This Pork Piccata is a restaurant quality dish you can make in under 30 minutes. There’s something about the combination of tender pork, a bright lemon sauce, and salty capers that makes pork piccata an enduring favorite. It’s a restaurant dish that’s surprisingly easy to make at home, perfect for a weeknight dinner that feels special.
Plus, it only takes 30 minutes from start to finish.
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This post is sponsored by Ohio Pork Council. All opinions are my own.
Why this Pork Piccata Recipe is a Keeper
Pork piccata comes together quickly, making it a perfect choice for busy weeknights. Serve it with pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes for a satisfying and delicious meal. And with its bright flavors and elegant presentation, it’s sure to impress your family or guests. So next time you’re looking for an easy yet impressive dish, give pork piccata a try!
- 30 Minute Meal: Make an elegant and impressive meal in minutes.
- Easy Ingredients: Only a few simple, clean, fresh ingredients to make this lemony pork dish.
- Family Friendly: It is so delicious and quick you can make it for a busy weeknight meal or an elegant couples dinner to serve guests.
- Adaptable: Can make it into a chicken piccata or a veal piccata if you wish.
If you’re looking for more pork recipes, try my favorite Italian Porketta Roast, Mongolian Pork (another 30 minute fave!) and my Korean Pork Chops.
Can I try this recipe with something instead of white wine?
Of course, you can use chicken broth or chicken stock, non alcoholic white wine or an alcohol replacement would be vermouth.
Ingredients you Need to Make Pork Piccata
- Boneless Pork Loin: You can also use pork cutlets, pork tenderloin or boneless pork chops.
- Shallots: Fresh diced.
- Capers: Salty, briny, with a slight tanginess, sometimes compared to green olives or pickles.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Why We Love Pork
More than 3,500 family farms in Ohio raise enough pork to feed about 25 million people. So when you buy pork at he grocery store or the farmer’s market, you are supporting Ohio farm families that produce pork.
I used boneless pork loin for this recipe, but you could easily swap in pork cutlets, boneless pork chops or pork tenderloin.
Pork tenderloin is one of the leaner cuts of meat. You might be surprised to learn that pork tenderloin is as lean as boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Variations and Substitutions for this Pork Recipe
- Pork: You can use pork loin or sliced thick cut cops or even bone-in pork chops.
- Chicken Broth: You can replace the wine with chicken stock if you wish for the piccata sauce over pork chops.
- Sides: Place this easy to prepare pork over pasta, rice or even mashed potatoes.
Special Equipment Needed for Pork Piccata with Lemon and Capers
- Meat Mallet: This will help tenderize the pork and make it thin enough for quick cooking.
- Lemon Zester: Easily zest citrus with a rasp grater.
Pro Tip
Make sure you use a meat thermometer. The pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. It’s safe to eat with a blush of pink in the center.
How to Make this Quick and Easy Pork Piccata
Imagine a sauce that’s bursting with flavor. The lemon cuts through the richness of the butter, and the capers add an intriguing salty-tart complexity. It’s a perfect balance of flavors that complements the delicate taste of pan-fried pork
These are the basic steps for making pork cutlet recipe. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions. If this recipe looks good to you, give this recipe a review below.
1. Prepare Meat
Slice pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place each slice between two sheets of plastic wrap and use the flat side of a meat tenderizer to flatten to 1/8 inch thickness. Season with all purpose seasoning.
2. Coat Pork and Place in Skillet over Medium Heat
Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the pork in it. Shake off excess flour. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add the pork slices in the pan and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. Remove Pork and Keep Warm
Repeat the steps with remaining pork. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in a preheated oven to finish cooking.
4. Make the Pan Sauce
Reduce the heat to medium and melt butter in the pan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until golden brown, about 30 to 60 seconds. Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine, broth and lemon juice, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
5. Combine Caper Sauce with Pork Picatta and Serve
Remove the pan from the heat and add butter, lemon zest, capers and parsley. Season with all purpose seasoning. Drizzle the buttery piccata sauce over pork and garnish with fresh parsley.
Pork Picatta Recipe FAQs
Expert Tips for Making This Pork Piccata and White Wine Recipe
Fresh ingredients are best. You want fresh squeezed lemon juice and freshly ground salt and pepper for this pork dinner recipe.
- Zest Lemon First: It’s easier if you zest the lemon before you juice it.
- No Shallots?: No problem. Swap in some finely minced onion.
- Garnish with Fresh Herbs: Fresh thyme or oregano can add an extra layer of complexity to the sauce. Or finish this easy recipe with lemon slices.
- Make it Creamy: For a richer sauce for your pork picatta, stir in a spoonful of heavy cream or grated Parmesan cheese at the end.
- Change up the Protein: While pork is traditional, chicken cutlets can be used as a substitute when you make this recipe.
- Vegetables: Try adding diced asparagus or sliced mushrooms to the butter sauce for the Pork Piccata.
- Make Extra Lemon Piccata Sauce: The sauce is so good, make sure that you make extra for on top of your side dishes.
What to Serve with Pork Picatta Recipes
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Pork Piccata
Video
Equipment
- Shallow Dish
- Instant-read meat thermometer
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Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds Boneless pork loin, can also use pork cutlets or thin boneless pork chops
- 2 teaspoons All Purpose Seasoning, divided
- ½ cup All-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil, divided
- 3 tablespoons Unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons Shallot, finely chopped
- 3 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Dry white wine or dry vermouth
- ½ cup Chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice, about 1 medium lemon
- 2 tablespoons Capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons Flat-leaf parsley, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Slice the pork loin into ½-inch-thick slices. Place each slice between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to about ⅛-inch thickness. Season both sides with ½ teaspoon of the All Purpose Seasoning.
- In a shallow dish, combine the flour with another ½ teaspoon of the All Purpose Seasoning. Dredge each pork slice in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, cook the pork for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Transfer the cooked pork to a baking sheet.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and cook any remaining pork. Transfer all of the pork to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- Without wiping out the skillet, reduce the heat to medium. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter, then add the shallot and garlic. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the lemon juice and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Simmer until the sauce has reduced by about half.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter until melted, then stir in the lemon zest, capers, parsley, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of All Purpose Seasoning.
- Arrange the pork on a serving platter and spoon the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Christina’s Notes
If you don’t have shallots, finely minced yellow onion makes a good substitute.
Don’t overcrowd the skillet. Cook the pork in batches so it browns instead of steams.
For a richer sauce, stir in a splash of heavy cream or a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese just before serving.
Add sliced mushrooms or asparagus to the sauce for an easy variation.
Serve with angel hair pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, or crusty bread to soak up the lemon caper sauce.
The sauce can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and gently reheated before serving. Cook the pork just before serving for the best texture.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a covered skillet over low heat until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended, as the sauce may separate and the pork can become dry.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Love this easy dinner recipe!