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Pork piccata with a lemon caper sauce is an easy, 30-minute stovetop dish perfect for weeknight dinners or impressing guests.

Pork tenderloin piccata with a a lemon caper sauce on a white plate surrounded by lemon slices.

If you’re looking for a quick, flavorful meal that feels fancy but is easy to whip up, Italian-inspired pork tenderloin piccata is the answer. Slicing pork tenderloin into medallions makes it a fast-cooking meal!

This method is perfect when you don’t have the hands-off time needed for baking pork tenderloin.

The lemon butter sauce with capers gives this dish a zesty kick. It's not just for chicken piccata or lemon chicken cutlets. Use the sauce and cooking method with just about any protein.

Serve it with roasted cauliflower rice or Parmesan kale salad, and you’ve got a complete, low-carb meal that looks and tastes like you spent way more time on it than you actually did!

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Ingredient Notes
Directions with Pictures
Top Tip
Low-Carb, Gluten-Free Option
Serving Ideas
Storage
More Pork Tenderloin Recipes
📋 Recipe

Ingredient Notes

Here's what you'll need to make this easy pork loin piccata recipe:

Labeled ingredients to make pork tenderloin piccata: flour, 2 lemons, chicken broth, 4 cubes of butter, olive oil, capers, pork tenderloin cut into medallions.

Of special note:

Pork tenderloin - Remove any silver skin and slice into ½-inch thick medallions. Thin-sliced boneless pork chops can be used instead.
Chicken broth, chicken stock, or vegetable broth.
Flour can be omitted if desired. See the section below on the low-carb option.
Lemon juice - If using fresh lemons, zest one of them to enhance the flavor even more.
Capers add tangy lemon flavor to the dish.

Optional Variation: Replace up to half of the chicken stock with white wine.

Tip to Easily Slice Pork Tenderloin

Chill the pork tenderloin in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife.

Please refer to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and detailed instructions.

Directions with Pictures

Follow these steps to make pork tenderloin piccata on the stovetop:

Tork holding a pork medallion lightly dusted in flour over a shallow bowl with flour.

Step 1. Pat the pork tenderloin medallions dry with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge them lightly in flour, shaking off any excess.

Pork medallions in a black skillet with butter and olive oil.

Step 2. Heat olive oil and two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the slices of pork tenderloin and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm.

Chicken broth, lemon juice, melted butter, and capers in the skillet after it has thickened.

Step 3. In the same skillet, add the remaining butter, chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer over medium-high for about 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Skillet with cooked chicken piccata with lemon slices tucked around the edges and fresh parsley sprinkled over the top.

Step 4. Return pork tenderloin medallions to the pan and spoon some sauce over them. Garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy.

Top Tip

Don't overcook the pork medallions. Pork tenderloin should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F and will have a slightly pink center. The exact timing will vary based on the thickness of the medallions.

Four pork tenderloin piccata medallions topped with lemon butter sauce, capers, and fresh parsley on a plate with mashed potatoes and a fork in the background.

If you have fresh parsley, sprinkle it over the top to finish the dish!

Low-Carb, Gluten-Free Option

Dredging pork in flour helps create a nice crust, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

Simply season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then cook them in the skillet until golden brown. Since no flour is used, you may need to simmer the sauce a bit longer to achieve the desired thickness.

Either way, you’ll still get that delicious, tangy flavor that makes piccata so irresistible.

Serving Ideas

At my house, dinner is complete when I add a side of loaded cauliflower mash, balsamic asparagus, or crispy green beans.

Storage

Store leftover pork piccata in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. When reheating, spoon leftover sauce over the pork, cover, and microwave in short bursts, or reheat on the stovetop over low heat.

More Pork Tenderloin Recipes

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📋 Recipe

Pork tenderloin picatta with a a lemon caper sauce on a white plate surrounded by lemon slices.

Pork Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce

Pork tenderloin piccata with a lemon caper sauce is an easy, 30-minute stovetop dish perfect for weeknight dinners or impressing guests.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings: servings

Author: Marjory Pilley

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound pork tenderloin sliced into ½ inch medallions; see notes below
▢ ¼ cup flour leave off for low-carb version; discard the excess flour
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 4 tablespoons butter divided
▢ ¼ cup lemon juice about 2 lemons
▢ ½ cup chicken broth, low-sodium or vegetable broth
▢ 2 tablespoon capers

Instructions

Pat the pork tenderloin medallions dry with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge them lightly in flour, shaking off any excess.
Heat olive oil and two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the slices of pork tenderloin and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm.
In the same skillet, add the remaining butter, chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Return pork tenderloin medallions to the pan and spoon lemon caper sauce over them. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy.

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Notes

You'll find step-by-step pictures, serving ideas, and more tips above.

Tip for slicing pork tenderloin: Chill the pork tenderloin in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife.

Top Tip: Don't overcook the medallions. Pork tenderloin should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F and will have slightly pink centers. The exact timing will vary based on the thickness of the medallions.

Optional Variation: Replace up to half of the chicken stock with white wine.

Low-Carb Option: Omit flour for an even lower-carb and SBD Phase 1 friendly version.

Storage: Store leftover pork piccata in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. When reheating, spoon leftover sauce over the pork, cover, and microwave in short bursts, or reheat on the stovetop over low heat.

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Nutrition

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