Spice up your dishes with this Argentinian Chimichurri . This green sauce is a garlicky addition to any grilled meat, roasted vegetables, or fresh seafood. Made in just 5 minutes, you’ll want to keep some on hand to give a pop of flavor to your recipes.
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Who says basic meals need to be boring? Adding a dash of this homemade Argentinian chimichurri recipe brings a whole new level of flavor to anything it touches.
Though the taste has a bit of a kick to it from the garlic, you can scale it back depending on your personal preferences.
I originally started making homemade chimichurri from the cookbook “The Barbecue Bible” by Steven Raichlen and it’s become a staple ever since. We love this sauce so much that I actually keep some on hand in the fridge year-round! My kids ask for it every time we start the grill.
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This recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients, incredibly flavorful, and can be tweaked and varied to give a quick flavor swap when you want it.
Keep some on hand to spice up your dishes or whip up a quick pita dip in just minutes. Either way, this easy sauce will be one you fall in love with because it’s so versatile just like my Homemade Basil Pesto recipe or the Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce.
What Is Chimichurri Sauce?
Originating from Argentina, chimichurri is kind of like a tangy pesto sauce that’s often basted onto meat or vegetables while cooking. Originally made from garlic, fresh herbs, vinegar, and olive oil it adds a punch of flavor to any dish.
It gets its bright green color from flat-leaf parsley that helps to brighten bowls and meats.
Though there are a lot of variations out there now, you’ll fall in love with the original and keep coming back to it.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Use the highest quality extra-virgin olive oil you can find! I prefer buying mine from an olive oil store and not from the grocery store.
See the recipe card for quantities.
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Substitutions and Variations
With so many ways to flavor chimichurri, it’s easy to make a unique variation when you want a new taste.
- Add veggies - adding in grated carrots or even bell peppers can be a sneaky way to amp up vegetable intake.
- Spicy - blend in some hot peppers like jalapeno peppers for a fiery kick or even add a dash of cayenne pepper.
- Switch the herbs - adding in or replacing the oregano with herbs like thyme, or spices like cumin, can bring a whole new taste to the sauce. While you can use fresh oregano, dried works best.
- Change the parsley - try using fresh cilantro in place of the parsley or use curly fresh parsley instead.
- Zesty - if you would like to cut back on the vinegar, add lemon juice and lemon zest to the sauce or even use lime juice.
- Rice - add this chimichurri to rice to make the best chimichurri rice variation.
- Chimichurri Aioli - you can add additional ingredients and turn your chimichurri into a delicious aioli. This chimichurri aioli recipe is the best!
How To Make Argentinian Chimichurri: Step-By-Step
Step 1: Chop the parsley and garlic in a Food Processor or Blender.
Step 2: Add in the onion, vinegar, water, salt, oregano, red pepper, and black pepper, and process in short bursts.
Step 3: Slowly add in the olive oil and continue to process until the desired consistency is reached.
Step 4: Serve at room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.
Expert Tips For The Best Chimichurri Recipe
You want to process the herbs until the salt is dissolved. Once you add in the olive oil aim for the texture to be fairly coarse.
Always do a taste test before using it. Add in more salt or vinegar depending on what you like.
How To Use an Authentic Chimichurri Recipe
Though traditionally it was used on top of grilled meats, today we use it for so much more!
Some of our favorite ways to include it are:
- Drizzled over grilled or oven-roasted vegetables like the Roasted Brussels Sprouts And Carrots
- Add a dollop on top of eggs like the Baked Eggs With Asparagus or the Baked Spinach Cheese And Egg Casserole.
- Mix it with Greek yogurt and use it as a tangy, delicious vegetable dip
- Use it as the base of a wrap or sandwich
- Chimichurri sauce can also be used as a marinade. Though we typically brush it on meat as we’re grilling, you could also let your meat soak in it beforehand to maximize the flavor that comes through.
Storage
Store the chimichurri sauce in the refrigerator in a sealed jar or airtight container for 2-3 weeks. I use a mason jar. The flavors tend to fuse together even more as it’s stored.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
Typically, chimichurri is made of red or white vinegar, parsley, crushed red pepper, garlic and olive oil. It ends up with a bright but garlicky flavor.
Both are made from a blend of oil, herbs, and garlic. Pesto, however, tends to be a bit smoother and with a lighter, nutty, and a bit salty flavor. Chimichurri is chunky in texture and has a slightly spicy flavor from the garlic. It also tastes much more like fresh herbs.
Chimichurri is delicious eaten freshly made or left to sit for half an hour so that the flavors can infuse. It can also be stored in the fridge for 2-3 weeks in an airtight jar. Left sitting in the refrigerator, the flavors will be more powerful when you use it.
This delicious chimichurri recipe is the perfect sauce to serve with skirt steak or this Grilled Cuban Flank Steak recipe. I first tasted this in an Argentinian restaurant and knew that I needed to make this herbaceous sauce.
While this is a traditional chimichurri sauce recipe, you can take this classic sauce with its vibrant green color and change the recipe any number of ways.
Other Condiments
Did you try this recipe? I would love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section and leave a ⭐️ rating and review. Share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
xoxoxo
Gwen
Argentinian Chimichurri
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Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 1 flat leaf parsley large bunch, washed, stemmed, and dried
- 8 garlic cloves peeled
- 3 tbsps onion chopped
- 5 tbsps distilled white vinegar or more to taste
- 5 tbsps water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place the parsley and garlic in a food processor or blender.
- Add the onion, vinegar, water, salt, oregano, red pepper, and black pepper.
- Process in brief bursts until the salt crystals are dissolved.
- Add the olive oil slowly while blending until the chimichurri looks fairly coarse.
- Taste and correct the seasonings by adding salt or vinegar.
- Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Anonymous
A staple and delicious!