A breaded pork tenderloin sandwich was always my mom’s favorite when she would occasionally take my sister and me to a cafe for lunch. This was in west-central Illinois and I’ve been reading that the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich was either an Indiana thing or an Iowa thing.

Breaded pork tenderloin sandwich on a blue plate.

Breaded tenderloin sandwich

I’m not sure where Illinois fits in all this, but it seemed to me that all the little cafes would serve some sort of breaded pork tenderloin sandwich.

These breaded pieces of pork were usually twice the size of the bun they were served with, so you had a breaded pork tenderloin appetizer to bite off before you got to the real deal.

The sandwiches were way too big for a 5 year old to order, so mom would occasionally give me a bite of the appetizer part and I’d get to savor the crunchy goodness, if only for one bite.

And as I recall, these boneless pork loin chops were breaded with saltine crackers. Not bread crumbs or panko breadcrumbs but ordinary Nabisco saltine crackers.

Here’s some history about the breaded tenderloin sandwich as told by two websites, one explaining Indiana pork tenderloin sandwich and the other Iowa breaded tenderloin sandwich.

Sort of a dueling banjos thing over who makes the tastiest breaded pork tenderloin sandwich.

Making the Sandwich

Honestly, I can’t recall making a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich in the past. Maybe I have.

All I know is my recollection of the taste from so many years ago. It was a simple, no-frills pork tenderloin. Pounded flat with a meat mallet, floured, drenched in egg wash then generously coated with saltine cracker crumbs containing onion powder and garlic powder, and deep-fried until golden brown.

There are different cuts of pork you can use for these sandwiches.

First, there is loin which is like the boneless pork chops that you will find in your grocery store.

For pork tenderloin sandwiches, this is the piece of tenderloin that is butterflied and pounded flat with a meat mallet. This is how to make a large pork cutlet.

The other is the actual tenderloin or pork filet which is a long thin cut from the central spine area of the pig. These are typically packaged in plastic and will require you to give them a wipe with paper towels to dry them. There is also a fatty layer on the pork tenderloin that can be carefully cut off.

Both cuts of pork will work equally well for these crispy pork chops. The actual tenderloin will result in a smaller flattened piece of pork.

How to Flatten the Pork Tenderloin

The tenderloin is small, only 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter. You cut off the silver skin if there is any, then cut off fillets that are 1 inch wide, then butterfly the fillets by cutting down the middle with a very sharp knife to about 3/4 to 1/2 inches of the other side, then laying them flat.

Then one by one, cover the butterflied pork with plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer mallet or a flat-bottomed 8-inch skillet as I did, to pound the pork flat to about 1/4″ to 3/8 inches thick.

Just don’t go so far as to start putting holes in the tenderloin. It took me 8 to 12 hits to get them to where they were flat enough.

Flattened pork for breaded pork tenderloin sandwich

Tenderloin breading

When I make these now, I use a tenderizing mallet and it does a better job and is easy to control the thickness you are getting. You should end up with a 5″ to 7″ diameter pork patty.

Being this flat, it will only take about a minute and a half to fry each side in 350° vegetable oil. The pork will be perfectly done and still nice and juicy on the inside.

Frying the pork tenderloin in a cast iron skillet

Breaded tenderloin

When you cook these, use a heavy skillet, preferably a cast-iron one to hold the heat.

I used my infrared thermometer to keep tabs on the oil temperature. When frying these, I actually had to turn off the gas at one point because it got too hot. Try to keep the oil temperature at 350° to 375°F.

Just keep an eye on the temperature the best you can. As you can see, even with these somewhat smaller tenderloins. I just fried one at a time but the cooking went really fast.

You can use a baking sheet with a drying rack to place the finished tenderloins in the warm oven with the toasted hamburger buns. These are best when served nice and warm.

Breaded pork tenderloin recipe

How to Eat a Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich

Now to put this sandwich together. First I lightly buttered the bun halves and toasted them in the cast iron frying pan before I did anything else.

I put them on a plate and in the oven on super low to keep warm. Then traditionally you need lettuce, hamburger pickle slices, and a slice of red onion.

The final touch is a good amount of plain old yellow mustard.

If you need any other condiment with this, maybe a small amount of mayo on the bun would be acceptable. But just so no one else could see it!

Serve this easy dinner recipe with cole slaw, baked beans, potato chips, potato salad, or any other favorite sides.

That’s what my mom’s breaded pork tenderloin sandwich recipe would look like. And Mary Jo said, “Where has this been all my life?… You can keep making this on a regular basis.” I think I will.

How To Reheat Leftovers

Reheating the breaded pork tenderloins is easy. First, keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make sure that the pork cutlets are at room temperature before refrigerating. Otherwise, they will have moisture condensing on them.

Oven Place the pork on a lightly oiled baking sheet and heat for 15 minutes at 350°F.

Microwave They can be reheated in a microwave but they will not be as crispy as if heated in an oven.

This easy pork chop recipe can even be made on busy weeknights and everyone will love it. This is hand-breaded tenderloins, comfort food to the max.

Here is the printable recipe card.