Honey Chipotle Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Honey Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 2 pork tenderloins

This tasty pork tenderloin recipe is a great dish to make during busy weeknights, as it takes very little preparation and most of the cooking time is hands-off in the oven. After being seared, the lean and flavorful tenderloins absorb a honey-chipotle mixture in the oven, creating a deliciously chewy outer crust. This is a great dish to serve with your family's favorite side dishes as it goes well with rice, noodles, potatoes, and any vegetable of your choice. The pork makes great leftovers that you can use to top a salad for a low-carb meal or to stuff a pita or wrap for an easy lunch. This tenderloin is ready in just 45 minutes and requires a few pantry staple spices like cumin and chili powder in addition to a little can of chipotle pepper in adobo. Olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh cilantro flavor the pork to be bright and succulent.

Pork tenderloin is a lean cut of meat, usually of one pound in weight. As it's low in fat, it needs to be cooked with attention as it can dry out pretty fast. When searing it, be mindful that your skillet needs to be really hot, and always use a thermometer to check the inner temperature instead of judging its doneness by the color. Sometimes perfectly done tenderloin might still appear pink to the eye.

The chipotle peppers needed for this recipe are simply mature jalapeños. To many, this is news, as it's easy to think they are two distinct types of pepper. But they're the same. One is green and used fresh, as in jalapeño poppers, while chipotles are dried and usually used in adobo, soaked in a flavorful sauce that keeps it moist and ultra flavorful. Dried chipotles are also available and are great when added to stews and saucy preparations that will allow the dry peppers to plump up and release all of their flavors. Alternatively, grind the dried chipotles into flakes to season your recipes. Though adobo is a generic name that represents all sorts of seasoning preparations stemming from Hispanic, Latin, Portuguese, and Spanish cuisines, the adobo sauce that coats the chipotles is usually made out of tomatoes, vinegar, oil, spices, and garlic, thus making the chipotles very flavorful.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons honey

  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped plus few teaspoons of sauce

  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, about 2

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl combine the honey, chopped peppers, adobo sauce, cilantro, and garlic. Set aside.

  3. Trim the fat from the tenderloins and remove the silver skin.

  4. Rub pork all over with salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper.

  5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sear the pork in the olive oil, turning to brown all sides for a total of about 8 minutes.

  6. Transfer the pork to a lightly oiled baking pan or leave the tenderloins in the skillet if it is oven-safe.

  7. Roast the pork in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes and then brush generously with the chipotle mixture.

  8. Continue roasting for about 10 minutes longer, or until the pork registers, at least 145 F on an instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the tenderloin.

  9. Allow the pork to rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice and drizzle with pan juices. Serve immediately.

  10. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
310 Calories
11g Fat
12g Carbs
40g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 310
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 3g 14%
Cholesterol 110mg 37%
Sodium 278mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 40g
Vitamin C 55mg 274%
Calcium 18mg 1%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 737mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)