Skillet Pork Chops with Apples & Onions

Fall is almost here! I picked up some delicious apples and wanted to incorporate them into a pork chop recipe. My husband complains we eat too much chicken and turkey, so I decided to make the other white meat. After some serious google / pinterest searching and recipe comparison, I came across this great little recipe from Mark Bittman. I took out a few steps and cut it in half. This is a perfect weeknight meal for two. 

skillet pork chops with apples and onions

tasty bite

ingredients:

2 1"-thick bone in pork chops

1 1/2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

1/4 cup white wine

1 tbsp chopped shallot or red onion

1/2 large onion, sliced

1/4 cup water

directions:

place pan over medium-high eat.

add olive oil.

blot pork chops with paper towel.

season with salt & pepper.

when skillet is hot, add chops and turn heat to high.

when brown, turn and cook other side (about 2 - 3 minutes / side).

reduce heat to medium.

add wine.

add shallots.

cook shallots in wine until wine is almost evaporated (about 2 minutes).

turn chops while cooking shallots. 

remove the chops and put on a plate.

turn heat back up to high.

add apples and onion and stir (about 2 minutes).

add water and scrape up any brown bits in the pan.

place chops and juices back in pan.

bring juices to a boil, reduce heat.

cover and cook, turn chops a few times (about 5 - 10 minutes).

tips & extras

sides - I didn't serve this with any sides since it was a light weeknight meal. However, I think it would be perfect with garlic mashed potatoes or roasted red potatoes. 

wine - The wine really splatters when you add it to the pan, so stand back and wear an apron. There will be a bit of burner cleaning after this recipe.

original recipe - The original recipe calls for the addition of a lemon juice, butter, & parsley topping. I thought the chops tasted great without this, but if you want to be a little fancier, include it! It also gives you the option of adding chicken stock or water. I didn't have any stock, but water was just fine. 

apples - I used gala apples but many recipes call for granny smith with pork chops. If you don't have apples, peaches would be nice in this dish. If you don't like the fruit and meat combo, the original recipe suggests adding peppers and mushrooms.