Pork Chops with Apples and Bacon

This easy one-pan Fall weeknight dinner features juicy seared pork chops simmered in a tangy-sweet apple cider and Dijon pan sauce with sautéed apples, crispy bacon, and fried sage. It’s a hearty, comforting dish that delivers restaurant-quality flavor in about 30 minutes with minimal cleanup—perfect for one pan meals lovers! Serve pork chops and apples with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and lemon-parmesan green beans.

📝 Ingredients

• 2 large thick-cut bone-in pork chops (1/2–3/4 inch thick, around 10-12 ounces per chop (you can also use boneless))
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
• 5 slices thick-cut bacon (chopped)
• 10 leaves Fresh sage (about 10 whole leaves, for crisping)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (if needed, for searing)
• 1 large sweet or tart apple (skin-on, cut into 8 pieces and cored (or 3 small apples, red or mixed with green))
• 1 large shallot (sliced)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (roughly chopped)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (optional, to thicken sauce)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay)
• 1 1/4 cup apple cider ((NOT apple cider vinegar) or fresh apple juice)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Toasted hazelnuts
• Thyme leaves

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Pat the pork dry with paper towels, and season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Set aside.
2. 2In a large skillet, add the chopped bacon to a cold pan. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon is golden and crispy, about 6–8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave drippings in the pan.
3. 3Add the sage leaves and fry for 30 seconds until crisp. A good way to know if they are done is when the sage is dark and the sound of crackling oil is gone. Remove and set aside with the bacon.
4. 4Add olive oil to the skillet if the pan looks dry. Increase heat to high and heat until you see the drippings begin to smoke. Sear pork chops 1-2 minutes per side, until golden. (They don’t need to be fully cooked yet.) Remove and set aside.
5. 5Lower the heat to medium and saute the apples for about 1-2 minutes to just soften them ever so slightly.
6. 6Add the shallots, and thyme until the shallots are just softened, about 3 minutes.
7. 7Sprinkle flour (if using) over the shallot apple mixture and coat.
8. 8Increase heat to medium-high. Add white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Let it reduce for about 1 minute.
9. 9Stir in apple cider and Dijon mustard. Mix well.
10. 10Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Nestle the pork chops into the pan, cover loosely, and simmer gently until pork is cooked through (145°F internal temp), about 5 minutes depending on the thickness of your pork chops and the sauce begins to thicken.
11. 11Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve pork chops with apples and sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with crispy bacon, toasted hazelnuts, sage leaves, and extra thyme. Mashed potatoes, wild rice, roasted root veggies, braised cabbage, or a shaved fennel and arugula salad would pair well with this dish. Enjoy!