A garlicky and delicious condiment for almost any savory dish!
Chimichurri is a particularly tasty sauce hailing from South America, more specifically from Uruguay and Argentina. However, it’s by no means exclusive to those two countries alone as it’s now a favorite condiment for people all over the place! In fact, I was introduced to chimichurri sauce for the first time at a Brazilian steakhouse.
There are different types of chimichurri sauce. You can use red wine vinegar, distilled white vinegar, or no vinegar. Lots of red pepper flakes or just a little. You can switch out parsley for cilantro or use a blend of both. Oregano is also a good herb to use in your chimichurri sauce. I personally don’t like cilantro because I was unfortunately born with the “cilantro tastes like soap” gene, but I’m told it’s good!
The strength of a chimichurri sauce is that it can go with pretty much any food that’s meant to be savory. You can use it for steak most classically, but also chicken, fish, or even roasted vegetables. I’ve even put it in a salad before! It also works as a marinade for meats, getting your food soaked in garlic and oils, and perfect for frying in a pan or barbecuing outside.
Garlic, My True Love
I always add too much garlic to my food. Except there’s no such thing as too much garlic, so I really just add the right amount of garlic! As a lover of all things garlic, I highly recommend using fresh garlic for this chimichurri recipe. There are lots of pre-minced garlic options in jars at your local grocery store, often in brine. These are… fine. But nothing can ever beat the sharpness of fresh garlic. A lot of times, the pre-minced garlic is chosen for convenience, and I completely understand that. That’s why I recommend using a food processor to quickly mince up your garlic. Just don’t let it go too long—you want minced garlic, not puréed garlic. Literally, just a few seconds will do the trick!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
How to Make Chimichurri
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Step 2: Stir the mixture well to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Step 3: Allow the chimichurri to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld together. For best results, let it sit for an hour or more.
FAQs & Tips
How to Make Ahead and Store?
You can store chimichurri sauce in your refrigerator for about 2 to 3 weeks. In cool temperatures, olive oil can solidify, so if it does, let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature so that it can return to a liquid state. You can also get a little creative and freeze chimichurri sauce in an ice cube tray! Then, put the cubes into a freezer bag with as much air pushed out as possible and use them as needed for up to 3 months.
Chop Chop!
While a food processor might be good for quick garlic mincing, it doesn’t work as well on parsley (or cilantro, if you choose to use it). Something about hand-chopped herbs is just better. The flavor and texture are more pronounced, as you don’t run the risk of turning your herbs into an accidental purée. A finely hand-chopped fresh herb will give you the best texture for your sauce and the best flavors.
The Best Oil
Use good quality oil! This is the foundation of your sauce, and if you have a weak foundation, the rest of the flavors will fall through. High-quality extra virgin olive oil has a rich and distinct taste. While you can substitute it for something like high-quality avocado oil, I would always recommend olive oil for a sauce simply because of that distinct flavor. If you do decide to substitute, don’t use something without its own flavor, like vegetable oil or canola oil. These are too bland and mild and won’t impart much flavor to your food. Really, the best choice is extra virgin olive oil.
Serving Suggestions
Chimichurri sauce goes with almost anything. My number one suggestion is, of course, red meat. Pan-Seared Steak or Grilled Filet Mignon are both excellent choices! You can also use it on poultry, like Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs, or vegetables, like Grilled Asparagus in Foil. You can even just dip some plain bread into chimichurri sauce if you just want to savor it!
Chimichurri Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Stir the mixture well to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Allow the chimichurri to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld together. For best results, let it sit for an hour or more.
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