Chimichurri sauce is a flavorful condiment made from fresh herbs and spices. Make this incredibly quick and easy recipe to add fresh flavor to salads, dips, steak, pork, chicken, and fish.

What is chimichurri sauce made with?

There are actually two versions of the chimichurri recipe; red and green and their ingredients vary slightly. The green version is more common.

Although additional ingredients are sometimes used, the primary ingredients in a green chimichurri sauce are:

parsley (regular or flat-leaf parsley or you can also use cilantro)
garlic
olive oil
oregano (dried or fresh oregano leaves)
red pepper flakes
vinegar (either red wine, white, white balsamic, lemon juice or lime juice)

The red variety has the same primary ingredients, plus tomatoes, cumin, paprika and red bell peppers. As you can imagine, the red ingredients give the sauce a unique color and different flavor as well.

How do you use chimichurri sauce?

This homemade chimichurri sauce is original from Uruguay and Argentina and is a very versatile sauce. There are a lot of delicious ways to use and serve it, including:

Marinades – The fresh herbs and olive oil in the sauce add plenty of flavor to whatever meat, seafood, or poultry you add to it.
Salad dressings – Depending on how thin you prefer your salad dressing to be, you may need to add a little extra olive oil to thin the chimichurri.
Finishing sauces – Brush some fresh chimichurri onto a piece of cooked fish before serving. It’s delicious!
Appetizers and dips – Use it to make bruschetta and other healthy appetizers. Or use it straight up as a dip for raw veggies or crackers.
Sandwiches – Combine the sauce with a little mayo, or use it as is on your favorite cold sandwich.
Cold pasta salads – toss chimichurri sauce with the noodles of your choice along with some fresh veggies and shredded rotisserie chicken. It’s the best chicken pasta salad you will ever eat!

One of the most basic and easiest ways to use it is as a simple condiment. Add a dollop onto a serving of steak, poultry, pork, fish, potatoes or vegetables for an extra dose of flavor. Here are some other delicious dishes to serve it with.

Can this recipe be made ahead?

This chimichurri sauce recipe can be made ahead of time, however, only a day or two ahead. If you make it further ahead than two days, the fresh herbs will start to lose their bright flavor, and can also become saturated with oil.

When you aren’t using the sauce, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to discard anything you haven’t used after two days.

When it comes to using the sauce, keep in mind that the flavor will be at its brightest if you allow the ingredients to mingle for a while. If possible, allow the sauce to sit at room temperature for an hour or two after preparing it.

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3.70 from 10 votes

Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

Chimichurri is a flavorful condiment made from fresh herbs and spices. Make this incredibly quick and easy recipe to add fresh flavor to salads, dips, steak, pork, chicken, and fish.

Prep: 5

Cook: 0

Total: 5

Servings: people

Print Rate

Ingredients

▢ 1 small shallot or ½ cup of red onion, roughly chopped
▢ 2 garlic cloves
▢ 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
▢ Salt and black pepper to taste
▢ 1 ½ cup fresh parsley
▢ 1 tsp dried oregano
▢ A pinch of red pepper flakes optional
▢ ¾ cup olive oil

Instructions

In a food processor, add shallot, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Pulse or chop button, stopping and scraping down sides occasionally until everything is finely minced.
Add in parsley, oregano and red pepper flakes. Pour in olive oil while pulsing several times until all is minced.
Serve it over meat, poultry, seafood or even roasted/grilled vegetables.

Tips

For the best flavour, use fresh garlic cloves and not garlic powder or pre-minced garlic.
If you do not have a food processor, you can finely dice everything and combine it in a bowl. You can also use a blender instead.
If you can, allowing the chimichurri sauce to sit at room temperature for a bit before serving allows the flavours to deepend.
To store: Store the chimichurri sauce in the fridge in an airtight container. Use as soon as possible for the best flavour.
To freeze: You can freeze chimichurri in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/10 Calories: 150kcal (8%) Carbohydrates: 1g Fat: 16g (25%) Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 12g Sodium: 47mg (2%) Potassium: 63mg (2%)

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.