Bone-in pork chops baked with tender, slightly caramelized apple and onion slices in a warm sweet-tart pan sauce flavored with Dijon and thyme; served spooned with the buttery apple sauce.
Skillet-Seared Pork Chops with Buttery Apple Sauce
Golden, bone-in pork chops finish in a warm sweet‑tart pan sauce of apples, Dijon, and thyme—an easy centerpiece that feels like Sunday dinner any night of the week.
If you want a dinner that smells like comfort and comes together without fuss, these pork chops are your answer. The sweet meeting the savory is the whole point: crisp‑seared pork, a little smoked paprika for depth, and thinly sliced apples and onions that soften and caramelize until glossy. A hit of Dijon brightens the sauce and thyme keeps it herbal and homey, so every forkful has a little sweet, a little tang, and plenty of savory richness.
This is a one‑pan workflow that rewards a little searing patience. Start in an ovenproof skillet (cast iron is ideal) to brown the chops and build those browned bits, then soften the apples and onions in the same pan so they pick up all that flavor. A splash of apple cider and chicken broth loosens the fond, the Dijon and stripped thyme leaves thread through the sauce, and the chops finish gently in the oven so they stay tender. Spoon the buttery apple sauce over the chops just before serving—the contrast of hot meat and slightly caramelized fruit is the point of the whole dish.
Serve this with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or roasted root vegetables to make it a proper family meal; it’s also a friendly recipe for weeknight company. You can make the sauce a day ahead and rewarm it, or sear the chops and refrigerate them briefly before finishing in the oven if you want to split the work. Leftovers reheat beautifully and the sauce makes a lovely sandwich topper the next day.
Ingredients
How to Make Sunday Baked Pork Chops with Apples
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Pat the pork chops dry and season both sides evenly with kosher salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Heat an ovenproof (cast-iron if you have one) skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter; when the fat is shimmering, sear the pork chops 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown, then transfer them to a plate.
- Reduce the stovetop heat to medium, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then add the sliced apples and sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 5–7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and brown sugar and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant, then stir in the apple cider, chicken broth, and Dijon mustard, scraping up any browned bits from the pan; strip thyme leaves from half the sprigs and add them to the sauce.
- Bring the pan sauce to a gentle simmer and taste for seasoning; whisk the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water to make a slurry and stir it in if you want the sauce slightly thicker, simmering 1–2 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Nestle the seared pork chops back into the skillet among the apples and spoon some sauce over each chop, then transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop reads 145°F (about 12–18 minutes, depending on thickness).
- Remove the skillet from the oven and let the chops rest 5–10 minutes so juices redistribute; while resting, strip remaining thyme leaves for garnish and spoon the apples and pan sauce over the chops to serve.
Recipe Card
Sunday Baked Pork Chops with Apples
Bone-in pork chops baked with tender, slightly caramelized apple and onion slices in a warm sweet-tart pan sauce flavored with Dijon and thyme; served spooned with the buttery apple sauce.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Pat the pork chops dry and season both sides evenly with kosher salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Heat an ovenproof (cast-iron if you have one) skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter; when the fat is shimmering, sear the pork chops 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown, then transfer them to a plate.
- Reduce the stovetop heat to medium, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then add the sliced apples and sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 5–7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and brown sugar and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant, then stir in the apple cider, chicken broth, and Dijon mustard, scraping up any browned bits from the pan; strip thyme leaves from half the sprigs and add them to the sauce.
- Bring the pan sauce to a gentle simmer and taste for seasoning; whisk the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water to make a slurry and stir it in if you want the sauce slightly thicker, simmering 1–2 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Nestle the seared pork chops back into the skillet among the apples and spoon some sauce over each chop, then transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop reads 145°F (about 12–18 minutes, depending on thickness).
- Remove the skillet from the oven and let the chops rest 5–10 minutes so juices redistribute; while resting, strip remaining thyme leaves for garnish and spoon the apples and pan sauce over the chops to serve.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 23
- Saturated Fat
- 6.5
- Sodium
- 780
- Fiber
- 2.5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 12
- Protein
- 39
- Fat
- 19
- Cholesterol
- 140
- Trans Fat
- 0.1
- Calories
- 420
- Sugar
- 18