These baked pork chops are quickly browned in a pan, and then transferred to a baking dish to bake slow and low in the oven with a generous amount of onions and apples.

You won't need to batter these pork chops or do any frying at all, and they come out tender and delicious every single time! They also make their own sauce, and the apples and onions turn out nice and soft from being baked so long.

Baked pork chops are a great weekend or holiday dinner - they do take a little while to cook, but they're worth it. Expect to bake them about an hour minimum, but longer is excellent if you've got the time!

Step 1: Ingredients!

bone in pork chops - thickness and size are completely up to you - they'll be cooking so long they're going to get done
one apple (I like gala, pink lady, anything sweet but tart) for every two porkchops
one white or yellow onion for every two porkchops
salt
pepper
dried thyme
olive oil

You'll also need a large glass or metal baking pan and aluminum foil. And an oven preheated to 350 F!

Step 2: Brown the Pork Chops

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Put a pan over medium high heat and pour in a bit of olive oil. Let this heat up for a few minutes until the oil is shimmering and very fluid.

Liberally season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper.

Give them a couple of minutes on each side, just until browned. Don't fully cook them right now - they'll finish in the oven! Put the pork chops on a plate and let them rest while you prep the onions and apples.

Step 3: Chop the Apples and Onions

Roughly chop the onions and apples into fairly small pieces. I like to leave the skin on the apples, but it's up to you. The skins get nice and soft in the oven.

Step 4: Assemble.

Place the onions and apples in the pan. Season with a couple of generous pinches of thyme (I like to rub it in my hands to break it up and get the oils going) and salt and pepper. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over them. Just enough to get everything oiled.

Mix this all together with your hands.

Place the pork chops on top. Your resting plate should have accumulated a fair amount of yummy juices at this point, so pour that over the top.

Step 5: Cover and Bake for 30 Minutes!

Cover it will will foil - one layer is good enough! Let it bake at 350 for a half hour while you prepare some sides, perhaps?

Step 6: Cover Pork Chops and Bake Longer

Once a half hour has gone by, pull the pan out and bury the pork chops under the apples and onions. The onions and apples will be getting soft at this point, and some liquid will be accumulating in the pan. Burying the pork chops will keep the meat moist.

Cover and bake the pork chops for at least a half hour longer - though an hour is great! :D

Step 7: Serve!

After an hour+ of cooking, the onions and apples will be very soft and golden brown, and the pork chops will be so tender you can eat them with only a fork. Mine seriously fell apart!

Serve the pork chops with a generous serving of apples and onions on top, and some of the liquid from the pan.