Apples are a natural pairing with pork, and this recipe creates the luscious glaze out of some simple pantry staples and a fall favorite: apple cider. These easy pork chops are a great weeknight meal with some refrigerated Jimmy Dean mashed potatoes or air fryer baked potatoes. This recipe uses bone-in pork chops, but you can use boneless too; just use a meat thermometer to check doneness.
Steps to Make Apple Cider Pork Chops for a Fall Dinner
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the steps with tips and photos. You can find ingredient measurements in the recipe card below. Let me know if you’d prefer to see the measurements in the steps also.
Step 1: Gather your ingredients: I recommend getting out all of the ingredients and equipment you need before starting to cook. (Not always advice I take myself, but it goes more smoothly when I do.) Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
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Step 2: Season the pork chops: Add the chops to a medium bowl along with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the garlic salt, onion powder, black pepper, and thyme. Stir until the chops are completely coated. You may want to wear disposable kitchen gloves for this.
Step 3: Sear the pork chops: Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, cook the chops until golden brown and cooked all the way through, about 3 to 5 minutes per side depending on thickness. A meat thermometer should read 145F at the center thickness. Set the cooked chops aside and cover to retain heat.
Step 4: Make the apple cider glaze: Add the apple cider, brown sugar, butter, and Dijon mustard to the same pan. If you’re using a nonstick pan, use a safe spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom. Simmer over medium heat until the glaze thickens, about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Serve warm: Spoon the pork chops over mashed potatoes and drizzle the glaze all over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley if you like, and enjoy!
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Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops
- 2 T olive oil divided
- 1 T garlic salt
- 1 T onion powder
- 2 t black pepper
- 2 t thyme dried or fresh
- 1 c apple cider
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 1 T butter
- 1 T Dijon mustard
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl add the pork chops, 1 tbsp of oil, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper and thyme. Stir until completely coated.
- In a large pan add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the pan is hot, cook the pork chops until golden brown and cooked all the way through, around 3-5 minutes (depending on how thick the pork chops are). if you have a meat thermometer, check the temp reaches 145F.
- Once the pork chops are completely cooked, set aside and cover. Add the apple cider, brown sugar, butter and Dijon mustard and stir, getting up all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook on medium heat until it thickens up, five to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve the pork chops over mashed potatoes if desired, and drizzle the glaze all over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley if you'd like (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
The bottom line
If you’re looking for apple pork chops with the flavor but not the fruit, these may be the best pork chops ever.
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