A simple sauce can instantly make a simple meal really special. I love keeping a variety of options on hand, and this easy chimichurri sauce is on constant rotation in my house. It’s so easy to put together in a matter of minutes — 5 to be exact — and pairs wonderfully with a wide variety of main dishes.
It’s an ideal complement to rich meats, and in fact, I adapted and refined this from my flank steak with chimichurri sauce recipe. It works well with pork too (try my chimichurri pork tenderloin next), or even roast chicken. It’s a welcome addition to tacos too, or you can use it as a dipping sauce for fries, crudité, and crusty bread.
No matter which way you decide to enjoy chimichurri, I know it’s going to be a hit in your house too.
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What is chimichurri sauce?
Chimichurri is a vibrantly flavoured, uncooked sauce from Argentina. It’s most well-known for its freshness and brightness and is usually used as a marinade and/or condiment for rich meats.
Herbs like parsley and oregano make up the base of any good chimichurri sauce recipe, and garlic, shallot, vinegar, and olive oil also make an appearance. The results are a zesty sauce with a garlicky kick plus a touch of heat thanks to the addition of dried chilli flakes. In other words, it’s tangy and herby and so delicious.
Chimichurri sauce ingredients
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Fresh herbs: The most important of all the chimichurri sauce ingredients. I use fresh parsley and fresh oregano leaves. If you can’t find fresh oregano, swap for 3 teaspoons of dried oregano. If you do use dried oregano, note that your sauce will be more liquidy than if using fresh herbs.
- Shallot: Adds a subtle bite that complements the flavour of the fresh herbs. Shallots are usually milder than red onion, but you can use those if that’s all you have.
- Garlic: Where the garlicky flavour comes from, of course. I like fresh garlic here, it will always give you the best flavour but if you can’t bring yourself to peel and mince it, the jarred stuff does ok.
- Dried chilli flakes: Also called red pepper flakes, these chilli flakes add a touch of heat. You can just as easily leave it out if you don’t like any spice.
- Red wine vinegar: Cuts through the richness of the added olive oil and adds the tang I mentioned.
- Extra virgin olive oil: The base that holds this chimichurri sauce recipe together. I usually use a light flavoured olive oil mixed 1:1 with extra virgin olive oil here so as not to overpower the other ingredients.
How to make chimichurri sauce
My easy chimichurri sauce is just that — so easy. All you need to do is add the ingredients to a food processor, blitz, and then use. That said, if you don’t have a food processor you can still make this. I provide a few tips on equipment below if you need them.
As a note on the quantity here, I like a good helping so this amount serves 4-6 for me. If you like to use it just for dipping it’ll go further.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Add the herbs to the food processor
Place the chimichurri ingredients (parsley, oregano leaves, shallot, garlic, and some salt) in a small food processor or mini food chopper like mine. Blitz until finely chopped, as shown in the second image below.
2. Add the vinegar & oil
Remove the blade from the processor and incorporate the dried chilli flakes, vinegar, and oil. Give the sauce a good stir and it’s ready to use. Enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- Don’t be afraid to taste and adjust. I came up with this chimichurri sauce recipe based on my own unique preferences — I encourage you to taste as you go along and play around with the quantities and ingredients you use until you get the flavour you’re looking for.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a high-powered blender, a quality knife with a solid chopping board, or even a mortar and pestle to make your sauce instead.
- Switch up the herbs. You can also use other leafy herbs or veg to get creative with your chimichurri. Try replacing some of the parsley and oregano with coriander (cilantro), baby spinach, or rocket (arugula).
- You can also use chimichurri as a marinade. If you decide to, make sure not to marinate meat for longer than 1 hour (due to its high acidity), and let the marinade drip off a little before cooking. If you do use this chimichurri sauce recipe to marinate raw meat, make sure you discard it. Marinade that has come in contact with raw meat could cause foodborne illnesses.
Storage
If you have leftover sauce, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. I usually keep mine in a glass jar, but any airtight container will work.
My chimichurri sauce recipe can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Divide the sauce in ice cube trays and then transfer the solid cubes to a container or Ziploc bag. Or, freeze it in a flat layer in a zip-top bag (make sure it sits flat in your freezer until solid), then you can break off just as much as you need.
FAQs
It’s incredibly versatile. You can use it as a condiment for grilled meats — as mentioned pork chops, pork tenderloin, roast chicken, and flank steak are all great options. You can even turn it into a salad dressing by adding a bit more vinegar, or use it as a dip. I love it in pasta and drizzled over an omelette too.
Both recipes feature fresh herbs like parsley, but Mexican varieties are often much, much spicier. Argentinian-style chimichurri (like mine) doesn’t use hot peppers such as jalapenos like in Mexico — rather, I use just a touch of dried chilli flakes instead. Mexican versions sometimes include lime, cumin, or even tomatillos as well.
Yes, this chimichurri sauce recipe is perishable. It will keep for about 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge. Always taste and smell it before using to make sure it hasn’t gone bad.
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup packed fresh parsley some stalks are ok, (30g)
- ¼ cup packed fresh oregano leaves strip and discard stalks (10g) (or dried, notes)
- 1 small shallot peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic or to taste, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½-1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes red pepper flakes, to taste
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar (60ml)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil (80ml)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Mini food processor helpful but not essential
Instructions
- Place the parsley, oregano leaves, shallot, garlic and salt to a small food processor and blitz until finely chopped. You can also just place it all on a chopping board and cross chop it or pound in a mortar and pestle.
- Remove the blade from the processor and stir in the chilli flakes, oil and vinegar. Alternately, place it all into a jar with a tight fitting lid and give it a good shake.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Fresh / dried oregano: If you can’t find fresh oregano, increase the parsley to 1 cup and add 3 teaspoons of dried oregano.
- Swaps: You can swap the oregano for coriander / cilantro. You can also swap part of the herbs for fresh baby spinach or rocket for a peppery kick. Get creative.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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2 Comments on “Chimichurri Sauce”
Great recipe that is quick with loads of flavor!!! The only thing I changed was exchanging half of a jalapeño pepper for the hot pepper flakes (because I have a lot of them right now!) I will be using this recipe a lot because there are so many foods you can use this on!
I’m so happy you love it, Cheryl. It really is so great with everything. I’ve used it on prawns, fish, chicken, pork, steak and even pizza and burgers.