Tart lemons and briny capers give this sauce its signature taste over lightly fried, boneless pork cutlets for an easy Italian dinner that’s on the table in just 30 minutes.
Sometimes you just need to work out your aggressions instead of act on them.
We all have those days. But rather than taking it out on theย poor soul who cut you off in traffic as they dove across lanes to duck into Starbucks (hey, they obviously NEEDED their coffee) let’s take it to the kitchen and do some damage that does some good.
Let’sย pound some meat.
You’ll find one variation or another of scallopini on nearly every menu of every classic Italian restaurant. Each time I even say the word “scallopini”, my mind’s eye sees those funky, amber colored, bubbled glass candleย holders sitting alongsideย stainless topped parmesan cheese shakers and the classicย red checkered table clothย onย a cozy corner table in thatย dimly litย neighborhood Italian restaurant.
These flavors could be my most favorite of all time. Briny capers with tart lemons. I’ve mastered the combination with my Sautรฉed Chicken with Olives, Capers and Onions. They’re a feast to be reckoned with in my Chicken Piccata Pasta with Capers and Mushrooms. And now I’m giving thinly cut pork chops a show.
Unless you’re Italian, it’s likely you don’t have a scallopini recipe in your repertoire.
But that is about to change. Right here, right now. And in just 30 minutes. Ready, set your timers, GO!
About the Recipe
Thin cut, boneless pork chops are the main player here. The boneless part of the lean-cut tenderloin is pounded thin between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use short even stokes with a meat pounder, from the middle of the cutlet to the edges, for best flattening.ย If pork isn’t your thing, thin cuts of veal, chicken or even turkey could easily be substituted.
Pounding the pork cutlets thin makes for even cooking and results in a mereย few minutes of stovetop frying time. I’ve found I get the prettiest browning of the pork when I use a combination of butter with just a little addition of oil. With everything cooked up in one pan, this dinner gets brownie points for itโs quick and easy clean up, too.
A few leaves of sage are pressed right into the pork, then both are lightly floured and put into the pan for a quick fry. I said this was a 30 minuteย meal,ย so let’s keep it moving.
The tart lemons and briny capers give this sauce its signature taste after it’s been thickened with a bit of RealยฎSeal butter for a bit of lushness.ย Theย combo isย the perfect pucker upper.
I serve this with a side of my Easy Lemon Orzoย Faux Risotto or Easy Parmesan Buttered Noodles. I’m sensing a trend. Ease is the key for this home cook.
Get my Pork Scallopini recipeย and see the rest of my Go Bold with Butter recipesย here.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo andย tag me on Instagramย with #foodiecrusheats.
30 Minute Pork Scallopini With Lemons and Capers
Ingredients
- 4 thin boneless pork chops
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- ยผ cup all-purpose flour
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter , divided
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ยฝ cup white wine
- ยผ cup capers
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 lemons , juiced
- 1 lemon , sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley , chopped
Instructions
- Pound out the pork chops to ยผ inch thickness. Press 2 sage leaves into one side of each each of the pork chops. Mix the flour, kosher salt and ground black pepper in a large, shallow bowl or plate. Add the pork chops to the flour, one at a time, and flour each pork chop, gently turning on each side so the sage leaves stay on the pork chop. Gently tap off the excess flour.
- Heat a large skillet on medium high. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with ยฝ tablespoon of the oil. Place 2 of the pork chops in the skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add 1 more tablespoon of butter and the remaining oil. Cook the remaining 2 pork chops and place with the other two cooked pork chops.
- Wipe out any burned or really crispy bits out of the pan. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the pan over medium high heat. Add the wine and capers and cook until reduced by half. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice and a few lemon slices and bring to a boil then add the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Add the pork back to the pan and warm in the sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Nutrition
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As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
nice recipe, added mushrooms, used rubbed sage in the flour, didn’t have the sage leaves
Glad you made it work with hat you had Steve. Great tip!
Fast and very good! It goes into rotation next week !
So glad you enjoyed it Debbie. Thanks for the comment and 5 stars!
Excellent! And now in the dinner rotation! Itโs summer so served with zoodles and caprese salad with fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. Zucchini was fresh from the garden, too! I cut the butter in half and used no salt in the zoodles due to the capers. Thanks for publishing!
Happy to hear it Judy! Glad you enjoyed :)
I had some pork neck, which I sliced and batted out. Tons of fresh sage in my garden! Did the rest as per your recipe. The taste is amazing! Serving it tonight with buttered linguini. Fab!
Glad you enjoyed Anso!
I made this last night and it was BOMB! the only change I made was I slided garlic and sauteed it in the butter before adding the wine. Sauce was on point thanks for sharing this recipe!! Will definitely be making this often!
I’m glad you enjoyed Jill!
Love this recipe! Easy and delicious!
Great recipe! I made this last night exactly as directed. The whole family loved it and will be making it again next week.
Yay Nancy! Glad it was a hit with the family! Thx for coming back and commenting.
Hi Heidi,
I made this for my Husband, we loved it. He asked me “why I put Leaves from the Ficus Tree I inherited when my Mom passed away” on top of the Pork “SMH” I told him it was Sage & he put it aside, you would think that after 37 yrs of marriage he would trust me. Turns out, he doesn’t like sage, I had no idea. :-)
Thanks for the wonderful recipe, will make it again.
I am so glad! LOL men can be funny! Glad it was so good for you guys
Six thumbs up from our 3-person family! I had two small pork tenderloins that I sliced about 5/8ths of an inch thick, then pounded to 1/4″ thickness and approximately 4″ in diameter. I couldn’t find fresh sage, so I finger crumbled last summer’s dry sage into the flour and made sure several pieces stuck to both sides of each piece of meat. My husband asked what the mystery flavor was and smiled when I said sage, which is one of his favorite herbs. So, we have a new, delicious, easy, and quick family favorite fit to serve company. Thank you.
This was great! I used pork cutlets. I think my husband and I both agree that this is better than Chicken Picata. I also used GL flour and worked wonderfully.
That sounds so great! Thanks for your comment, Kelli!
Good content. I love cooking as well. Whenever Iโm in the kitchen, I make sure that I cook healthy meal for my family. People are also getting food results with this recipe.. http://bit.ly/2t5r7lg
Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you
nice post realy
I made this recipe the other night. Very tasty added cornstarch to thicken the sauce though. Can everyone tell me what you typically serve for sides with this.
Delicious!
Thank you
Great recipe, simple but brings out the best in all the ingredients. If you’re not a fan of sage, try rosemary ad the main herb
I made this recipe for myself and two others. Not only did I enjoy making it, but they were literally making “Mmmm” sounds the whole time we were eating. This made me very pleased. I chose to make asparagus as the side dish. Thank you for the recipe.
Love veal scallopini so must give this a try…then your other scallopini recipes..
Thanks for the variety !
Yum. I don’t like pork but my husband does so I tried this. I used a cast iron skillet and I didn’t have sage leaves so I sprinkled on the dry stuff. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious and fast. Thanks Heidi.
lovely recipe and no, I haven’t had one in my recipe box, only used to ordering it on a menu, so thank you for this and the opportunity of stress relief (with the prep)! I also love the touch capers and lemon flavors here, will check out your capers recipe too!
So glad you liked it Sabrina.
I made this recipe last night. It’s very good, but I had to add a little cornstarch in order to thicken the sauce. I will certainly make it again, next time I’m going to try it with chicken.
Thanks for the tip Gina, adding cornstarch will certainly make it a bit more “gravy”-like. Glad you enjoyed!
Delicious! Like in the amazing cooking class I took on the Delectable Destinations Amalfi Coast culinary tour.
Amazing recipes
My husband makes this with chicken for my favorite meal, but I LOVE pork, and so does he! Can’t wait to try this – it sounds wonderful!
Just made this delicious dish and my husband absolutely loved it! I can’t wait to make it for friends!
I’m about to hand this recipe to my mother right now. Crispy Chicken Scallopini is so attractive and i can’t resist it. You really did a good job with these guys. Thanks a lot.
Oh my, just stop, this is too perfect and I want it right meow. Why have I never thought of pairing capers with pork, brilliant! Might I add one thing- those capers would be even better fried, I know weird but oh so good.
I’ve NEVER seen a prettier scallopini. Good Lord above.
And thanks so much for the inclusion!
Great dinner idea! …Love the flavor combinations :D
This is totally a recipe my grandmother would make. She’s a pork lover through and through! Sending this to her :)
Love that you switched it up with pork instead of chicken! And I think if we all pounded some meat, the world would be a more peaceful place.
Perfect Valentine’s Day dinner!!
All the flavors here sound amazing together. I think I need to go pound some meat!