Air Fryer Stuffed Pork Chops

Name: Air Fryer Stuffed Pork Chops
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 23 min
Ingredients: 6 tbsp butter; 1/2 cup onion (diced); 1/2 cup celery (diced); 1/2 green apple (peeled & diced); 4 oz mushrooms (washed & sliced); 4 slices thick cut bread (diced); 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning; 1 tsp sage; 1 tsp thyme; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp Better than Bouillon Chicken; 1/4 cup water; 4 thick-cut, bone-in pork chops (3/4" thick); 4 tbsp horseradish mustard (or djion)

Air Fryer Stuffed Pork Chops are an amazingly quick and easy meal that everybody will love! Plus – the stuffing is a wonderful bite of fall with diced apple and all those wonderful Thanksgiving spices that come in stuffing! It’s my favorite recipe! Using your air fryer ensures you’ll have juicy pork chops every time! No more dried out pork!

Try and find thick pork chops – at least 3/4″ thick if possible – so that you have some room to slice and stuff them. (No thin pork chops for this recipe!) First you make your stuffing – then pop them in the air fryer for only 8 minutes! They were perfectly juicy and delicious!

Pro Tip

Bone-in Pork Chops

For best results, use Bone-in pork chops as much as possible when making chops. The bone keeps the flavor in and makes them less dry when you cook them. Plus, there’s a little fat on them. You can trim it off and not eat it if you’re super picky – but it adds flavor!!!! FAT = FLAVOR!

What’s in Stuffed Pork Chops?

First – the stuffing – I started with my family-famous crock pot stuffing – it has a perfect balance of spices:

Butter
Onion, Celery, Mushrooms – the most important ingredients!
Green Apple (this is an add-on to my regular stuffing)
Bread – I used leftover sub buns and hot dog buns
Thanksgiving spices: Poultry Seasoning, Sage, Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Better than Bouillon + Water – I love using Better than Bouillon so much more than those hard little cubes!

Finally – of course – you’ll need:

Thick Bone-in Pork Chops
Horseradish or Dijon Mustard – I love Woeber’s – they’re a local Ohio company!

How do you make Air Fryer Stuffed Pork Chops?

This is an easy recipe – since you’re making stuffing first – there are a few extra steps – but it’s worth it to make from scratch! (The homemade stuff is the best part!)

First up – we have to make the stuffing – your stuffing will “bake” in the air fryer – so it’s a super quick version:

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat
Add celery, onion, mushroom and apples to butter and saute for 3-5 min until softened
Remove from heat and add seasonings to celery mixture and stir
Combine bread cubes with the veggies and stir
Place 1/4 cup water in the microwave to heat up and then add your bouillon and stir
Add the chicken broth to the mixture and stir so it sticks together a bit.
Set stuffing aside in a large bowl

Next up – the chops!!!

It’s best to use 3/4″ or so pork chops
Using a sharp knife (like a boning knife), make a horizontal slice into the side of the pork chops to make a pocket for your stuffing
- Be sure to cut in and slice away to get a nice sized pocket – go towards the bone about 3″. You might need to make little “swipes” with the knife to keep going.
Repeat on all the chops
Fill each pocket by hand with a handful of stuffing mixture. You’ll have enough to do four pork chops. Push the stuffing towards the bone and mush it in tight!
Preheat your air fryer – if you need to – to 375 degrees
- I just got a new Instant Pot Omni Vortex oven and you have to preheat it – but I also have a Paula Deen Basket Air Fryer and it doesn’t need to be preheated
- It’s also good to spray basket or pan with nonstick cooking spray so nothing sticks
Brush the top of the pork chop with mustard (horseradish, deli, dijon – whatever you have) and spritz with a touch of olive oil spray
When the oven is ready, place pork chops in the basket in a single layer and air fry for 8 minutes (no need to flip pork chops)
- Check internal temp of pork chop meat (not bone) with an instant read thermometer to be sure the internal temperature reaches 145º
Remove from air-fryer basket and serve!

Tips, Tricks and FAQs

Can I use boneless pork chops?

Of course you can use boneless chops – I just find that bone-in chops have more flavor which keeps the pork juicy.

Do I need thick cut chops?

Well you definitely need more than thin cut – the ones I used were about 3/4″. Just look for a thicker cut at the grocery – or if you have a butcher shop nearby – they’ll have thicker chops. If you use thicker chops (like Iowa Chops) – you’ll need to air fry for probably 10-12 minutes.

What temperature should I cook pork chops to?

Pork is safe to eat at 145º – I always use an instant read meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat to check the internal temperature of the pork. You can actually take the pork out at 140º and let it rest for a few minutes and it will come up to temp.

What kind of bread should I use?

I actually had leftover sub rolls and hot dog rolls and diced up two of those – because it was about like 4 slices of bread. Use whatever you like – but I recommend a thick cut of bread.

Doesn’t stuffing need an egg?

Well – if you’re making the stuffing recipe as a side dish – yes – you need eggs. BUT for this recipe – when you put it in the pork chop – the egg isn’t needed! (And yes – I might have figured this out because I forgot the egg and didn’t realize it until the chops were stuffed. Doh! But it worked and was delicious!)

Do I need to use the apple?

Well no – but I recommend it! I don’t even like green apples – but apples and pork chops are perfect together and it really added a ton of flavor and texture to the stuffing – you’ll love it!

Do I need to preheat my air fryer?

So – I’m so AF obsessed – I have 2 air fryer models! I never pre-heat my basket style air fryer. However i just got the Instant Pot Omni Vortex Air Fryer Oven and it requires the preheat. So do whatever your air fryer requires.

Can I use chicken broth instead of Better than Bouillon?

Yup – I just didn’t want to open a can of broth for 1/4 cup – so I just made my own. And trust me – Better than Bouillon is my favorite! I have Chicken, Beef and Garlic flavors!

What kind of mustard should I use?

I ran out of Dijon – but I had some amazing Woeber’s Horseradish Mustard in my fridge – so I used that! So good! Really – use whatever mustard OTHER than plain yellow. Don’t we all have 14 mustards in our fridge door? Or is that just me?!

Can I short cut with Stove Top Stuffing?

You can sub out Stove Top if you’re short on time but this homemade stuffing is one of my favorite ways to have a little Thanksgiving flavor any night of the week!

What to serve with stuffed pork chops?

This pork chop recipe is super delicious and just missing a nice big side of veggies – here are some ideas for things to serve on side of the pork chops::

Other delicious Air Fryer Recipes with pork

These delicious air fryer pork chops are a great meal and it’s amazing you can make them in the air fryer! Here are some other great air fryer meals: