Cast Iron Pork Chops with Apples
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Cast Iron Pork Chops with Apples look, taste, and feel like a complex, high-class dish. But, really, this apple pork chop recipe is so easy to make! With just a handful of ingredients and 20 minutes of your time, you can enjoy fall flavors any time of year!
As far as quick weeknight meals are concerned, skillet recipes are a fantastic solution!
They’re simple, not too messy, and generally, there are fewer dishes to wash — that’s always a win, right?
Pork Chops with Apples
A quick sear on high heat browns the exterior of the boneless chops, building a beautiful crust, while the center stays perfectly moist.
When that’s all said and done, the juices in the pan are reduced and simmered with chicken stock, herbs, cinnamon, and apples.
The result is an outrageously luscious and thick, fruity herb sauce.
Spoon that over top of the pork, and you have a prize-winning comfort food meal of pork chops with apples!!
If you love pork dinners and you have a bit more time on your hands, I recommend making Mexican Carnitas or Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Pork Chops – Using a boneless cut is best for cast iron pork chops. They’re typically the same thickness, so each chop is likely to cook at the same rate.
Keep the cuts somewhere between ½” and ¾” thick. - Light Brown Sugar – If you only have dark brown sugar, that’s fine — but you may notice more of the molasses flavor in your pan sauce.
- Chicken Stock – Stock makes up the base of the sauce for the apple pork chops. You can use any flavor stock or broth you have on hand.
- Apples and Cinnamon – Each is delicious on its own, but they become even more tasty when paired together!
Best Apples for Pork Chops
Choose a firm-flesh apple that won’t fall apart when you cook it: Honeycrisp, Gala, and Golden Delicious are great choices.
Granny Smith is great if you want to cut back on the sweetness of this apple pork chop recipe.
Serving Suggestions
The fall flavor of pork chops with apples is fantastic with sides like baked sweet potatoes or bacon hasselback potatoes.
For something green on the plate, I suggest bacon wrapped Brussel sprouts!
Storing and Reheating Pork Chops and Apples
Leftover pork is safe to eat within 4 days, as long as it’s kept in the fridge and properly reheated to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Store the pork chops and apples separately and place the sauce in its own container as well.
In fact, if you want crisp apples, you may want to slice up fresh ones to reheat with the sauce on the stove.
Apple pork chops can be reheated over medium heat in a skillet on the stovetop, or in a 350°F. oven. Keep the heat at medium, otherwise, you’ll risk overcooking the meat.
Apple Pork Chops FAQ
Cast iron pork chops will cook a little faster since the pan retains heat better than stainless steel or nonstick.
It’s important to have your skillet nice and hot, getting nicely pan seared pork chops without drying out the meat through a drawn-out cooking process.
But before that, let the meat come to room temperature before cooking. Otherwise, the outside will overcook while you’re waiting for the center to cook through.
Traditionally, fruits were used to add sweetness to savory dishes without the need for sugar — that was a luxury ingredient back then! But there’s another reason: the acid in apples actually helps you digest fats, including those found in pork. So, cooking pork chops and apples together is a win-win!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
Don’t miss a thing! Follow us on
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Other Boneless Pork Chop Recipes
Cast Iron Pork Chops with Apples
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 boneless pork chops
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, (rosemary, sage and/or thyme)
- 2 cups sliced apples, (Granny Smith, Gala or both)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Add oil to a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Add chops to the preheated skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer pork from the skillet to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium low. To the hot skillet, add chicken stock, brown sugar, herbs, apples and cinnamon. Simmer for five minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan occasionally.
- Add the pork chops back to the skillet and drizzle sauce over them. Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145°F.
- Serve pork chops with apples on the side and a drizzle of sauce on top.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published October 2011, updated and republished October 2023
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.
First time preparing this dish last night, and it turned out great! Early prep of the apples, made the dish quick and easy while visiting with guests!
Ho Gardner Gayle,
We are so happy you enjoyed it! Have a great day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
This was a super quick and easy recipe, definitely helps to prep the apples before like someone else commented. This tasted amazing, my husband loved it.