Pork Chops with Stuffing

Pork chops with stuffing is diner-style comfort food you can pull off in one pan. Thick-cut pork chops get browned hard, then topped with a quick bread, apple, onion, and celery stuffing and finished under a lid to steam everything tender. The pan drippings baste the stuffing from below while the stuffing insulates the pork from drying out on top.

The apple is the ingredient most people skip and shouldn’t. Chopped unpeeled apple in the stuffing releases just enough sweet-tart moisture during the braise to balance the richness of the pork and keep the bread cubes from going leather-dry.

That 30-minute covered simmer is the technique that turns a cheap chop into something fork-tender. Low heat and captured steam break down connective tissue slowly. Crank the heat to speed it up and you’ll get chewy pork with a scorched stuffing crust.

Chef Tips

• Use bone-in chops, the bone adds flavor and keeps the meat juicier than boneless.
• Brown the chops thoroughly, that fond in the pan is the flavor foundation for everything else.
• Check the water level every 10 minutes. Too little and it scorches, too much and the stuffing turns soggy.
• Tart apples like Granny Smith hold their shape better than sweet varieties.

Variations

• Swap apple for a diced pear or a handful of dried cranberries.
• Use cornbread cubes instead of white bread for a Southern-leaning stuffing.
• Add a tablespoon of chopped fresh sage or thyme to the stuffing for more herb flavor.