Name: Stuffed Pork Chops
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 32 ounces apple juice (reduced down to 1 cup); 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 4 tablespoons bourbon; 2 teaspoons lemon zest; .5 teaspoon rubbed sage; chicken stock if needed to soften the breadcrumbs (4 to 8 tablespoons); .25 cup unsalted butter; 1 cup diced yellow onion; 1 celery stalk (thinly sliced); 1 large Granny Smith apple (or any tart apple - peeled, cored, and diced into small pieces); .25 cup Italian parsley (chopped); 1 teaspoon rubbed sage; .5 teaspoon dried thyme leaves; 1 cup breadcrumbs; 4 thick-cut pork chops (1.5-inches thick); sea salt and black pepper (to taste); 2 tablespoons olive oil

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This Stuffed Pork Chops recipe uses simple ingredients to create the perfect, easy to make meal! With a sweet and savory filling and topped with an apple-bourbon sauce, it is packed with flavor and guaranteed to impress!

Check out this Irish Pub Food page for even more delicious Irish recipes.

A stuffed pork chop covered in an apple-bourbon sauce and served with carrot parsnip mash on a large white plate with a glass of whisky in the background.

There are a few extra steps to create this meal, but none of them are difficult. Simmering the apple juice down takes the most time, and it is well worth the effort!!

What you will need to create Stuffed Pork Chops with Apples:

Ingredients to make Stuffed Pork Chops in white bowls.

You will need 1.5-inch thick pork chops, with or without bones. I can only find boneless so that is what I used.
Breadcrumbs flavored with onion, celery, butter, diced apple, lemon zest, parsley, and thyme create the filling.
We boil down the apple juice to a thick concentrate that is then mixed with Dijon mustard, bourbon, sage, and cayenne to create an amazing sauce to top the pork chops!

How to cook Stuffed Pork Chops:

Boil the apple juice (or apple cider) down to one cup. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and celery, and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Diced celery and onion with melted butter in a skillet.

Add the diced apple and cook until slightly softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the parsley, and thyme.

Diced apples and chopped parsley added to the onions and celery in the skillet.

Add the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

Breadcrumbs stirred into the mixture in the skillet with a wooden turner.

Move the stuffing to a bowl to cool.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel to remove any residual breadcrumbs.

Lay the pork chops flat on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut a large pocket inside each chop. Cut the opening 2 to 3-inches wide, making the cut wider inside the chop. Be careful not to cut all the way through.

A slit cut into the side of a thick pork chop on a white cutting mat.

Spoon about half a cup of filling into each opening, pressing to pack it in and keep it in place.

Two pork chops standing up on their side filled with stuffing.

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil. When oil is hot, add the pork chops. Brown the first side, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the chops over and brown the second side, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Place a lid or aluminum foil over the skillet and place in the oven. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat, not the stuffing, reads 145 degrees. This can take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes depending on the thickness of your pork chops and how hot your oven cooks.

Four cooked, stuffed pork chops in a white skillet.

While the pork chops are cooking, heat the reduced apple juice with the Dijon mustard, bourbon lemon zest, sage and cayenne. Whisk to combine and stir occasionally until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place a stuffed pork chop on a plate and drizzle with the apple-bourbon sauce. Serve with Carrot Parsnip Mash, Au Gratin Potatoes for Two (you can double the recipe), Mashed Sweet Potatoes, or Instant Pot Loaded Mashed Potatoes and your choice of vegetables.

Looking down on two plates of A stuffed pork chop covered in an apple-bourbon sauce and served with carrot parsnip mash with a glass of whisky in the background.

So, so good!! All of the flavors blend together perfectly.

Recipe Notes & Tips

The stuffing is supposed to be on the dry side, we don’t want soggy stuffing. However, living in the desert I realize that my breadcrumbs are incredibly dry, so I added 7 or 8 tablespoons of chicken stock to help bind them together. Just enough so that I could scoop them up without them falling back down into the skillet.
I used a Granny Smith apple because they hold together well when baked. Feel free to use your favorite apple.
There isn’t a substitute for the bourbon. You could leave it out if you must, but it will be lacking in flavor. You could try to substitute chicken stock, but I have not tried that myself.

More delicious pork recipes:

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Enjoy!!