Pork Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce

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!

Ingredient Notes

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

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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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