This Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri is one of my top favorite grilled summer meals. Quick cooking pork tenderloin is rubbed with a fresh and vibrant chimichurri and drizzled with extra sauce after. Perfect for weeknight dinner or weekend bbq’s, It’s easy to prep, quick to cook, and a great way to elevate summer grilling. I love serving it with rice because that extra chimichurri mixed in is so good! Throw some veggies on the grill along side it and you’re set for an easy and impressive dinner.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Pork
- Pork Tenderloin – Pork tenderloin is usually packaged with 2 per package an a total of around 2-2.5lbs, though there are larger tenderloins that weigh that much on their own. Make sure you’re getting plain pork tenderloin with no extra marinades added before packaging.
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh oregano
- Fresh lime juice
- Red wine vinegar
- Fresh garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
How to Make Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri
- Start by blitzing up the chimichurri. I like to use a food processor, but if you don’t have one you can absolutely chop everything finely. Place parsley, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times until finely chopped.
- Transfer to a bowl and throw in some red pepper flakes if you like, then stir in some extra virgin olive oil by hand. I don’t put the olive oil in the food processor because you run the risk of turning the entire sauce bitter. You can add more or less olive oil depending on the consistency you want!
- Take a little of that chimichurri and place in a zip-top bag with the pork and save the rest for drizzling over the top!
- When ready to cook, preheat grill (or indoor grill pan). Remove tenderloins from bag and let excess marinade drip off. Place on grill and cook. Pork tenderloin generally cooks pretty fast, about 5-8 minutes per side. See tips for cooking pork below!
- Remove from grill and let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Slice and serve with remaining chimichurri drizzled on top.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover pork and chimichurri separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Enjoy both within 3-4 days for best results.
- Although I’m using pork here, the chimichurri is equally delicious on chicken, steak (especially steak) and fish.
- You might like to double the chimichurri so you have extra to drizzle on your side dishes. We love it mixed into rice, on grilled veggies, and even stirred into ranch for a salad dressing.
What temperature should I cook my pork to?
- According to the USDA pork is safe to eat when cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F internally. Use a digital instant-read thermometer to check as you go! At this temperature, pork will be tender and juicy, but still slightly pink in the center. If you cook it past about 160° it can be a bit dry, so personally I like to have it fall somewhere in the middle there. There’s some wiggle room and usually pull mine at about 150°F and then cover and rest it and the temperature will rise a couple more degrees before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
While the pork itself is at its best hot off the grill, you can definitely plan ahead. Make your chimichurri a day ahead of time. You can put your pork into the chimichurri to marinate up to 8 hours ahead of time in needed. Or, simply make the recipe as written and plan to use the meat in a salad, wrap, etc.
Can I cook the pork in the oven instead of in the grill?
Yes. Sear the pork in a bit of oil in a hot pan until browned on all sides, then transfer to the oven and bake until a meat thermometer reaches at least 145°F, and up to 150°F.
Can I use a different cut of pork?
Sure. The chimichurri would be great on grilled pork chops!
Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri
This tender grilled pork tenderloin is marinated in and served with an herby, flavor-packed chimichurri. Quick, affordable, and delicious!
Servings 4-ounce servings
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb pork tenderloin 2 small-med pork loins
- 1 ½ cups roughly chopped parsley
- 1 ½ cups roughly chopped cilantro
- ½ cups loosely packed oregano leaves 1/2 cup minimum. If you have more oregano available, feel free to add up to 1 cup if desired
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3-4 cloves
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil more as needed
Instructions
- Place parsley, cilantro, oregano, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Transfer chopped mixture to a bowl and add red pepper flakes if desired.
- Whisk in extra virgin olive oil.
- Take about 1/2 cup chimichurri and place in a ziplock bag with the pork so pork is coated in the mixture. Cover the remaining chimichurri and set aside. Rest pork in marinade for 30 minutes minimum, or several hours (up to overnight) in the fridge.
- When ready to cook, preheat grill (or indoor grill pan). Remove tenderloins from bag and let excess marinade drip off. Place on grill and cook for about 5-8 minutes before flipping to the other side. Cook until an internal temperature reads between 145°F-150°F and then remove and cover with foil for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Slice and serve with remaining chimichurri drizzled on top. Note: If desired, you can add a little extra olive oil to your remaining chimichurri to reach desired consistency or stretch it.
Notes
- Nutrition information is for 4 ounces of pork and 1.5 tablespoons of chimichurri.
- Store leftover pork and chimichurri separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Enjoy both within 3-4 days for best results.
- Although I’m using pork here, the chimichurri is equally delicious on chicken, steak and fish.
Nutrition
Serving: 4ounces pork and, Calories: 273kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 360mg, Potassium: 576mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 0.3g, Vitamin A: 1223IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 3mg
Calories: 273kcal
Cost: $20
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Questions & Reviews
OMGosh, made this with tenderloin tonight and chicken a few days ago. I have never cooked a full tenderloin on the pellet type smoker bbq and I can’t believe how delicious this was! I will never cook tenderloin another way! Great for a family meal, but fancy enough for company! Thank you so much!
I tried this tonight after looking online for a chimichurri recipe. I decided on yours because of the large amount of herbs it called for. I am not so much a “measurer” when I cook but I use recipes as guidelines. It came out fabulous!! I absolutely love it, and when I reread your recipe, I would say I pretty much followed it to a T. I do use pork tenderloin often and in many ways by the way, but after reading your other posts from your followers I now have some really good new ideas to try too!
My question for you is have you frozen your chimichurri sauce?
If it freezes well, I could make a bunch at the end of the season to use through the winter from my herb garden before it frosts. now I am going to check out some of your other recipes…….
Hello, ladies. I recently cracked open your cookbook and love what I’ve found this far, as does my grateful husband. 🙂 A question: I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Uruguay. I ate two things there I’ve never been able to reproduce: chivitos (Uruguayan) and bauru (Brazilian). Both are sandwiches, and the chivitos often feature a chimichurri sauce like the one you posted here. Have either of you ever tried to make one off these items?
I like to do freezer meals would this be one I could prep and freeze ahead then cook at a later date ??
I’m trying this recipe tonight, I don’t have a grill, so I’ll be using my oven. Would this be good roasted over apples? I’ve never had chimichurri, so I’m not sure if it goes well with apples.
No, it’s not something I would serve over apples. Think Latin flavors!
I am totally that person who picks every leave off the cilantro and parsley! I always thought I needed to! Seriously going to try NOT doing it and am making this today!
I made this yesterday for my hubby for Fathers Day and it was awesome!