What Is Chimichurri?
Tangy, sharp flavors like vinegar, garlic and shallot liven up this irresistible fresh herb sauce that is: chimichurri! Chimichurri sauce is pesto-like herb sauce, and is a gift from Argentinian cuisine, where it’s served to dress up a simple, perfect grilled Chimichurri Steak.
Many chimichurri recipes call for cilantro, but we’ve opted to use the still-authentic, more crowd-pleasing parsley and oregano as our herbal base. Fresh garlic, vinegar, olive oil, chili flakes (for a hint of spicy goodness) and shallots bring it all together.
Buzzing with vibrant flavory, this easy chimichurri sauce recipe goes with so many things! Serve it as a dipping sauce with crudité or good bread, or over grilled fish, with Shrimp, Grilled Skirt Steak or even Chimichurri Meatballs!
Whip up a batch, and you’ll see how it has a magical way of making everything taste divine.
Chimichurri Ingredients
Fresh parsley
Fresh oregano
Shallot
Fresh garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper
How To Make Chimichurri Sauce
Pulse! Toss the shallot, parsley, oregano, garlic cloves, salt and black pepper into a food processor, and pulse—keyword PULSE!—just until you have a well-mixed, chunky paste, but stop blending the herbs before the herb-garlic mixture is pulverized. Chimichurri is a rustic sauce, and you want to be able to see all of its components.
Stir. Now stir in the liquid—extra virgin oil, vinegar, and pepper flakes—to make the chimichurri herbal base into a sauce for dipping, marinating or drizzling over rare grilled steak.
Serve! That’s it! You made chimichurri sauce from scratch!
How To Store Leftover Sauce + Tips
Any leftover chimichurri sauce will last for a week in the fridge—although we don’t know how anyone manages not to eat it all in one sitting.
Can you freeze chimichurri? You can freeze chimichurri, which is something you may want to do if you’re making the chimichurri as a way to use up an onslaught of summertime herbs from the garden. Stored in an airtight container, it will keep in the freezer for at least a month.
Yes, chimichurri is healthy! Fresh herbs are generally extremely good for you, and the fresh parsley and fresh oregano in this chimichurri are loaded with health-supporting goodness, like antioxidants and they may even have anti-inflammatory properties. Same goes for fresh garlic and olive oil, too. Pass the chimichurri sauce, please!
Serving Ideas For Chimichurri Sauce
Fresh, tangy, garlicky homemade chimichurri sauce is a famous partner for steak, but you can use chimichurri sauce in many ways. The sky is really the limit. Try using your chimichurri as:
A marinade for chicken, or tofu
As a dipping sauce (it’s vegan! It’s dairy-free! it’s gluten-free!)
Or as a finishing sauce. Fresh chimichurri turns a simple dinner of grilled fish into a restaurant-worthy meal. Steak, pork, chicken, tofu, Grilled Halloumi — basically, you can pick your protein, and top it with chimichurri sauce. We’re particularly partial to this classic Chimichurri Steak Recipe, and we love serving it with Grilled Pork Tenderloin, too.
More Fresh Herb Sauce Recipes
More Fresh Goodness Head
For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper. Happy cooking!
