Chipotle and Citrus Pork Tenderloin
12
I’ve been wanting to share this recipe with you for well over a year – or, at least, that’s how long it’s been in the draft folder in my blog dashboard.
See, the first time I made this, I made sure to document the recipe as I was going (I learned early on that when I didn’t do this while creating recipes, I forgot measurements and ingredients by the time I actually blogged them). The pork tenderloin turned out well, but needed just a few adjustments with the seasoning. After a few changes that made the recipe better, I made it again but didn’t get a picture. Once, I overcooked the pork. The time after that? Undercooked (by the way, I blame my oven/gas issues but that’s another store entirely). The second or third iteration of this pork tenderloin was actually the first bite of pork Zachary ever had, way back when he was probably about 11 months old.
Now he’s 2 and here it is, finally. (And, he still likes it.)
A quick scan of the ingredient list should clue you into why I like this recipe – chipotles and citrus. Yep, love them both, especially together. What can I say, I’m a fan of sweet heat.
I roasted the tenderloin this time, but you could definitely grill it. Like every time I roast a pork tenderloin, this went into my cast iron skillet and, post-sear, was joined by some sweet potato wedges and green beans to roast all together.
Chipotle and Citrus Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup orange juice (about 1 orange)
3 Tbsp. lime juice (1-2 limes)
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. honey
1 chipotle in adobo, minced*
2 tsp. adobo sauce (from the canned chipotles)*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1 pork tenderloin (3/4 – 1 lb.)
Whisk together all of the ingredients except the pork tenderloin. Place the pork tenderloin into a resealable bag or shallow dish and pour the marinade over the top; gently rub the marinade in.
Marinade for 2-4 hours, turning occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 425. Remove the tenderloin from the marinade and season liberally with salt and a little pepper.
Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat (or, prepare a grill). Once hot, add the tenderloin and sear on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
Place the entire pan into the oven and roast until the internal temperature is 150, about 12-16 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
*Use additional chipotles’/sauce for a spicier version.
I love love LOVE pork tenderloin….. always looking for new ways to prepare it! This looks fabulous!
Pork tenderloin is a favourite summertime treat on the BBQ.
You are WAY more organized than I am when it comes to your drafts. If something sits in there for a year, there’s no way I have any idea what it is or where the recipe came from! So it usually gets abandoned. I love sweet heat also! Bring.It.On.
You just described perfectly almost everything I post on my blog. My husband always wonders why I make the same recipe 7 times in a 3 week period. This pork looks awesome!!
Chipotle and citrus pair so nicely together. I make a chipotle-orange vinaigrette and an avocado and grapefruit salad with chipotles. My boyfriend isn’t a big fan of pork, but I bet he’d eat it prepared this way.
Pork tenderloin is just the best! Your “sweet heat” marinade is perfect too!
Wow that looks so good, I’ve got to make this soon! You really perfected this recipe 🙂 Thank you so much!
This looks great. And your instructions of “Whisk together all of the ingredients except the pork tenderloin” made my laugh 🙂
Haha. I didn’t feel like listing them all and you’d assume it was intuitive, but… 🙂
I am marinating this right now. I could not find adobe sauce on its own, so I bought a can of chipotles in adobe sauce and used that sauce. I used the rest of the chipotles with some tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime juice and cilantro to make a nice little salsa which I am dipping chips in while tenderloin marinates.
That’s what I meant by adobo sauce! I’ll reword it to make it clearer. Hope you like it!