Chimichurri Sauce
On August 07, 2023
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Chimichurri sauce is a bright and delicious sauce that tastes great on a variety of meats and vegetables. It only takes a few minutes to make, and it adds layers of flavor to steak, grilled vegetables, or even served over eggs!
Chimichurri Sauce
Chimichurri sauce is an Argentinian staple condiment, served alongside most meats cooked over hot coals. Each blend is as unique as the family who makes it, but most are consistent with bright green herbs like parsley and oregano, good quality oil, fresh garlic, and salt and pepper. My favorite version brings a little extra acidity with the addition of red wine vinegar and some heat with a touch of red pepper flakes.
The fresh, bright flavors of chimichurri are basically the perfect complement to anything you’re cooking over a fire. It makes rich meats taste amazing and gives roasted vegetables that extra oomph. If you want to feel really fancy, spoon it over your breakfast hash. It’s oh-so good.
Ingredients for Chimichurri
Here’s what you’ll need to make this classic chimichurri sauce. Some of these ingredients can be tweaked as you become more familiar with this sauce and how you like it to taste. (Scroll down to the tips for some suggestions!)
- 1 cup fresh Italian parsley
- ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 4 peeled garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
How to Make Chimichurri Sauce
It doesn’t get much easier than this chimichurri sauce. All you need to do to make this sauce is to blend all ingredients and enjoy. For a more detailed step-by-step process, check out the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Add ingredients. Add the parsley, oregano, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to a blender or food processor.
- Blend. Pulse to make the sauce, leaving some small pieces of herbs. You don’t want to blend this until it is completely pulverized.
- Store & enjoy. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl or an airtight container and store until you are ready to serve. This sauce is best served at room temperature, so be sure to remove it from the fridge an hour before serving.
Tips for Making Chimichurri
Now that you know the simple process to making this chimichurri, let’s go over a few specifics. Here are some tips for making this chimichurri.
- Have fun with your own variation. Start with the base recipe as written, but adjust to taste. I love making chimichurri with cilantro and extra garlic!
- Blend however you please. Use a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle (just don’t over-mix!) Traditionally, chimichurri is made by grinding herbs and aromatics in a mortar and pestle. You can also make it by finely chopping everything and then stirring in the oil and vinegar. I like to make things easy and use a blender or food processor. It’s the most temperamental way, you MUST be sure to pulse (not fully process) or you’ll end up with a sauce that can pull bitter.
- Use quickly. Chimichurri is best used within 24 hours. The herbs tend to brown and the oil separates after too long. Make it in small batches and use it up fast.
Recipes with Chimichurri
Once you have your chimichurri sauce blended and ready to go, serve it with your favorite meats or vegetables. Chimichurri tastes amazing over grilled steak. The herbaceous flavor of the chimichurri complements the steak beautifully.
- Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri
- Grilled Pierogies with Steak and Chimichurri
- Grilled Flap Steak with Cilantro Chimichurri
Chimichurri Recipe
Cooking dinner for your friends or family should be easy, and Hey Grill Hey is here to help! Over at the Hey Grill Hey Store, we have sauces, rubs, and more to save you time and energy when you’re busy at the grill. Head on over there and get some Hey Grill Hey flavors delivered straight to your front door!
Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh Italian parsley packed
- ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine ingredients. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients for the chimichurri.
- Blend. Pulse until well combined, but you can still see small pieces of the herbs.
- Enjoy. Pour the chimichurri sauce into a serving bowl, cover, and store at room temperature until ready to use. This sauce can be made several hours in advance. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You will want to remove the sauce from the fridge at least an hour before using it to melt the olive oil if it has solidified. Stir the chimichurri before serving as the sauce has a tendency to separate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did the sauce for the first time yesterday for Easter lunch and it was the real deal. Everyone in my house loved the freshness of the herbs and the acidity of the vinegar and the olive oil. One of the easiest and tastier Chimichurri sauce recipe that I ever see. 10 out of 10 will doing it again.