why - most people are cooking a thin chop too hot, too fast, with nothing to catch it. This recipe is the answer! Yes, I know, it sounds big, but a quick salt rest before cooking, a proper sear, and a cider-cream sauce that's doing double duty as both flavor and insurance against dryness.
I make some version of this every year once the apples show up at the farmers market. Apple cider reduction + butter produces butter-browned apple wedges sitting in a cream sauce next to a pork chop that just says fall louder than almost anything else I cook. And once you've got the sauce going, it's hard to go back to a plain seared chop.
If you're already into cider as a braising liquid, my Apple Cider Braised Chicken Thighs - loaded with mushrooms - and Apple Cider Pot Roast both lean on the same trick: reduce the cider first, then build cream and stock on top of it.
Ingredients in Apple Cider Pork Chops
There isn't much here that's unusual, but the order you add things in matters more than the ingredient list itself.
1. For the pork chops
- Pork chops - Thick-cut boneless loin chops, at least 1 inch, are non-negotiable for this one. A thin chop will overcook before the sauce is even ready. If you're not sure what to grab at the counter, my guide on which pork chop cuts are best for pan searing walks through why thickness changes everything.
- Italian seasoning, salt and pepper - Season both sides generously and let the chops rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before they hit the pan. The salt pulls moisture to the surface and reabsorbs it, and the rest time keeps the chop from seizing up the second it meets a hot pan.
2. For the apples and sauce
- Fresh apples - Two apples, each sliced into 12 wedges. Firmer baking apples hold their shape better in the pan, but really, whatever's sitting in your fruit bowl this time of year will work.
- Apple cider - Not apple cider vinegar - the real, unfiltered stuff. It reduces down in the pan and turns into the backbone of the sauce, so don't rush that step.
- Onion and garlic - Sautéed first to build the base of the sauce, along with fresh thyme leaves added at the same stage.
- White wine - Used to deglaze the pan after the onion and garlic soften, lifting all the browned bits left behind from the seared pork and apples.
- Flour - Just enough to make a light paste with the sautéed onion and garlic, which is what thickens the sauce later. Stick to no more than 2 tablespoons - more than that and the sauce turns pasty instead of silky.
- Chicken stock and heavy cream - Added once the cider has reduced, then brought to a gentle simmer to bring the whole sauce together.
How to Make Apple Cider Pork Chops
1. Season and rest - Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning on both sides of the chops, then let them sit for 30 minutes. This isn't a step to skip - it's what keeps them from drying out later.
2. Brown the apples - Melt butter in the pan and lay the apple wedges in a single layer. Brown gently, about 2 minutes per side, then pull them out and set aside.
3. Sear the chops - Add olive oil and a bit more butter to the same pan, then sear the chops about 4 minutes per side until deeply golden. Pull them out and keep warm in the oven while you build the sauce.
4. Build the sauce - Sauté onion, garlic, and thyme in the same pan, deglaze with wine, then stir in flour to form a paste. Add the apple cider and let it cook down over medium heat. Once reduced, pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream and bring to a simmer.
5. Bring it together - Return the chops and apples to the pan, spoon the sauce over everything, and let it warm through before serving.
Apple Cider Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops (thick and boneless)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Italian seasoning to taste
- 2 apples peeled and cut into 12 wedges each
- 3 tablespoon butter divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4-5 sprigs of thyme leaves only
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup apple cider
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Prep pork chops
- Season pork chops with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning on both sides.
- Cover and leave chops at room temperature to absorb seasonings for at least 30 minutes. This would also allow them too retain moisture when cooking.
Brown the apples
- While the pork chops are absorbing the seasoning, cook the apples. Slice each apple into 12 wedges.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide skillet and raise heat to medium-high.
- Add apple wedges in one layer and brown gently on one side, about 2 minutes.
- Brown on the other side and cook for 2 minutes more, or until apples are cooked through but still firm. Remove apples from pan and keep warm.
Cook pork chops
- Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon butter to pan and swirl to melt.
- Place pork chops in pan and brown for about 4 minutes per side. Adjust heat if necessary to keep pork from cooking too quickly.
- Remove chops and keep warm on a platter in a low oven.
Make apple cider cream sauce
- Turn the heat to low, add butter, then add the chopped onion, saute until tender for about 5-7 minutes, then add the minced garlic and thyme leaves and cook for a minute longer. Then deglaze the pan with wine.
- Add the flour and stir to incorporate the flour into the fat and liquid to create a paste.
- Add apple cider to pan, raise heat to high and cook down a bit.
- Add chicken stock and heavy cream, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Dish assembly
- Return the pork chops to the pan and add the fried apples. Reheat on low heat.
Notes
Recipe Tips
Thickness really is the whole game here. A chop under an inch thick will finish cooking before the sauce has had time to reduce, and you'll end up with a dry chop sitting in a great sauce - not the goal. If you want the deep dive on cut selection, that pan-searing guide is worth the five minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This is a good enough dinner for a weeknight and dressed up enough for a holiday table. I like it next to Easy Scalloped Potatoes to soak up the extra sauce, and a Cranberry and Spinach Salad on the side for something bright against all that cream.
Hungry for More Pork Chops?
If you're building out a whole pork chop recipe rotation, try these next:
Kat says
I reduced the stars based on the cook time. I’m a very organized cook, so always have all my ingredients out before I start. I started gathering and cooking at 6 and dinner was ready at 7:30.
That said the flavor was very excellent and the pork chops were super tender.
Olya says
Great to hear Kat!!!
Mary says
I tried this recipe today and followed the directions exactly as written. The steps were clear and extremely helpful. It turned out exactly as the photo and it tasted absolutely amazing! My husband and I both loved it. The pork chops were tender, the spices were perfect and the apples with a bite of PC and sauce was heavenly! I highly recommend this recipe if you like Pork Chops. Yummy!
Olya says
What a great compliment - thank you!