Pork Chops with Sauerkraut
Pork chops that are browned in the frying pan, then smothered in sauerkraut and allowed to simmer for a few hours to super tenderness.

Recipe updated: May 5th, 2024

Have you ever fried some pork chops, then added sauerkraut to it for dinner? If you haven’t, you’re going to love this pork chops and sauerkraut recipe combination. This is a delicious meal, and it’s also a super easy recipe to make.

These pork chops are sprinkled with a little bit of salt and black pepper and cooked so tender that you won’t need a knife to cut them. They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

Sometimes for an easy meal, we have just pork chops and sauerkraut for dinner, but at other times, we make Polish potato dumplings as a side dish. Whenever my mother-in-law made this recipe, she always made the two together, but she called it pork chops and sauerkraut with potato noodles.

🍴 Key Ingredients

  • 12 boneless pork chops
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil such as canola oil or olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon of table salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
  • One 32-ounce jar of Steinfeld’s home style sauerkraut
A jar of Steinfeld's sauerkraut
Photo of a 32 ounce jar of Steinfeld’s homestyle sauerkraut.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Pork Chops with Sauerkraut

These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.

Step 1. Put the Oil in the Skittle

Cover the bottom of a large skillet with about 1/4 cup of Canola cooking oil, but it’s okay for you to use any vegetable oil you have in your kitchen pantry.

frying pan with oil
Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with about 1/4 cup of cooking oil.

Step 2. Add the Pork Chops

Put about twelve pork chops in the large frying pan with the oil and brown on medium-high heat. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper on the pork chops. Rotate the pork chops in the frying pan until browned. If medium-high is a bit hot for your pan, turn the burner down a bit. Also, watch out for splattering oil while cooking the pork chops.

I figure about two pork chops per person. However, you can use fewer pork chops for a smaller family, or have leftovers the next night. I always love leftovers, especially when there’s no major cooking involved. Just heat and serve.

pork chops in frying pan
Put about 12 pork chops in the frying pan.

Step 3. Fry the Pork Chops

Flip the pork chops over as they fry to brown both sides. While the pork chops are frying in the skillet, little pieces of fat will accumulate in the frying pan. Remove the fat with a spoon. It’s not necessary to remove every little, tiny piece of fat, though. That would be too much extra work.

pork chops frying
Fat is removed with a spoon.

Step 4. Turn Heat Down and Continue Browning

Keep frying the pork chops on medium heat for this browning step until they are nice and crispy brown. See how nicely these pork chops look after they have been browned and most of the fat removed.

To achieve brown pork chops, the cooking time is approximately 20 minutes, but that can vary depending on your level of heat and how brown you like your pork chops. It is now time to add the sauerkraut in the next couple of steps.

fried pork chops browned
Browned pork chops.

Step 5. Add the Sauerkraut

Pour a 32-ounce jar of Steinfeld’s home style sauerkraut on the top of the pork chops, including the liquid. Do not mix sauerkraut into the pork chops. We like this brand of sauerkraut, but you can certainly use whichever brand of sauerkraut that is your favorite.

Adding the sauerkraut to the pork chops
Add a jar of sauerkraut to the frying pan.

Step 6. Spread Sauerkraut over Pork Chops

The sauerkraut is spread across the top of the pork chops, so leave the sauerkraut on top, and the pork chops below. Remember to not mix or stir, just spread the sauerkraut around in the frying pan to cover all the pork chops.

cooking
Sauerkraut added to frying pan.

Step 7. Add Water and Simmer the Pork Chops and Sauerkraut

Fill the empty sauerkraut jar with water, then pour the water in the frying pan, covering just about to the top of the sauerkraut. After that, reduce the heat to medium-low.

This is where the 3 to 4 hour cooking time begins. Keep adding water while the pork chops and sauerkraut simmer. The longer the pork chops simmer, the more tender they will be.

adding water
Keep adding water for 3 to 4 hours.

Step 8. Stop Adding Water

When it’s just about dinner time, stop adding water and let it simmer until almost all the water has evaporated. The pork chops will be so tender that your mouth and taste buds will thank you.

Note: You don’t need to worry about using an instant-read thermometer, also known as a meat thermometer, to check the internal temperature of the pork chops because they are thoroughly cooked during the browning and long simmer time.

Simmering the pork chops.
Simmering the pork chops.

🌟 Recipe Variations

  • If you like hot and spicy food, then sprinkle some red pepper flakes on your serving.
  • We bought thin pork chops, but you can use thick pork chops, which will require the cooking time to be a bit longer to achieve tender pork chops.
  • Add any of your favorite seasonings to the pork chops while they are browning in the frying pan.
Fried Pork Chops and sauerkraut
A plate of fried pork chops and sauerkraut.

🙋 FAQs

How Should I Store Leftover Pork Chops and Sauerkraut?

Put any leftover pork chops and sauerkraut in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

How do I Reheat Leftover Pork Chops and Sauerkraut?

You can reheat the leftover pork chops and sauerkraut in a skillet on the stove, or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. You can also wrap the leftovers in aluminum foil and put them in a baking dish in a preheated oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, then bake pork chops just until hot. Wrapping them in aluminum foil makes for an easy baking dish clean up.

Can I use Bone-In Pork Chops?

We used thin cut boneless chops, but yes, you can use any of your favorite pork chops you prefer, such as pork chops with the bone left in them, pork lion chops, thick cut or thin cut.

Fried Pork Chops and sauerkraut
Fried Pork Chops and sauerkraut.

📌 Final Thoughts

This is one of our favorite meals, not only because it tastes great, but it’s a one-pot meal to prepare. Spoon out a generous serving of this delicious dinner onto everyone’s plate right out of the skillet, then sit down and enjoy this stress-free dinner with the whole family.

This pork chop and sauerkraut dinner can be served with garlic bread and hot buttered green beans with black pepper added.

Fried Pork Chops and sauerkraut

🗂️ Printable Recipe Card

Pork Chops with Sauerkraut

Pork Chops and Sauerkraut Recipe (Fried)

Avatar for FloFlo
Pork chops that are browned in the frying pan, then smothered in sauerkraut and allowed to simmer for a few hours to super tenderness.
4.75 from 4 votes
Cost $17
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings 6 people

🫕 Equipment

🧂 Ingredients
  

👩‍🍳 Instructions
 

  • Put the cooking oil and pork chops in the frying pan.
  • Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the pork chops.
  • Brown pork chops on medium-high. Keep turning them.
  • Remove any fat with a spoon.
  • After the pork chops are browned, pour the sauerkraut on top of the pork chops. Do not mix or stir.
  • Fill the sauerkraut jar with water and pour it over the pork chops and sauerkraut, covering just about to the top of the sauerkraut.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
  • Keep adding water while the pork chops and sauerkraut simmer.
  • When it's just about dinner time, stop adding water and let it simmer until almost all the water has evaporated.

*️⃣ Recipe Notes

  • You can use fewer pork chops for a smaller family, or have leftovers the next night.
  • You don’t have to simmer the pork chops for 3 to 4 hours, but the longer the pork chops simmer, the more tender they will be.
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4.75 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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