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Apple Cider Pork Chops
Apple Cider Pork Chops in a creamy sauce are juicy, tender, and ready in under 30 minutes. Thick-cut chops get seared until golden, butter-browned apple wedges join the pan, and a cider-reduced cream sauce ties everything together into a dinner that's easy enough for a Monday and dressed up enough for a holiday table.
Servings: 4 pork chops
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.
Nutrition Facts
Apple Cider Pork Chops
Amount per Serving
Calories
630
% Daily Value*
Fat
42
g
65
%
Saturated Fat
20
g
125
%
Cholesterol
180
mg
60
%
Sodium
203
mg
9
%
Potassium
795
mg
23
%
Carbohydrates
28
g
9
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
16
g
18
%
Protein
32
g
64
%
Vitamin A
1015
IU
20
%
Vitamin C
6.6
mg
8
%
Calcium
64
mg
6
%
Iron
1.2
mg
7
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Notes
If the sauce looks thin right after you add the cream, give it another 2–3 minutes over medium heat before reaching for more flour. The sauce thickens as the cream reduces, and it will also continue to thicken slightly once the pan comes off the heat.
Apples that go too soft when browned were probably sliced too thin or moved around the pan too much. Wedges around ½ inch thick, left undisturbed for the full 2 minutes per side, hold their shape better and don't turn to mush once they're folded back into the sauce.
If the sauce breaks after the chops go back in, it's almost always a heat issue, not an ingredient one. Pull the pan to low before returning the chops, and warm everything through gently rather than letting the sauce simmer hard a second time.
Leftovers reheat best in a skillet over low heat, not the microwave — cream sauces separate faster under high, uneven heat, and a skillet lets you stir the sauce back together as it warms.
