Honey Pork Chops with Pears and Bourbon are the perfect fall comfort food. We are obsessed with this Pan Fried Pork Chops Recipe with its Fall flavors and decadent comfort food appeal! These Honey Pork Chops are rubbed with fragrant herbs and are the perfect mix of savory and sweet when combined with the bourbon and fresh pears. This is the best pork chops recipe for fall!
Honey Pork Chops Recipe
Honey Pork Chops with Pears and Bourbon is such a special Fall comfort food recipe!
It doesn’t get better than Honey Pork Chops for Autumn! This herb crusted Pan Fried Pork Chops recipe is such a gorgeous dish first and foremost, but it also packs a huge flavor punch. It’s festive, beautiful, and tastes like Fall in a skillet. Making a dish like this around the holidays will wow your guests, warm your bellies, and make your hearts happy.
I love the way the herbs and pears combine to make things both sweet and salty, and the bourbon adds just the right touch of something special. This is one of our very favorite recipes for this time of year!
I love our other Pork Chop Recipes that we make often, but these Honey Pork Chops are a serious favorite.
Honey Pork Chops with Pears & Bourbon are the perfect savory Fall dish!
Pan Fried Pork Chops with Bourbon and Pear
These Pan Fried Pork Chops are super tasty but also so beautiful! Look at all those Fall colors in one skillet.
Ever since the success of the Apple Butter Pork Chops recipe from a few years ago, I knew I wanted to try my hand at more pork chop recipes for Fall. Apple was great, but pear is elevated. This dish is more complex in flavor, but still super easy and sure to please.
There’s just something about pork and fruit that just works. If you tried and loved the Apple Butter Pork Chop Skillet, you’ll definitely love this Honey Pork Chops Version!
Tips for cooking Pan Fried Pork Chops:
- Pat the pork chops dry and sprinkle with sugar and salt. Let rest for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Allow the pan to get hot but not to the point of smoking. If that happens, remove from the heat and allow to cool before cooking.
- The best internal temp for cooked pork chops is 145F. Check often and don’t overcook! People think they don’t like pork because it’s often overcooked. Don’t make their (and often MY) mistake!!
If these Honey Pork Chops with Pears and Bourbon don’t scream sweater weather, I really don’t know what does. The red and green is more than perfect for the holidays. I think this might just make an amazing Christmas Eve meal! We chose bone in pork chops because of the extra flavor, but feel free to use boneless if you prefer. Get a good cut of meat either way…it’s worth the extra cost 100%.
Serve this pan fried pork chops recipe with Toni’s sour cream and garlic mashed potatoes or Rebecca’s melting sweet potatoes. A side of bourbon bacon green beans or bacon peacan Brussels sprouts would be perfect with the pork chops, too.
I hope these Honey Pork Chops are a reminder of Fall and is super flavorful at your house. I hope it involves this creative and delicious pan fried pork chops recipe. You won’t be disappointed.
See the recipe card for full details on How to Make Honey Pork Chops. Enjoy!
More Pork Recipes we love for Fall:
- Garlic Parmesan Pork Chops
- Glazed Ham Steaks
- Grilled Pork Chops Recope
- Pork Tenderloin with Honey and Herbs
- Apple Butter Pork Chops Skillet
- Crock Pot BBQ Pork
- Sangria Pork Carnitas
- Crock Pot Pork Chops
Herb Crusted Honey Bourbon Pear Pork Chops
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Ingredients
- 2 pork chops 1 inch, bone in
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 firm pears pitted & halved, stems left on
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup bourbon
- juice from lemon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Pat the pork chops dry and sprinkle with granulated sugar and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Brush 1 teaspoon olive oil over both sides of the pork chops and sprinkle with black pepper, rosemary and thyme. Rub the herbs into each side of each pork chop.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet (cast iron is best) until the oil/butter shimmers and a small piece of food sizzles when it hits the pan. Do NOT heat until you see wisps of smoke rising from the pan. (If you do, remove the pan from the heat to allow it to cool a bit.) Place the prepared pork chops across from each other, in the pan. Place the prepared pears, flesh side down, in-between the pork chops. Cook 5 minutes or until the pork chops have seared, and are golden brown, on the bottom side. Flip the pork chops over and cook another 5 minutes or until the other side is golden brown.
- Check the pears to make sure they aren’t burning – their color should be the color of dark honey. If they are overcooking, transfer them to a plate. Test the temperature of the pork chops with a meat thermometer. When the thickest part of the pork chops register 130°F, transfer the pork chops and pears to a plate.
- Turn heat to low and add the orange juice, honey, lemon juice and bourbon to the pan juices. Whisk together and add 1-tablespoon butter. Whisk together until butter melts. Place the pork chops and pears back into the pan to cook until heated through. Serve with rice or roasted potatoes.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
My 17 year old son made this for dinner tonight! He did great following the recipe. Usually his meals are pretty bland but this was enjoyed by all of us! Teaching my teen boys variety by picking recipes off the Internet has been an adventure I believe this one will be a repeat!
THIS WAS SO GOOD! THE SAUCE WAS VERY THIN, MAYBE ADD SOME CORNSTARCH?
Definitely modify to your liking!
PREPARED PEARS?
Yum! I had a ton of pears and wanted to do something fun with them. This was perfect. Moist, tender, and full of flavor. I paired it with herb roasted smashed potatoes. Great recipe!
That meal sounds delicious!! I’m so glad you loved it!
Is there any way to substitute dried rosemary and thyme in this recipe? I’ve got all the other ingredients for this in my house right now and am trying to minimize my grocery trips, so I want to use what I have on hand.
If you don’t have dried rosemary on hand either oregano or basil will work as a substitute! If you’re out of thyme, substitute an equal oregano! I hope that helps!!
Delicious! And I made it with cheesy garlic mashed potatoes and green beans with bacon :)
Yum! That meal sounds delicious!
QuestOn, why is lemon juice listed in the ingredients but not in the preparation?
The lemon juice is added in step 5. Hope you enjoy!
Had this for dinner last night and it was fantastic!! Just a question about the lemon juice as it is not listed in the directions? I did not use it and the flavor was still amazing…
YAY! So glad you loved it! Makes me so happy. I’m o sorry about leaving out the lemon step, I’ve updated the recipe. Thanks for letting me know. Its definitely an optional step though. I don’t think its necessary at all. Happy holidays!