Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce is a delicious 30 minute meal with bold, mouthwatering flavors.
Hi everyone, welcome to a new week! How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?
We didn’t have too much going on, and while those weekends are usually welcomed, I’m ready to stir things up a bit! The warmer weather on the way this week will help us to get out and going, and a few fun trips on the horizon are getting me excited for this spring and summer (are we there yet?!) That said, highlights from the weekend included attending my nieces 3rd birthday party (ALL THE PINK AND SPARKLY THINGS!) trying the Pupusa’s at Malo (marvelous,) drinking wine from a can (really!) binge watching Orange is the New Black (why oh why did I wait so long?) visiting with old friends (I guess this weekend wasn’t as low key as I thought…) and perfecting my Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce!
You guys, I just keep triple checking this recipe because I still can’t believe how quick, easy, and delicious it is. 30 minutes, one skillet, luuuuuscious sweet and tangy pan sauce. Luscious, I say!
When I was growing up we had to clean our plates before being excused from the table, which normally wasn’t a problem for this bottomless pit except when two of my arch nemesis were involved – milk and pork chops. I remember many nights being the last person sitting at the table, staring at a warm glass of milk just willing it to drain itself. News flash: it never happened! A plugged nose, some courage, and a couple tortured chugs usually got me out of my seat, but pork chops, man. PORK CHOPS. I’d sit there for hours (or what felt like it, anyway,) before finally getting the green light to get up and scram. I just couldn’t do it!
Do you know why the pork chops of our childhood where dryer than shoe leather? Because you had to cook the bejeezus out of them! These days pork is safe to eat at 140 degrees, read: still juicy and tender. I’m showing you exactly what I mean with this quick roasted pork tenderloin with fig and chili sauce.
Seasoned pork tenderloin is seared then roasted for 10 minutes in the oven, then a juicy fig jam and chili garlic pan sauce is made in the same skillet the pork was roasted in. It’s so delicious and I promise you’ll swear you’re eating a succulent piece of steak when cutting into the tenderloin.
This dish would make a fabulous Sunday dinner but can be made between shuffling the kids here and there as a quick and easy weeknight dinner. I’ll even show you how to make a roasted asparagus side dish that’ll cost you no extra time. Plus leftovers are just as good. Ben thinly sliced the pork then layered it between a bun with extra fig and chili sauce for a quick lunchtime sandwich. You’re going to love this easy, flavor-packed recipe!
Start with a 1-1/4 – 1-1/2lb pork tenderloin that’s been trimmed of any excess silver skin or tissue (if you can only find one that’s a bit under, like the one pictured below, that’s fine too.) Pork tenderloin is the equivalent to beef filet and is incredibly tender. It’s also important to note that the tenderloin is not the same as pork loin, so make sure you’re buying the tenderloin at the store.
Season the tenderloin with a mix of 1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and dried rosemary, then sear each side for 1-2 minutes in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat that has a thin-layer of vegetable oil in the bottom.
Pop the entire skillet into a 450 degree oven then roast anywhere from 8-15 minutes, depending on the size of the tenderloin, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin reaches 140 degrees.
FYI: the skillet will be super hot coming out of the oven. A reader suggested in a another skillet recipe of mine to wrap foil around the handle as a visual reminder to not mindlessly grab it. Great tip!
Transfer the pork tenderloin to a cutting board to rest while you make the pan sauce. Cutting into the roast before it has a chance to rest will result in all the juices running out. As they say – just say no!
Meanwhile, if you want to make that roasted asparagus side dish I was talking about, reduce the temperature of the oven to 425 degrees then toss trimmed asparagus with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast for 10 minutes, or until the asparagus are tender.
While the asparagus are doing their thing, make that fig jam and chili pan sauce. This sauce is wonderful. A little sweet from the 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons fig jam, warming from 1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce, tangy from 3-1/2 Tablespoons rice vinegar, and rounded out by 1 cup chicken broth and 1 Tablespoon gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce.) Simmer the sauce for 4-5 minutes then stream in 2 teaspoons corn starch mixed with 2 Tablespoons water then simmer until thickened and bubbly, 1-2 more minutes.
This is the fig jam I used, by the way. I usually find it by the gourmet cheeses at my grocery store. It’s divine in this dish and in my Fig and Prosciutto Rollup appetizers!
Once the pork has rested, slice then serve drizzled with that yummy fig and chili sauce. Serve with the asparagus and a side salad, and enjoy!
Pasta with Garlic Butter Caper SauceQuick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce
Description
Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce is a delicious 30 minute meal with bold, mouthwatering flavors.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1-1/4 to 1-1/2lb pork tenderloin (not pork loin,) trimmed of any silver skin
- grapeseed or vegetable oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons fig jam
- 3-1/2 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 Tablespoon gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce)
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and dried rosemary in a small dish then sprinkle all over pork tenderloin and rub to ensure seasonings stick.
- Add enough oil to a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat to thinly coat the bottom then add the seasoned tenderloin and sear on four sides until golden brown, 1-2 minutes per side. Place skillet into oven then roast for 8-15 minutes (I needed 10 minutes for a 1.3lb pork tenderloin,) or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin reads 140 degrees. Transfer tenderloin to a cutting board and let rest for a minimum of 10 minutes before slicing.
- While the pork is resting, return skillet over medium-high heat (be careful - the handle will be HOT!) then add the chicken broth, fig jam, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and Tamari. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet then boil until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, 3-4 minutes. Stir together water and cornstarch in a small bowl then stream into skillet while stirring. Turn heat down to medium then continue to simmer until sauce is thickened and glossy.
- Slice and serve pork tenderloin then drizzle with fig and chili sauce.
Notes
- Wrap foil around the skillet's handle as a visual reminder that it will be HOT when it comes out of the oven and to not touch it while making the pan sauce.
- Look for fig jam by the gourmet cheeses and meats at the grocery store.
- Thinly slice leftover pork then layer on buns with fig and chili sauce for an easy pork sandwich.
- For an easy side dish: turn oven down to 425 degrees after the pork comes then pop in a pan of trimmed asparagus that have been tossed with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes or until tender while pork is resting and pan sauce is simmering.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I actually went to high school with Uzo who plays Crazy Eyes on OITNB! I sat next to her in music class and did ballet with her little sister! It’s so weird to see her on TV!
I was the exact same way with pork chops when I was little. I HATED them! This looks amazing though! I think I will make it on Wednesday!
Oh my gosh, crazy!! She is…crazy!…on the show – I’m sure she’s lovely in real life. ;)
Meals like this are my FAV because they feel SO fancy, but they are so easy to prepare! I don’t use figs NEARLY enough in m y cooking, but I LOVE that spicy sweet sauce! Pinned!
Okay, I was totally laughing when I was reading about your childhood pork chop experience, because I think every kid in our generation could second our feelings! Our poor moms and their rubber pork chops!
So excited to try this out though :D
This looks so juicy!!!! I love the sauce! I threw together a sauce today just to pour over some sad left over chicken, but it was nothing like your yummy sauce!!!!
This looks crazy good! I’ll totally be trying this recipe out ASAP!
Yes! I have the fig jam sitting in my fridge as we speak. Now I know what’s for dinner tomorrow night. I’m already squared away with your fajita tostada bowls for tonight. This is awesome. I can just pretend like I have a personal assistant who does all of my meal planning for me. Now I just have to find someone to do the shopping ;)
You and me both sister. ;)
This looks amazing! I’ve never thought of putting fig and chili together, but the sweet-and-spicy combo sounds fabulous! I love working with pork tenderloin (though I’m not a fan of the job of slicing off the silverskin – always afraid I’ll cut myself).
Amen
I am totally feelin ya on the OITNB binge watching! I did the same thing last month as was also wondering why I waited so long :)
Can’t wait for the next season!!
Could you grill this on the BBQ first then put the sauce on?
Sure!
Dried out pork chops(we dipped them in applesauce – yum!) and overcooked vegetables were the bane of 70s and 80s kids. Who knew brussel sprouts could be delicious?
This has nothing to do with the topic of this post, but I am looking for some help! I recently started a gluten-free diet and am SO sad about having to give up beer. I know you used to be a beer girl, too. Have you found any GF beers that you like? Also, what is your personal stance on the “gluten-reduced” beers? Thanks Kristin! :)
I know it’s so sad! I LOVED Omission and Daura brands for awhile but since they’re regularly brewed beer with the gluten removed via an enzyme to 20ppm or less, it’s not 100% gluten free and was making me feel horrible (I am extremely sensitive as a Celiac though, so it may be fine for you!) I have tried a ton of true GF brands but many are brewed with sorghum which I thinks tastes sour and awful (that said many people do like it.) The one I really like is Burning Brothers – a GF beer made out of Minneapolis. Otherwise I just stick to my wine! :)
Thanks so much! I’ll have to try out the Burning Brothers one! I actually LOVE sour beers, so maybe I would enjoy the sorghum brewed beers :)
This looks great. Thanks for sharing! And that foil tip! I will definitely try the foil next time :) I burned my hand making the breakfast pizza receipe once..oops.
Yay! Glad you used the foil trick :)
That sauce sounds amazing. I love figs! We also had roasted asparagus on Friday, such a lovely meal addition!!
What brand of skillet do you use? I’ve been wanting one for ages and this particular recipe has inspired me to just go ahead and get one!
It’s a Le Creuset pan – I LOVE it!!
Cannot wait to try this out!! I definitely think it’ll be a favorite :)
I hated pork as a kid too! I think mainly because my mom always got the pre-marinaded ones. This is a recipe I can get behind both for awesome flavors (love that particular fig jam!) and ease of prep!
What is the texture like? Is it really chewy and porky? :P
it to 140 degrees it’s super tender. :)
I love this fig jam! Happy to find another use for it and this sounds so good. Perfect for a Sunday lunch!
YUM! Will definitely give this recipe a try next time I have the family over for dinner. Serious wow factor right there!
I hear ya on the dry pork chops! We had them almost EVERY Wednesday night growing up, and they were terrible. They required copious amounts of applesauce to get them down.
I enjoy pork chops now that I make them (and don’t overcook them) and will definitely need to try this recipe!
The food looks delish. I love using the Lee Kum Kee chili garlic sauce. I use it very often. I stock up on those in my cabinets.
I hope will be able to find pork tenderloin at local store… :/
Hey, this looks great! I have all the ingredients on hand except for the chili sauce. Do you suppose I could crush a couple cloves of garlic and add some red pepper flakes to approximate it? Or do you think a bit of Siracha would work?
I used to feel the same exact way about pork because of the super dry pork chops I was served as a child. But now I love a perfectly roasted tenderloin! Good call about the foil on the handle. I burned my hand after taking a pork loin out of the oven. I went to make a pan sauce and it completely slipped my mind that the pan had just been in an extremely hot oven. Needless to say, my boyfriend had to finish cooking the meal and I ate dinner with my hand in a bowl of ice water. Ha!
Ps: I was just reading your posts about your trip to Italy! They came up in a google search I did. My boyfriend and I are going on almost the exact same trip in September. A week in Rome and then a week in Praiano! It was great to read about a similar trip to ours. And your pictures are lovely!
[…] cooking with red meats. And, I shouldn’t have been as surprised when she posted a recipe for Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce, featuring pork tenderloin that is extra lean and boneless. Goodbye, common misconception. I will […]
Made this last night. Pork could be cut with a fork. Sauce was to die for. Quick, easy, and delicious. Can’t ask for more!
Help–I had the opposite problem and was only able to get a 2 1/2 pound pork tenderloin. Will this still work with one so large? The smaller ones were all pre-marinated in something extremely high in sodium. Do I just cook it longer and double the sauce? Any advice.
BTW–I made the Yoshinoya Beef Bowls this week and my husband and toddler gobbled them up. So easy too!! Thank you.
Hey there! I’d maybe cut it in half then freeze one half. Is the diameter a lot wider than the smaller ones? If so I’d just roast it a little longer!
Stunning! I literally drool out of seeing all the pictures, they are so lovely that I feel like tasting it, NOW! It is like Mott32 hk’s pork iberico, ughh! This is crazy tasty! I’ll bet this will fit perfectly with a glass of cocktail.
Just made this for dinner. Thanks for such a simple, delicious recipe. This will be made many more times. Love your site!
LOVED this recipe. Nice to have a “fancier” dinner that was easy and quick on a week night. Sauce was to die for – might make a batch of it just to enhance lots of other dishes (or maybe to swim in it)!!!!
Made this last week and everybody gobbled it up! I didn’t have the fig jam but improvised with some dried figs, red wine and a few other things in the fridge. It came out wonderful! I love a good sauce that’s not too complicated.
Amazing improv – the red wine sauce sounds delectable!
Made this last night for dinner…fantastic! Thanks for the glaze idea, such a simple way to glam up this cut of meat. Also, the 140degree tip for the meat saved it from being overdone. This will go in the books for “special meals” and one that can be made pretty quickly. Also, I made roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts on the side sprinkled with dried cranberries, toasted almonds and feta cheese. TO DIE FOR! Also loved that it cooked while the meat did in the same oven. Thanks again Kristin for such a great meal!
Awesome, SO glad you loved it – side dish sounds fabulous! :)
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Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for the cornstarch?
I would just skip it. I think using a brown or white rice flour would be fine if the sauce was cooked for more than a few minutes, like it is here. The sauce won’t be *quite* as thick, but still super delicious!
Well, first I have a confession – I burned my hand. I did not do the foil trick because I was confident I would not need reminding about the handle when taking the pan out of the oven. And that was no problem. The problem was when it was sitting on the stove and I went to mix the sauce… and grabbed the handle…
The pork tenderloin package I bought was 3 lbs, but it was actually 2 long separate pieces of meat. I went ahead and doubled everything. But after 10 minutes in the oven, it was only 86F. I don’t know if that was because I had more “mass”. That shouldn’t really matter since they were two separate pieces and separated from each other. But the meat ended up taking about 30 minutes in the oven. Plus the prep and resting. So it wasn’t a quick meal, sadly.
I made some minor modifications… my son is allergic to both soy and coconut, so no soy sauce or coconut aminos. Ended up using some Ume Plum Vinegar instead. And I didn’t have any chili garlic sauce so I found a recipe online and used that as a guide (didn’t have time to actually make it). I added 1 clove garlic to the sauce. I was going to add a bit of honey since the chili garlic sauce had sugar, but I tasted the sauce and it was plenty sweet. Then I rummaged around the fridge to see if I had any hot sauce to replace the chili part. I didn’t. But I found a jar of Roland Thai chili sauce. Which had garlic, too. I figured what the heck and used that. I don’t know if it’s the same type of sauce you used? Ot if it is a sweeter sauce? (http://www.rolandfood.com/products/Chili-Sauce%2C-Sweet-Thai-Style-%28%2387192%29.html). But it worked. The kids loved the sauce (covered their broccoli & rice in it, too)! Whole dish was great. We will be making this again. (Just probably not on a week night.)
Oh, and I did not use corn starch since my son can not do corn. So I used Cassava Flour. I don’t know that it thickened as much. But it was fine…
Made for dinner tonight! This TRULY was the best pork tenderloin that I’ve EVER made! Hands down, the BEST! I will never make pork any other way!
Wohoo! So glad to hear it, Stacy!!!
[…] Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce. Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce is a delicious 30 minute meal with bold, mouthwatering flavors. Hi everyone, welcome to a new week! How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun? We didn’t have too much going on, and while those weekends are usually welcomed, I’m ready to stir things up a bit! The warmer weather on the way this week will help us to get out and going, and a few fun trips on the horizon are getting me excited for this spring and summer (are we there yet?!) You guys, I just keep triple checking this recipe because I still can’t believe how quick, easy, and delicious it is. 30 minutes, one skillet, luuuuuscious sweet and tangy pan sauce. […]
[…] Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce from Iowa Girl Eats […]
Looks incredible, Kristin!
[…] Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce by Iowa Girl Eats […]
Is the sauce a good balance between hot and spicy? I would like to try this recipe with some friends who do not like things too “hot”. If upon sampling I find the sauce to “hot” for my guests, what is the best way to “cool” it down? With water? more fig jam?
Definitely a good balance and not too hot. If they find it to be too spicy you could just add chicken broth or water!
[…] Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce from Iowa Girl Eats […]
Hi! What kind of chili sauce do you use?
[…] “Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce is a delicious 30 minute meal with bold, mouthwatering flavors…” Continues on the website: Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce […]
What a great way to make a pork tenderloin. I usually don’t like sweet sauces, but this one was great. I made the sauce in a separate sauce pan, in case I didn’t like it, and made my regular pan sauce in the pan I cooked the ternderloin in. Both were good, but I liked the one here better. When I sliced the tenderloin, one part was a little pink, so I put them all back in the now off the heat pan sauce. By the time we ate, it was perfectly done, and the smaller pieces were not dry or over-cooked. My husband loved this, too. I told him Iowa Girl’s recipes are excellent. Thank you, Kristen!
[…] Quick- Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce by Iowa Girl Eats […]
[…] Quick Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chili Sauce by Iowa Girl Eats […]
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