Have you ever made a chimichurri sauce? It’s an Argentinean sauce or condiment, similar to pesto, that is popular throughout South America. This basic version uses fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, oil and vinegar and a little bit of chili pepper, though the variations on this theme are endless. What I love about it is that it makes use of the parsley that is growing like crazy in our garden, and everything else we are either growing or have in our pantry. In Argentina it is used both as a marinade and a sauce for grilled steak, but you can use it also with fish, chicken, or even pasta. Check out the links at the bottom of the recipe for some different takes on chimichurri from fellow food bloggers. If you have a favorite dish with which you use chimichurri sauce, please let us know about it in the comments.
Chimichurri Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsps fresh oregano leaves (can sub 2 teaspoons dried oregano)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Method
1 Finely chop the parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic (or process in a food processor several pulses). Place in a small bowl.
2 Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Adjust seasonings.
Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving. Can keep for a day or two.
Yield: Serves 4.







I’ve been making chimichurri sauce (with cilantro instead of oregano)for quite a while. Of course, I eat it with all sorts of foods that it doesn’t really belong with. My favorite is mixed into rice with shrimp or salmon tossed on top.
Looks awesome! I can imagine all sorts of things this would be absolutely delicious with. I’m thinking fish for now…. mmm….
This is our “go-to” sauce for dry aged rib-eye steaks. It’s perfect for entertaining, in fact we’re making it this weekend! I like using Sherry vinegar in the sauce and find that it provides a nice balance to the garlic and pepper.
I made a variation of this for my cooking class this past semester. I, like Debi used cilantro as the base herb. I used it as a marinade for kabobs, delicious with cilantro lime rice and black beans!
My husband loves chimmichurri but we make it slightly different- we chop roasted red peppers, a few cloves of garlic, parsley, add some olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and let it marry for a few hours. It is amazing! The Italian family likes to call it Zappo-deen-yo (sic) too.
I first tried chimichurri in 2003 and fell in love! My sister and I have been making it for years and our friends are dying for the “secret recipe”. It’s not a secret anymore I guess! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe out. We love it with anything but our favourite is with crusty bread or bagel pieces.
This sauce changed my concept of how skirt steak should be made. For years growing up my father made a sort of terriaki marinade for skirt steak and I always loved it but when I moved to South Florida 6 years ago I had ‘Cuban Steak’ which also uses this sauce for the first time and a long lasting craving/obsession was born. Chimichurri and skirt steak are like a match made in heaven…in fact I’d be a little disappointed if cuban steak isn’t the next recipe posted if Chimichurri is going here :)
I use this sauce as a 30-minute marinade for flank steak and then serve it with more! So, so yummy!
My brother lived in Argentina for a few years and brought back with him a wealth of knowledge on Argentine food. I love the way he serves chimichurri. He makes a steak sandwich with a think piece of grilled steak, provolone cheese, tomato and maybe lettuce. He puts the chimichurri right on the steak and on the bread slices. It is divine.
This looks gorgeous! I could use this to grill chicken, or just use as a spread or dressing. Gonna have to make this. Sounds a lot like the green chutneys we make in India, except this uses a lot of oil.
Grill thin slices of potato until soft (but charred – or caramelized – on the outside), toss in a bowl with chimichurri, and…voila! Bob’s yer uncle!
You’ve just made a delicious Argentinian Potato Salad.
Light, full of flavor, no mayo fat.
And I love mayo.
And fat.
My BIL lived in Ecuador and makes a version of chimichurri. We were at the beach and he slathered it over corn on the cob and roasted it. It was delightful.
We love chimichurri sauce on flank steak! I make it with cider vinegar, but using red wine vinegar sounds even better! Feel free to add more black pepper and pepper flakes.
My Cuban son-in-law makes this & the whole family loves it. He serves it with roast or grilled pork. Delicious. I can eat it alone with nothing! Yummy!
Yum! I had never tried chimichurri until I recently made it in a class I took in NYC. We made it with skirt steak. Now, it’s a favorite! I posted a earlier in the month about it, but served it with scallops and it was an awesome pairing. I am going to have to try this version, now.
Chimichurri is so versatile, we use it all the time on grilled meats. Thanks for mentioning my recipe.
God I love this stuff! I make a pork tenderloin with it…marinate it in half of the sauce, then grill, then drizzle remaining sauce over it. The best summer dish!
I have never tried making chimichuri (thought it was an Asian cuisine!)but bought it once from Trader Joe’s- Salmon marinade with chimichuri…its delicious.The variations look interesting- will give it a try. Thanks.
We always have it with Churrasco (Brazilian Steak) I love going to the Churrascarias where the Gauchos circulate with meat that has been roasted on huge skewers and Chimichurri is always on the side. I haven’t thought of making it at home though so I think I will have to give this recipe a try. Thanks!
This is a great seasoning/dressing for meats and vegetables. I use it all the time and it stays in the fridge forever.
I had this for the 1st time in Honduras and fell in love with it. I even went back to the kitchen to ask the cook how it was made. Thanks for the recipe.
This is my very favorite sauce to go with meat. This particular recipe is especially good.
I’ve never heard of this; it looks delish, so simple AND flexible! I like to be able to play with a recipe when I may not have all the ingredients on hand, or just need to tweak it a bit for another taste. I like the idea of some tiny bits of roasted red pepper added to it as well.(thanks, dmb4379!) BUT, I’ll be making this just as it is first :)
Ooo I forgot.. can this be made and then frozen? What about canned in small mason jars?
Don’t know about freezing, but since this is a fresh sauce it cannot be canned. To can it you would have to cook it, totally changing the taste. ~Elise
We’ve been loving and making chimichurri for a decade, and this is very close to my favorite barrila’s recipe. Most Argentines I know would not use olive but vegetable oil. It allows more of the herb flavor to come through. Also, this is really best if you let it marry in the fridge for a few days before use.
Hello! I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is a very popular sauce around here when it is BBQ time. Also we have another one called “salsa criolla” used for BBQs and the main ingredients are tomatos and onions instead of parsley, the rest of the recipe is similar to Chimichurri. Greetings from south america!
It is very popular also here in the northern part of italy where it’s served as a sauce for ‘bollito’ (long boiled meat) and other meat dishes but it’s also great with bread
My granma’s recipe adds a boiled egg (which also thickens the sauce) and some salted anchovies
Enjoy!
Just made this tonight to go along with some steaks. We added a quick squeeze of lemon juice. It was so good, I kept sneaking spoonfuls of straight chimichurri out of the serving bowl. =) Thanks for the great recipe!
This is so good on lamb chops as well. Much better than mint sauce. You can even serve a nice big platter of lamb chops and use this as a dip for a wonderful appetizer!
I just read this recipe and will be making it tomorrow morning to go along with our carne asada. This sounds so delicious and it’s very basic. Thanks for posting!
Chimichurri with skirt steak has become my obsession. I love taking the sauce and pouring some of it over the top of my mashed potatoes. I tried making the sauce at home but need some more practice as it wasn’t quite what I was looking for. I’m trying to recreate a recipe from a favorite restaurant in Brickell, Miami.
I make a version that is really dependent on what’s at hand. I substitute parsley with basil and coriander or equal ratios, add garlic, lots of fresh chilli, some capers or caper berries for a tangy kick, a piece of fresh ginger root, substitute rice vinegar with lime juice for a fresher edge, or even add in a pulsed pickled gherkin, onion, or peppers. Everycombination works well and it really also gets rid of the bits and pieces hanging around in the fridge. I love it smeared on meats, as a sauce or as a spread on sandwic stuffed with other left overs.
My most recent aha! moment with chimichurri was when I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I could use for dipping artichoke leaves that would not be mounds of unhealthy fat but still yummy. The chimichurri sauce was a GREAT dipping sauce for the artichokes! Delicious and fresh, and nothing but healthy olive oil.
So delicious! I (as a vegetarian) especially love it with grilled portobellos… yum!
I just wanted to let you know I LOVED this. I also re-posted my experience on my blog, thanks so much for this great recipe.
great recipe i used sherry vinegar but- too much salt!
Been meaning to try chimichurri for awhile. Made this last night exactly as written with a sirloin tip roast and it was AMAZING. Going to try marinating it tomorrow with pork. Thank you for this! I will be making this again and again and again.
Take 1 Boneless pork Loin.
Take Your Sharpest Knife and slowly Cut the Loin
LENGTHWISE so that you end up with 1 flat piece
about 1/2 inch Thick.
Place Fat Side DOWN.
Smear Entire Surface with Chimichurri.
Roll pork loin back Up and Tie with Twine.
Roast in the Oven.
The Result is Pork Loin Chimichurri Roulade.
Cut Slices 1/4 inch Thick. Serve Hot or Cold.
Makes the BEST Bahn-Mi Sandwich on Planet Earth.
You say its good for a few days. We keep ours in the fridge for weeks and its still fine to eat!
While in Spain, I had dinner in a restaurant who served a chimichurri sauce that was very flavorful. The difference was that the garlic did not have that “bite” that raw garlic has. It was fantastic. Anyone have any ideas how you can achieve a chimichurri sauce a more mellow (yet flavorful) taste?
You could try roasting the garlic first, or use elephant garlic, which is more mild than regular garlic. ~Elise
There is a restaurant chain in Houston that serves this with warm plantain chips. So good. We’re usually so full on those we can’t eat all of our meal. :)
We make chicken and chimmichurri sandwiches and freeze them.
They are now my husbands absolute favourite lunch!
This is my “go to” chimichurri recipe. Thank you, it’s delicious!
I made an asian inspired chimichurri for a dry-aged ribeye this week with thai basil, mint, and cilantro. It also had garlic, ginger, EVOO, rice vinegar, and chili-garlic sauce. I will post the recipe once I write it down, but just that combination was awesome with the steak.