Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops

Once in a while, a recipe comes along in your life that is so good, you just have to make it over and over. It becomes a regular for your family or when entertaining guests. Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops is such a recipe. Let me tell you how much we love these chops!

My mouth starts to water just looking at these pictures. Juicy, thick cut pork chops cooked and then smothered in the most delicious sweet caramelized onion, bacon, and apple cider sauce; tangy, bright, and full of flavor that tastes incredible! For the onion hater... I hate onions too. Really. I make this confession because I LOVE them in this recipe. They are delicious and I don't feel like I'm eating onion. Seriously, this recipe is an absolute joy to cook! Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops will make you feel like a skilled chef whipping up a masterpiece; yet with a little prep it's super easy and fast~about 30 minutes. Your home will be filled with a mouth watering aroma that foretells of greatness to come. I am being dramatic, but it's true! It's hard to describe just how lovely this recipe turns out until you try it for yourself. You'll never serve pork chops the same way again.

This recipe calls for thick cut pork chops; they should be about one-inch thick. I sometimes have difficulty finding thick chops, most are cut to just half the thickness needed. I've had success most times at good ol' Walmart. I purchase the chops specifically marked "Thick cut". Thin chops just don't withstand the cooking time in this recipe and will over cook~ turning into the standard 'dry as leather' pork chop.

The other main ingredient in this recipe is the apple cider. When in season, you have lots of varieties to choose from. Go for cider that is opaque, (you can't see through the juice) thick with apple pulp. I've found this creates the most exceptional flavor for this recipe. Out of season it can be near impossible to find this kind of cider. Not to fret, I turn to a supermarket staple that is always around- Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. It does great in a pinch. Plus you can drink the rest with your meal and it makes a lovely pairing with the main dish!

My most favorite part of cooking these up is frying the bacon, onion, bay leaves and Thyme for the sauce. There is something about cooking this combination of ingredients together that sends a heavenly aroma into the air. I am a lover of fresh herbs and they are amazing in this dish. If you can't find some sprigs of thyme at the store, use ground/powdered thyme. It will dissolve into the liquids yet still flavor the sauce well. This is one recipe that you definitely should read through entirely before starting. I like to prep all my ingredients for this recipe before I start. Doing so ensures you have a great experience with it. Enjoy!

Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

6073031

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 4 boneless, skinless pork loin chops, about 1 inch thick
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 or 3 slices of bacon, minced
• 1 sweet or yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Pat meat dry on both sides with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12 inch metal skillet (try to avoid non-stick for this recipe) on medium high. Brown the chops well on just one side, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the minced bacon to the skillet and cook until fat begins to render, about 2 minutes. Mix in onion, sugar, thyme, bay leaves and a pinch of salt, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. The onion should just be beginning to brown. Remove the lid and continue cooking and stirring often for another 5 minutes or until the onion is well browned.

3. Gently stir in the cider, again scraping up browned bits. Nestle pork chops into the pan, browned side up. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until center of chop registers 140 degrees, about 10 minutes.

4. Transfer pork chops to a plate and cover with foil to rest. As it rests, return onion sauce to a simmer. Whisk together the corn starch, water and mustard, then whisk the mixture into the sauce. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprig. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour onion sauce over chops and serve.

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Chicken Pomodoro

This dish is easy to prepare and takes less than 30 minutes, perfect for a weeknight supper. Yet it's also fancy enough for preparing for company. I've prepared it several times for my friends and family!

Simple and Delicious weeknight meal.

Juicy white chicken breast topped with a tomato, cream, and basil sauce.

Chicken Pomodoro is a great teaching dish for beginners, as it uses all fresh ingredients. There is just no comparison for food created with fresh ingredients. The Chicken breast meat is patted dry and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, then cooked in a saute pan until deep golden on both sides. This step is not to cook the chicken through, but to create fond, the little brown bits on the bottom of your saute pan. These little bits are full of flavor and help to give depth to pan sauces. You'll finish cooking the chicken in the prepared sauce at a later step in the recipe.

See the brown bits on the bottom, and
mixed with the onion? That's the fond!

Here, the ingredients are used to build a chunky pan sauce, and then the browned chicken is braised in the creamy mixture with a little kick of red pepper flakes.

Here's the finished sauce, minus the
 fresh basil. (Which goes in just before serving.)

When cooking this recipe, prepping all ingredients beforehand is a must. It goes fast, and you won't have time to be chopping up veggies and herbs and cooking at the same time. 

Chicken Pomodoro

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20

Keywords: entree

6054358

Ingredients (4 servings)

• Ingredients
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs total)
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil (not extra virgin)
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pushed through a press
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Instructions

Instructions

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife (preferably a chef's knife) slice each breast horizontally in half. It's easiest when you place you hand, fingers close together, flat on top of the meat to secure it and slice through the meat horizontally with your knife, under your hand. You should have 4 total breast shaped cutlets approximately 1/2 inch thick. heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in the empty skillet over medium-high until the oil has spread out over the entire bottom of the pan. Cook the onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then stir in the tomatoes, cream and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken and any accumulated juice into the pan. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter and tent with foil. Simmer sauce, uncovered, until slicktly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper as needed. (Don't forget to always TASTE your sauces before serving, and add salt accordingly.) Pour finished sauce over chicken and serve over your choice of rice, pasta or even polenta!

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