Braised Pork Chops With Cabbage and Apples

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword braised-pork-chops-with-cabbage-apples

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 586kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

In a large heavy bottomed skillet cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan leaving the drippings. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet.
Rub the pork chops on all sides with Cajun seasoning. Brown in the bacon drippings over medium-high heat on all sides but not cooked through. Remove from the skillet to a platter.
Add the onion, apple and fennel seed to the pan. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if needed. Cook over medium high until beginning to brown. Add the cabbage to the skillet.
Cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes until the the cabbage is beginning to wilt. Season with garlic salt, sugar red pepper flakes and leaves from 2 sprigs thyme.
Nestle the pork chops back into the cabbage. Pour the apple cider over the top.
Lower the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes or until the pork chops are fork tender.
When done, uncover and remove the pork chops and cabbage to a platter using a slotted spoon.
Increase the heat to medium high and cook until any remaining liquid in the pan is reduced.
Serve drizzled over the pork chops garnished with remaining thyme and crumbled bacon.

- Protein: You can replace the pork chops with this chicken breasts. Chicken will take less time to cook through so adapt the braising time accordingly.
- Potatoes: You can also add a diced sweet potato, Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes along with the onion, to give the dish another element of flavor.
- Apples: I typically use Gala or Honeycrisp apples for this dish. They're sweet and hold up to the braising process. You could adapt this recipe using any variety of apples that you enjoy including Granny Smith apples.
- Cajun Seasoning: Different brands of Cajun seasoning contain differing amounts of sodium and cayenne. Adjust the amount called for in the recipe using your favorite brand.
- Cabbage Substitution: If you prefer, you can use green cabbage in place of the savoy cabbage for braising, but green cabbage and savoy cabbage both cook differently. The cooking time in the recipe is for savoy cabbage. Green cabbage will take slightly longer to cook.