This is an improvised weeknight recipe. I made it for dinner last week, and it turned out so well I had to share it.
The idea came while I was staring into my refrigerator, trying to figure out how to use up a bunch of ingredients I had lying around. First were the pork chops cut from the shoulder end of the loin I used in last week's rotisserie stuffed pork loin. That got me thinking about a pork chop saute. I also had some apple cider left from the brine, and apple butter from my trip to the orchard. These became the base for my pan sauce. Fifteen minutes later, dinner was ready!
This recipe is a grown up version of a childhood favorite, pork chops with applesauce.* The pan sauce is full of apples and cinnamon, with a hint of heat from the grainy mustard. It's hard to go wrong with pork and apples, a classic flavor combination.
*Even though it is a grown up version, it went over well with the kids.
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📖 Recipe Card
Pork Chop Saute with Apple Butter Sauce
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
Description
Boneless pork chops dredged in flour and sauteed in butter and olive oil, with a quick pan sauce of apple cider, apple butter, garlic and whole grain mustard.
Ingredients
Pork
- 5 boneless pork loin chops, 1 inch thick (about 2 pounds)
- 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (½ teaspoon per chop)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper (¼ teaspoon per chop)
- ½ cup flour (optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- ½ cup apple cider (or chicken stock, or water with a pinch of salt)
- 3 tablespoons apple butter
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prep the sauce: Mince the garlic, and set it aside. Stir the apple cider, apple butter and mustard together in a small bowl.
- Prep the pork: Sprinkle the pork chops evenly with the salt and pepper. Dredge in a thin coat of flour, shaking off the excess.
- Heat the pan: Heat the butter and olive oil in a 12 inch stainless steel frying pan over medium-high heat until the butter stops foaming and just starts to brown.
- Saute the pork: Add the chops, and shake the pan to get oil under them. Cook without moving for 3 minutes, until well browned. Flip, cook 3 minutes more, and move the chops to a plate.
- Make the sauce: Pour off any leftover fat, reduce the heat to medium, and add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until softened, then add the sauce mixture. Scrape up the browned bits, and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve: Drizzle each chop with a teaspoon of sauce, and pass the rest at the table.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Equipment: A 12 inch stainless steel frying pan. See my saute with pan sauce basic technique for more on the method.
Don't crowd the pan, or the pork will steam instead of brown. To cook more, work in batches, adding another tablespoon each of oil and butter between batches.
Other meats: This sauce is great with chicken breasts or turkey cutlets. I wouldn't use it with beef.
Milder sauce: Use Dijon or brown mustard instead of the whole grain mustard.
For another pan sauce, try my Pork Chop Saute with Orange Mustard Sauce.
Inspired by Pam Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Saute with Pan Sauce basic technique
Pork Chop Saute with Orange Mustard pan sauce
Other recipes that use the Saute with Pan Sauce basic technique.
Inspired by:
Pam Anderson How to Cook Without a Book
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Missy says
So delish! Will make this again and again. Make sure to double the sauce- liquid gold. Used 1/2 chicken stock 1/2 unfiltered apple cider- pork tenderloin-apples- dijon must.
Thanks
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
I always use medium-high when I'm sauteing. The new d5 pans are more efficient, and do heat up faster, but not so much that I changed my cooking style.
Of course, "medium" vs "medium-high" vs "high" all depends on your stove; my current GE with the big burners has a much higher "medium-high" than my the low end stove with tiny burners my house originally came with...
Chris Lukowski says
I have a question regarding stovetop heat and your All-Clad pans. This saute recipe, like most, suggests a burner setting of medium-high yet the All-Clad instructions insist their pans are so efficient that you shouldn't use a higher setting than medium unless you're boiling or reducing something. What's your experience been?
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Anonymous:
Both should say Apple cider - thanks, I fixed the recipe.
Anonymous says
Question:
The sauce ingredient list says APPLE CIDER, but instruction #1 to prepare the sauce says CIDER VINEGAR. Which to use?
DineInDiva says
Great minds think alike - see my post from this morning.