Apple Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops
These stuffed pork chops are absolutely amazing! They’re filled with a flavorful mixture of honeycrisp apples, bacon, shallots, and smoked cheddar cheese. Start by searing the pork chops in the pan, finish in the oven, and add a delicious finishing touch with an easy mustard sauce on top!
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Absolutely delicious! I also made your honey roasted carrots, very yummy!! Rounded out the meal with some roasted potatoes! Both your recipes are definitely keepers!! ~Cat”
Apples and pork are the perfect couple, then when some bacon and smoked cheddar are added it’s a truly amazing experience! My family (who are very honest, sometimes a bit brutally) always says these stuffed pork chops are even better than fine dining.
The delicious mustard sauce that smother the stuffed pork chops is something I often make for pork dishes, whether it’s simple pan-seared pork chops, pork tenderloin, or even over grilled pork.
Stuffing is the real star though, made with apples, bacon, shallots, and smoked cheddar cheese. It’s hard not to love a filling that balances savory and sweet so well!
How to Make Stuffed Pork Chops
- While your oven is preheating and gathering ingredients, let the pork chops rest and warm up a bit before cooking.
- To make the filling: start off by cooking the bacon in a preheated skillet until the fat is rendered half way. Then, toss in the diced shallots and continue cooking until the bacon fat is fully rendered.
- Add the apples and a little bit of salt and pepper, then cook until the apples are softened.
- Remove the filling from the pan, then stir in the cheddar cheese.
- To stuff pork chops: Cut a pocket into each pork chop, but be careful not to slice all the way through the meat.
- Stuff each pork chop with the filling. You can use a toothpick to secure the opening if you’d like.
- Sear stuffed pork chops in the same pan where you made the filling. Then, transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- To make the sauce: Start off the sauce by first cooking the shallots in warm butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour, then the chicken stock. Whisk in the remaining ingredients before adding my secret ingredient – about 1/4 cups of the pork juices from the skillet.
To What Temperature Should I Cook Pork Chops?
- Pork is a very lean meat, so it’s easy to overcook it. Pork should be cooked to 145°F internal temperature.
- Since meats continue to cook for a few minutes after you pull them out of the oven, you can take them out around 138°F-140°F and let them rest.
How Long to Cook Stuffed Pork in the Oven
- For stuffed pork chops and non-stuffed pork chops, it’s best to cook them at a higher temperature for less time to keep them from drying out.
- I cook my pork chops in the oven at 425°F. For stuffed pork chops that are about 1 to 1 1/4 inch thick, it takes 15-18 minutes in the oven after searing for a few minutes first.
- If you did not sear stuffed pork chops first, it will be closer to 20 minutes bake time.
Storing Recommendation
- If you have any leftovers, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container with a lid for up to 3 days.
Can I make stuffed pork chops ahead of time?
- You can prepare the stuffing ahead of time to save yourself about 15-20 minutes of prep time and stuff the pork chops right before cooking them.
- It is NOT recommended to stuff raw meat ahead of time. Meats should be stuffed right before cooking.
What to Serve with Stuffed Pork
- Mashed Potatoes
- Rice Pilaf
- Sautéed Mushrooms
- Honey Butter Glazed Carrots
- Cheesy Grits
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
More Pork Recipes To Enjoy!
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Apple Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops 1 to 1 1/4 inch in thickness
- kosher coarse salt
- black pepper
Filling:
- 1 honeycrisp apple or other sweeter apple, diced
- 5-6 slices of raw bacon diced
- 1 shallot diced
- 3 oz smoked cheddar cheese can also use Gruyere or smoked Gouda
- pinch salt and black pepper
Sauce:
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 shallot diced
- 2 tsp all purpose flour* use gluten free flour if needed
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 2 tsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pull pork chops out of the refrigerator and let it rest and warm up before cooking.
Make the Filling:
- Peel, core, and dice apple into small pieces. Dice bacon and shallot and grate cheddar on a cheese grater.
- Preheat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat and add about a tablespoon of oil.
- Add diced bacon and cook for a few minutes, until bacon fat is rendered about half way.
- Add diced shallot and cook until almost all of the bacon fat is rendered. Add apples and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook everything until apples are softened and bacon fat is all rendered.
- Take the filling mixture out of the pan but leave the grease in the pan.
- Let the apple bacon mixture cool a little bit and stir in grated cheese.
To Stuff Pork Chops:
- Place pork chop onto the cutting board and place your hand over it. Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket in the pork chop that is large but don't slice all the way through.
- Stuff each pork chop with prepared stuffing and you can secure the opening with a toothpick.
Cooking Stuffed Pork Chops:
- Use the same skillet where you prepared the filling to cook the meat.
- Make sure to reheat the skillet over medium-high heat if it cooled down.
- Place stuffed pork chops into the skillet and let it sear for a couple of minutes. Flip them over and let them sear for about a minute.
- Transfer the skillet into the preheated oven and cook until internal temrpature reaches 145°F. Since pork will continue to cook while resting, I pull them out when they reach 138°F-140°F.
- Note: for the stuffed pork chops that are about 1 – 1¼ inch thick, it will take 15-18 minutes in the oven.
To Make the Sauce:
- Prepare your ingredients before starting to cook.
- Start cooking the sauce right after you pull the pork chops out of the oven, while they are resting.
- Melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat and add diced shallot. Cook shallots until completely softened and start to brown.
- Sprinkle flour over the onion and stir. Once onions are coated in flour start to pour in chicken stock as you whisk continuously.
- Add vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, sage, salt, and pepper. Whisk well until sauce is smooth and thickened.
- Scoop out about 1/4 cup of juices that accumulated in the skillet from cooking pork and stir it into the sauce. (If you want the sauce even thinner, add some more juices from cooking pork.)
- Top pork chops with sauce when serving!
Video
Notes
- Gluten Free Notes: to make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free all purpose flour. Remaining ingredients should already be gluten free but double check the packaging.
- Storing: If you have any leftovers, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container with a lid for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in September 2021.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Absolutely delicious! I also made your honey roasted carrots, very yummy!! Rounded out the meal with some roasted potatoes! Both your recipes are definitely keepers!!
Thank you, Cat! I am so glad you liked them!
Everyone must try this dish! Absolutely delicious. Definitely a keeper! The Apple ,bacon and we used Gruyère cheese. Thank you Lyuba
You are so welcome, Liz! I am so glad you liked it!