If you’re looking for a recipe with ALL the flavours of fall, these Apple Cider & Honey Pork Chops are it! Pork chops are stewed in fresh apples and onions that get nice and soft and tender. Plus to add a bit more zip, I add black pepper, cayenne pepper and apple cider vinegar. Local honey rounds out this entire recipe making it slightly sweet and bringing all these delicious fall flavours together!
Honeycrisp: The Apple of Choice
For these Apple Cider & Honey Pork Chops, my apple of choice is the Honeycrisp apple. This is probably one of my favourite apples to eat during the fall since they are sweet and tangy. They’re also called ‘Honeycrisp‘ for a reason as they are incredibly crunchy and juicy! When cooked, Honeycrisp apples also retain their shape fairly well and have a nice soft texture.
Honeycrisp apples are a beautiful red colour with yellow underneath. Inside, the flesh is a nice firm texture and is a very light yellow, almost white, in colour. When buying Honeycrisp apples, ensure that the apple is firm all the way around and has no bumps or bruises. Bonus points if you can find Honeycrisp apples with the stems and leaves still attached. Those look gorgeous!
If you cannot find Honeycrisp apples at your local store (or if they sold out), you can also substitute with Ambrosia, Fuji or Gala apples since they are similar in sweetness and also hold up relatively well when stewed with the pork chops!
You can eat these Apple Cider & Honey Pork Chops on their own, or you can serve them with a nice side salad to get your greens in. I also love serving these with my German Spaetzle for a nice hearty fall meal. These German Spaetzle really soak up the juices from the Apple Cider & Honey Pork Chops and go perfectly together!
I hope that you enjoy this recipe for Apple Cider & Honey Pork Chops! Let me know in the comments below if you are planning to make these this fall!
Get the Recipe!
Apple Cider & Honey Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 2 thick-cut pork chops bone in
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 Honeycrisp apples cut into 3-cm cubes
- 1 onion cut into 3-cm cubes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup apple cider
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Season each side of the pork chops with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and the seasoned pork chops. Fry the pork chops on high heat for 3-4 minutes per side until they are golden brown. Make sure to sear the sides of the pork chops as well. Once browned, remove the pork chops from the pan and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, apples, butter, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, or until the onions have started to turn translucent and the apples have begun to soften.
- Next, add the apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of honey. Cook for 2 minutes before adding the pork chops back to the pan. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork chops reaches 145 degrees F.
- Remove the pork chops from the oven drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey on top. Let the pork chops stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
