One-skillet pork chops with apples features seasoned, savory juicy pork chops with sweet apples simmered to perfection! This Paleo and Whole30 compliant dinner is easy, fast and great for weeknights! Serve as is or with cauliflower rice, roasted sweet potatoes or a green salad.
Simple, fast, tasty and filling. What more could you want for a weeknight dinner? Add on Whole30 compliant, paleo, and the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavor and it gets even better!
No, not everyone is a big pork chop fan (myself included) but I must say, ever since I started cooking with bone-in pork chops I’m enjoying them more than ever before.
They have more flavor, don’t dry out in 3 seconds and still cook as quickly as I need them to in my cast iron skillets. Definitely more bang for your buck in pretty much every way if you ask me!
I probably wouldn’t have posted a pork chop/apple recipe if it weren’t for all the reader requests I’ve gotten over the past few months. And I totally understand why – it’s cold outside and pork chops with apples totally falls into that comfort food category that I love so much.
As a bonus? They’re basically already paleo, as in, you would actually have to TRY to take the paleo out of them, if you see what I mean. We have pork, apples, seasonings, and broth.
Super simple in theory, and, if you love the combo of meat and fruit (I so do, as you might have noticed!) a delicious combination that satisfies that sweet/savory craving.
Though this recipe is definitely a fast and easy one, as with one-skillet meal, the timing will be important to avoid dry meat and mushy apples – ugh – the worst!
Also, to avoid the whole mushy apples problem, make sure you use crisp-sweet apples (I used one honeycrisp and one pink lady) rather than varieties that break down too quickly, such as red delicious and Macintosh. You’ll want to slice the apples thin (about 1/4″) so they cook through, but not so thin that they fall apart by the time the meat is cooked.
Having everything ready before you heat up your skillet also helps get the timing right for pretty much ANY recipe. Trust me – I make this mistake at least once per day and pay for it, always, by overcooking or burning something. Which, of course, I then wind up eating anyway since it was my mistake to begin with, and DANG do I hate wasting food!
But, now I’m way off topic, so back to the pork chops! The sauce for these is so, so, simple – chicken bone broth and a bit of mustard combines with the apples, onions, fresh herbs and seasonings from the pork chops (that’s where the cinnamon comes in!) to create a seriously tasty, savory, sweet, tart sauce.
You’ll have plenty to serve over the pork chops to keep them nice and juicy! I love this recipe with roasted sweet potatoes, or a baked sweet potato, but the sky’s the limit with the side dishes! Cauliflower rice would be great to keep it lower in carbs, and a green salad is always good too.
I hope you’re ready for a delicious, fast dinner – let’s cook!
One-Skillet Pork Chops with Apples {Paleo, Whole30}
One-Skillet Pork Chops with Apples {Paleo, Whole30}
One-skillet pork chops with apples features seasoned, savory juicy pork chops with sweet apples simmered to perfection! This Paleo and Whole30 compliant dinner is easy, fast and great for weeknights! Serve as is or with cauliflower rice, roasted sweet potatoes or a green salad.
Ingredients
- 4-5 bone-in pork chops
- Sea salt and black pepper to sprinkle on pork
- 3/4 tsp onion powder for pork
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon for pork
- 3 Tbsp ghee divided in half
- 2 med/large crisp-sweet apples cored and sliced to 1/4” thickness*
- 1 small red onion (or 1/2 large) sliced thin
- Sprinkle of sea salt and pepper for apple mixture
- 8 oz chicken bone broth
- 2 tsp spicy brown mustard check for Whole30 compliance
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh sage minced
Instructions
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Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper, onion powder, and cinnamon, rubbing spices in to coat.
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Heat a large heavy skillet (I used a 12” cast iron) over medium high heat and add 1 1/2 Tbsp ghee.
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Add pork chops to hot skillet and brown on each side 3 minutes (they won’t be fully cooked yet), then remove to a plate and set aside.
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Lower heat to medium and add remaining ghee to melt. Add apples and onions to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes, until beginning to soften (cooking longer during this step can lead to mushy apples later on!)
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Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and pepper, then add the broth and mustard, plus fresh herbs, stir to combine, scraping up any bits that stuck to your skillet.
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Return pork chops to skillet, making room for them by pushing apples and onions aside/around them. Continue to simmer over medium heat until pork chops are cooked through - about 2 minutes or so, depending on how thick they were to start.
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Once cooked through, remove from heat and serve hot, immediately. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*I use pink lady and honeycrisp for this recipe and they keep their shape and sweet flavor well!
Nutrition
What I Used To Make My One-Skillet Pork Chops with Apples:
Want More Whole30 Dinner Recipes? Try One of These!
Skillet Pork Tenderloin with Teriyaki Sauce
Crispy Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Swedish Meatballs with Whole30 Mashed Potatoes
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
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Does the chicken broth mix cook down? Mine is very soupy looking compared to what I see here.
Yes it should cook down quite a bit.
I found that the cooking time was a bit short for the pork chops (mine came out a bit too pink) but after cooking them a bit longer, it wound up being one of the better pork recipes I’ve had!
Great! Cooking time varies a bit depending on the thickness of your chops so sounds like it worked out fine 🙂
Made this tonight – oh so good! All the flavours go so well, my tummy is very happy indeed tonight 🙂
After a busy day, I was thrilled to find this easy recipe. My husband loved, loved, loved this meal. I agree that it is important to prep all ingredients prior to cooking to meet the timing challenge. I used jazz apples and they were perfect. I served over kale that was cooked in chicken stock. Next time I make this, I will just throw the kale in the same pan. I nice complement to the flavors of this recipe..
Sounds delicious! Glad you guys enjoyed 🙂
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. They were the most tender pork chops ever!
I found these to be just ok. The flavor is good but they were a bit dry. I personally like the apples better when they are peeled also. I tried browning for a shorter amount of time and covering the skillet when cooking with the apples/onions and they seemed to be more tender. Also found a similar recipe that has bacon and a great gravy that you cook it in! Yum! Flavor of these was very good though!
Made it today with rutabaga fries – was delicious
Yum!
I don’t have the fresh herbs, can I use dried? How much if yes?
I’m sure you can, just not sure of the exact amount but most likely you can’t go wrong 🙂
The rule of thumb is a 1/3 dried to fresh.. so I used 1 teaspoon of dried sage and alittle less than 1/2 teas dried rosemary
Could you sear these in a skillet and finish in a crockpot? Any adjustments to liquid and any idea on time in slow cooker?
Unfortunately I’m really not sure about the timing for a slow cooker, I’d be worried they’d overcook.
This recipe is so good!!!!! Thank you for sharing it<3
This is a good recipe, but I wrote down to cook down the apple mixture before adding the chops back in. If the chops were really thick, maybe it would cook down. Very good all in all! Thanks! I appreciate people who dream up recipes so I don’t have to. 🙂
So happy you enjoyed it!
This is such a good recipe that it has made it onto my Whole30 family’s biweekly menu rotation. Thanks for your time in writing this up. We really like it!
Awesome! Thrilled you all enjoyed it!
Holy moly this was delicious! The sauce is the best part. It was pretty watery, so I pulled out the pork, apples, and onions and let the sauce cook down on medium-high for a couple more minutes. YUM. This one is a keeper!
Hello!
This is my first try making pork chops and they came out wonderfully! I did do a brine beforehand for about 40 minutes, so not sure how big of a change that is but this recipe is super simple, delicious and affordable.
This was a great recipe! I halved it and it turned out phenomenal with roasted potatoes. I love trying a new recipe and having it be well seasoned with proper cooking times. Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
Good unique flavor. Cinnamon pairs well with the apples and chops and mustard!
had it for breakfast for a week, delicious!!!!
Incredible! Tasted like we were dining out! The whole family enjoyed! Thank you for sharing! We’ll be having this again soon!
Phenomenal recipe! I added balsamic vinegar when including the broth and mustard giving it a little extra something. The chops definitely needed more time on the skillet but in the sauce with the pan covered helps lock in the moisture so that the chops don’t end up too dried out. Delish!
This recipe was a major hit with the fam. Made it a week ago and I couldn’t believe the response. My husband pretty much eats anything, but he and the kids loved the flavors. Thanks
Delicious and simple autumn weeknight dinner that actually lasts for 2 days! Made this one skillet dish tonight with a huge green salad as a side, and making twice baked sweet potatoes (recipe also on Paleo Running Momma)with leftovers tomorrow night
My husband hates pork chops and he ate this up and asked for seconds. It is so quick to make yet so flavorful with the apples and seasoning. This is definitely going on our weeknight meal rotation.
The best pork chops I’ve had in ages.
Would it be possible to make this recipe with boneless pork chops? I currently have quite a few frozen in my freezer. If so, how should the cooking time be adjusted?
Thanks!
Thank you for the information. I will regularly update information from you.
Your recipe is great, but your blog absolutely sucks! 1000 ads and videos. Too bad bc I would actually read this often if it wasn’t so trashy with all the popups, ads and forced videos.
I’m keeping this recipe in my rotation! I was a little skeptical about the cinnamon but it makes the dish delicious.
This was soooo good! I was a little frustrated because my pork chops took forever to finish cooking but to be fair my pork chops were the thickest I’ve ever seen. Totally worth the wait!
Also served with air fried Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes that got a little dried out so the sauce was a perfect addition for them
It is SO yummy! Picky kids liked it too! Definitley making this again and again. (I didnt have sage so left it out… )
I have boneless chops— any recommendations for cooking time?
Thanks!
Made this last night and it was AWESOME. We had apples that needed to be consumed so it was a perfect way to use them. The flavors were fantastic! Will definitely be making this again!!!
I wish I could give this 10 stars!!!!
This was delicious!!! My whole family enjoyed this. My pork chops were thick and bone in so they took quite a bit longer to cook which was fine because the sauce thickened naturally that way. My only change was to use ground sage. It was fantastic. Like, super fantastic!!!
This is a delicious comfort food! I make it monthly and use boneless chops, dried herbs and whatever apple and onion I have on hand and it always turns out great!
My husband and I both thought this recipe was great. I didn’t have fresh herbs so I substituted dried. Also, I covered the pan when I returned the pork chops for second cooking. I am a big fan of Paleo Running Momma. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
I made these tonight with Honeycrisp apples. It was very good. I did add some cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
YUM! These were absolutely delicious served with mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans. Perfect fall meal for our orchard apples!!
Pork chops were moist and apples were delicious. A nice addition to my whole 30 recipe collection
Just made this for dinner tonight and we are all a part of the clean plate club! Easy recipe, lots of flavor – will definitely make again!
Delish! Whole family loved it! Made with green beans and of course extra sautéed in coconut oil and cinnamon apples!!! Yum!
This was SO AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! I will make it many, many times.
Delicious! I skipped the cinnamon, but followed everything else. Served with roasted potatoes. Everyone enjoyed it.
This is fantastic for a whole30 fall meal. Truly a one pan meal, and the flavors were amazing! This was a fun new flavor profile – sage, rosemary, and cinnamon. Loved! Will make again.
These were pretty good.. I followed the directions exactly and felt so fancy whipping up this meal in 30 mins. I thought the apple taste wasn’t as strong as I thought it would be.. maybe my apples were alittle too small. But I would definitely make this again. Thank you!
We loved this pork recipe! The apple and onions and cinnamon went great w the pork!
Thank you for sharing this valuable knowledge. I’ve been struggling to come up with many questions on this subject. I’ll stand by your side!
These were simple and delicious! I think part of the secret is really good pork. I get mine from a local organic farmer and they are outstanding.
Can I substitute olive oil for the ghee? I am not a fan of ghee. Thanks!
My husband and I are new to the Paleo diet. I have researched and cooked several recipes but this recipe is so flavorful and delicious. We will be making this again. Thank you.
This article was super helpful! I’ve been looking for tips like these, and your writing style made it a breeze to read. Can’t wait to implement these ideas.
Great article! It’s refreshing to see such well-researched content. Looking forward to reading more from you in the future!
I made the One-Skillet Pork Chops with Apples for dinner last night, and they were a hit with my family! The flavors blended perfectly, and I loved how quick and easy the recipe was. I appreciate that it fits into my Whole30 plan. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!