Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 4 (1-inch thick) pork chops
• 2 cloves garlic, halved, or more to taste
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 2 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup hard cider
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Rub each pork chop on both sides with halved garlic. Add 2 pork chops to the skillet; cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a 4-quart casserole dish. Repeat with remaining 2 pork chops.
3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet. Add onion; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add to pork chops in the casserole dish. Spread rice and apples on top.
4. Combine chicken broth, hard cider, cloves, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper in a 1-quart saucepan; bring to a boil. Pour broth mixture over apples in the casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the pork chops reads 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 45 minutes.