Bacon Apple Stuffing Pork Chops

These pork chops with bacon apple stuffing are bursting with fall flavor! The thick and juicy pan-seared pork chops are stuffed with a delicious combination of sweet and savory stuffing made of seasoned breadcrumbs, with fresh thyme and parsley, celery, onion, apples, and bacon baked in the oven to perfection.

If the combination of pork chops and apples isn’t enough to convince you to make these pork chops, then let me tell you about the best part of the apple-bacon stuffing.

The pork chops are over-stuffed, so all of those bits of apple, bacon, onion, celery, and breadcrumbs may fall out, and any extra stuffing you put in the pan becomes brown and crispy on the bottom. The bacon gives all those bits a light kiss of smokiness, while the slight rendering of pork chop and bacon fat keeps everything moist.

Oh my gosh! It’s so good!

I devised this recipe a few years back based on some leftover ingredients I had and needed to use. Little did I know how good the pork chops would turn out.

Ingredients Needed To Make These Pork Chops

The recipe card at the end of this post lists the full ingredient list with measurements.

Pork Chops: you’ll need four 1-inch thick center-cut pork chops butterflied for stuffing. Either get your butcher to butterfly them or follow the recipe instructions below.

Bacon: We adore applewood smoked bacon, but use your favorite thin or thick-cut bacon.

Apple: You’ll need a crisp, cored, peeled, and chopped apple. I like the tartness of a Granny Smith. Other varieties like Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious would also be good.

Vegetables: you’ll need fresh celery, and onions diced up into equal pieces for even cooking.

Bread: Crusty day-old artisan-style bread cut into cubes. Or save time with store-bought stuffing mix. I recommend using Pepperidge Farm like this.

Fresh Herbs: Fresh thyme and flat-leaf parsley, chopped.

Broth: you’ll need a cup of either store-bought or homemade chicken broth.

Seasoning: Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Oil: I use butter to help brown the chops, but you could use any cooking oil, such as extra-virgin olive oil or a combination of oil and butter.

How To Make Pork Chops With Apple-Bacon Stuffing

The main components for the stuffing are breadcrumbs, bacon bits, and veggies. Let’s discuss each and what to do with them.

The Breadcrumbs

Either you can make your breadcrumbs or use store-bought. For this recipe, I made my own using the following method.

Use a loaf of day-old bread. Tear or cut the bread into ½-inch pieces until you have about 2 cups.

If working a day ahead, lay the pieces of bread on a rack and leave them uncovered on the counter to dry overnight. Otherwise, spread the pieces of bread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a 275 degrees F oven, stirring every 10 minutes until the bread is crisp and mostly dry.

Depending on how moist the bread is, to begin with, oven-drying takes 15 to 45 minutes. Remember that the bread will continue to dry after you take it out of the oven and it cools.

After removing the breadcrumbs, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

The Bacon Bits

Meanwhile, dice up the bacon and transfer it into a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until browned and fully cooked through about 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the bacon bits from the pan and drain them on some paper towels, reserving the fat in the pan.

Make The Stuffing

Add the apple, celery, onions, and thyme to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples, celery, and onions have softened slightly but still have some crunch, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir the bacon back into the skillet before transferring the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Add the bread to the large mixing bowl, along with the fresh flat-leaf parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss the stuffing mixture well. 

Pour ¼ cup of broth over the apple-bacon stuffing at a time. Add until the liquid isn’t absorbed and starts to pool at the bottom of the bowl.

Toss the mixture occasionally for a few minutes until the liquid is absorbed. The bread should be moist but not soggy. Add up to another ¾ cup of broth if necessary, but do not saturate the bread.

How To Butterfly Pork Chops For Stuffing

Using a sharp knife, remove the bone (if the pork chop has one). Carefully slice down the chop length without cutting all the way through. Spread and flatten out to form a butterfly shape. Repeat for each pork chop.

Stuffing the Pork Chops

Add a couple of spoonfuls of the apple-bacon stuffing mixture into the middle of the butterflied pork chop, but make sure it will somewhat close up.

You can use toothpicks to help keep the pork chop closed around the stuffing mixture, but it isn’t necessary. You will have a little stuffing left over. Just add it to the pan with the pork chops before placing the pan into the oven.

Cook the Stuffed Pork Chops

Melt the butter using the same oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Carefully add the stuffed pork chops to the pan, but do not overcrowd them. Sear the pork chops on one side until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Then carefully flip the pork chops over to the other side. Add any leftover stuffing mixture to the pan with the pork chops.

Place the pan directly into the preheated oven to finish the pork chops. Bake until the pork is cooked through (145 degrees F when probed in the center with an instant-read thermometer); about 30 to 45 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Recipe Tips

• If you used toothpicks to hold the pork chops together, remember to remove them before serving!
• Leave out fresh thyme and parsley if using seasoned breadcrumbs.

Serve the pork chops with creamy mashed potatoes or green beans. A delicious fall supper on your table with just a little effort.

This is an updated blog post from May 7, 2015.