Chipotle Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Peach Salsa is so fresh and delicious. Low-cal, low-fat, and on the table in about 30 minutes, depending on peach size.
The making of Chipotle Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Peach Salsa
Cooking from the garden is a lot of fun. It can also be very challenging. It's kind of like getting a new chopped basket every day; what and how will you put it all together?
This recipe for Chipotle Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Peach Salsa is one of those basket meals. Not that you need a garden or a basket to make it, only the fresh peaches came from our yard; but I have a lot of peaches.
I mean A LOT of peaches.
In normal years, with normal weather, the rain and winds of spring naturally knock off some of the blossoms; but not this year. This year we had little rain or wind, so the tree stayed beautifully full of blossoms. I didn't even think of trying to play Mother Nature ... until the fruit started to set.
A lot of fruit.
And while we tried to pick off some of the excesses, we still had so much fruit that we had to tie up the branches just to keep them off the ground.
The peaches are absolutely delicious...there is only one "little" problem ...
They are small. Really small. Not much more than the skin, a pit, with a bit of flesh.
Yes, my peaches needed some help. And I failed them.
They are definitely suffering from some peach's envy.
So now I had to come up with something that would not require nice slices. Nothing too pretty. Something that would be just right for tiny bites of peach.
TaDa - fresh peach salsa. Perfect!
Once the salsa part of the program was figured out, the pork tenderloin preparation was pretty easy. Give it a little smoke from the chipotle, along with some heat from the adobo sauce, along with a slightly sweet glaze from the apricot preserves (I actually had some apricot/peach preserves which is what I used, but either apricot or peach on its own would also do) and we were off and running.
The meat - Pork Tenderloin or what?
If you don't want to make this recipe with pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, or legs and thighs could be easily substituted.
Cooking Methods
Another good thing about this recipe is it can be cooked in the oven or on the grill. If using a charcoal grill, prepare it for off-center heat so you have someplace to move the tenderloin if it starts to burn. The sugar in the glaze is prone to do that. If you cook it in the oven be absolutely positive to cover that cookie sheet with some foil; the glaze will burn and ruin your sheet. And I definitely DO NOT recommend you trying this on a grill pan on top of the stove. You will be cursing my name and my recipe as you take a chisel and hammer to it trying to get the gooey sugary glaze out of the middles of the grids.
And I do not want you cursing at me through gritted teeth. So no grill pan.
Chipotle Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Peach Salsa is an easy to make, easy to clean up after, low-calorie, low-fat meal.
What more do you want from dinner?
LindySez: Really, the amount of time it takes to make this dish will depend on how big your peaches are and how quickly you can get them peeled and diced. I needed a lot of my size challenged peaches so it may have taken longer for me but I enlisted the help of my husband and as we stood, listening to some music, peeling and dicing the peaches and talking time went quickly. I always encourage you to play with others in your kitchen.
In my time for prep, I figured on average, most people should be able to peel and dice 2 - 3 peaches in less than 15 minutes.
We had this with Basmati rice and fresh from the garden steamed green beans with toasted almonds. My Wine Geek/Guru chose an off-dry German Riesling that was PERFECT with notes of peach, apricot, and lychee.
Chipotle Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Peach Salsa
Ingredients
- For the Pork Tenderloin
- 1 pound pork tenderloin all silver skin removed
- ⅓ cup apricot or peach preserves
- 1 chili in adobo minced + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- For the Salsa
- 2 cups chopped peeled and pitted fresh peaches
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper finely minced, or more to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime juiced (about 1 tablespoon)
Instructions
- Prepare the Salsa: Since the salsa is best if it sits for a least 30 minutes, prepare it first by mixing all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Allow it to sit at room temperature while you prepare the pork tenderloin.
- Prepare the Pork: In a small bowl, combine the preserves, minced chili in adobo, and the adobo sauce. Sprinkle the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper, then brush on half the glaze, covering all of the tenderloin. Retain additional glaze for cooking.
- Heat a grill to medium-high heat or set your oven for 375°F. If cooking on the grill, lightly oil the grids prior to lighting it. If cooking in the oven, line a cookie sheet with foil and spray or brush until lightly oiled. (Trust me, you want to have the foil on it or just plan on tossing the cookie sheet). If cooking on the grill, grill over medium heat, turning occasionally and brushing with the glaze, until cooked through and nicely browned (if it starts to burn, lower the heat or shut one of the burners off and continue to cook over the turned-off burner); about 15 minutes. If cooking in the oven, bake for about 20 minutes or until cooked through; then brush the top with the remaining glaze and put it under the broiler to brown. Look for an internal temperature of 160°F. Let the tenderloin rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with the salsa.
Cher says
You really create the best recipes and dishes, Linda! Fabulous!
LindySez says
Thank you, simple and good is the key 🙂