Pork Chop with Apple Mustard Pan Sauce
A golden pork chop cooked on the stovetop, then finished with a creamy apple and mustard pan sauce built from the browned bits. High in protein and ready in one pan.
- Total
- 30 min
- Prep 8 · Cook 19 · Rest 3
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Pan sauce
- Savory
- Stovetop
Instructions
-
Pat the pork chop dry with paper towel and season both sides with 0.25 tsp salt and the black pepper. Core the apple and cut it into 1.5 cm wedges. Peel the onion half and slice it thinly.
~8 min
Drying the pork chop promotes browning by preventing surface moisture from steaming the meat.
-
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Lay in the pork chop and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes until deeply browned, then flip and cook 3 minutes more, until the center reaches 63°C/145°F. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
~7 min
Searing creates a flavorful brown crust through the Maillard reaction, while the thermometer ensures juicy, safe meat.
Searing Get the pan hot until oil shimmers, then lay the chop down and don't move it for 4 minutes to develop a deep brown crust. A common mistake is flipping too early, which prevents proper browning.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the sliced onion to the same skillet with the browned bits and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until softened and lightly golden.
~5 min
Pan sauce Build the sauce by sautéing aromatics, adding fruit, then deglazing with liquid and scraping up the browned bits. Simmer until it coats a spoon; avoid overheating cream to prevent curdling.
-
Add the apple wedges to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes, turning once, until the edges are golden and the fruit is just tender but still holds its shape.
~4 min
Cooking the apple just until tender preserves its shape and prevents it from turning to mush in the sauce.
Pan sauce Build the sauce by sautéing aromatics, adding fruit, then deglazing with liquid and scraping up the browned bits. Simmer until it coats a spoon; avoid overheating cream to prevent curdling.
-
Stir the mustard into the skillet, then pour in the 60 ml water and scrape up the browned bits. Add the 60 ml cream and simmer for 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with the remaining 0.25 tsp salt.
~2 min
Deglazing with water dissolves the browned bits into the sauce, and simmering reduces the cream to thicken it.
If the cream sauce looks thin, simmer it one more minute off the apple before adding the pork back, so the fruit does not turn to mush.
Pan sauce Build the sauce by sautéing aromatics, adding fruit, then deglazing with liquid and scraping up the browned bits. Simmer until it coats a spoon; avoid overheating cream to prevent curdling.
-
Return the pork chop and any resting juices to the skillet, spoon the sauce over it, and warm for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and let the chop rest 3 minutes before serving.
~4 min
Resting the pork chop allows juices to redistribute, keeping the meat moist and tender.
Pan sauce Build the sauce by sautéing aromatics, adding fruit, then deglazing with liquid and scraping up the browned bits. Simmer until it coats a spoon; avoid overheating cream to prevent curdling.