Chimichurri Chicken is a favorite easy dinner! The flavorful green herb sauce over spice-rubbed chicken breasts (or thighs) makes for a delicious meal.
I love pairing this with this light and refreshing Cucumber Salad, easy Bruschetta, or Roasted Carrots.
If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, it’s probably no surprise to you how much I like sauces. I think they add so much flavor and complexity to dishes! And nothing beats a sauce that’s homemade.
This chimichurri sauce is no exception to my love of sauces! While it’s not 100% authentic to Argentina chimichurri, it’s my favorite take on the famous herb sauce.
Chimichurri
If you aren’t familiar with chimichurri, it’s an uncooked sauce that’s typically paired with grilled meat (often as a marinade and/or sauce).
Many Uses For Chimichurri
While it’s usually a condiment, it also works great as a marinade for proteins, grains, and salads. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Tossed in couscous (try this shrimp couscous!), cooked quinoa, or cooked rice
- Added to grilled vegetables or roasted vegetables
- In a salad (as the dressing) with avocado, tomato, and red onions
- Over every type of grilled protein you can imagine
- Added to cooked beans
- Folded into mayo to create a delicious herb spread for sandwiches or wraps
- Stirred into sour cream or Greek yogurt for a taco cream sauce
Chimichurri as a marinade
Chimichurri is a great marinade for meats, veggies, or tofu. To use as a marinade, combine the following: 1/4 cup chimichurri, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and a hearty pinch of salt. Stir together and add to your protein, veggies, or tofu.
You can use this marinade recipe for this chimichurri chicken, but it’s completely optional. The 4-ingredient rub adds a lot of flavor to the chicken.
Tips for Chimichurri Chicken
- Chop the herbs up: For a chunkier sauce, chop herbs by hand. In a food processor, chop all ingredients except parsley, cilantro, and olive oil, then add herbs and chop coarsely. Pour in oil while chopping to make the sauce thicker.
- Prep in advance: Make a day or two ahead for more flavor.
- Adjust red pepper flakes: Leave out for no heat, or add more for extra spice.
Storage
Should Chimichurri Sauce Be Refrigerated?
Chimichurri Sauce tastes best at room temp, but it gets better after sitting for an hour or overnight in the fridge. It lasts 5-7 days in a tight container in the fridge.
To freeze, pour leftover sauce into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Move cubes to a tight bag or container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
Great Side Dishes
- Roasted asparagus so much flavor!
- Strawberry salad easy, quick, delicious!
- Chickpea salad Mediterranean-inspired
- Roasted sweet potatoes incredible seasoning blend!
Chimichurri Chicken
Equipment
- Grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1-1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice optional
Instructions
- Juice the lime using a citrus juicer to get 2 tablespoons lime juice. In a large mason jar (see note 1), add the finely chopped garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, and freshly squeezed lime juice and stir. Add the olive oil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and honey to the mason jar. Seal the jar and shake to combine. Remove the bulk of the stem and finely chop a bunch of parsley to get a full 1/2 cup. Finely chop the cilantro and measure to get 1/2 cup. Add the finely chopped parsley and cilantro to the jar and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Seal the jar and refrigerate overnight or let stand at room temperature while preparing everything else.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat, about 400°F (see note 2). Generously oil the grill by drenching a rolled-up paper towel in vegetable oil and using tongs to rub it over the grill grates. For a grill pan, add 1 tablespoon oil to the surface.
- Remove excess fat from the chicken breasts. Slice the breasts in half horizontally. Use a meat mallet or frying pan to pound the breasts to an even thickness. Don’t flatten them, just ensure they’re uniform. Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil over all sides of chicken. In a small bowl, whisk together cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle this seasoning mix over all sides of the chicken. Press, but don’t rub, into the chicken.
- Place the prepared chicken onto the grill or grill pan and cook for 5–6 minutes per side. The chicken is done when the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 160–165°F. Remove the chicken from the grill or grill pan and let rest for 5 minutes, tented with foil. Slice chicken against the grain.
- If desired, serve cooked chicken over a grain of choice. I enjoy white rice or couscous most! I like to stir about 1/3 cup chimichurri sauce into the cooked grain. Add chicken on top and spoon generous amounts of sauce over everything.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I absolutely love this chimichurri sauce recipe of yours, fantastic!!! My husband puts it on everything.
I am SO thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Cindy! 🙂
Is there a recipe for the rice you show in the chimichurri chicken picture?
Another chicken recipe. My next assignment is to cook this recipe. I love the way it cooks. It is easy to prepare. I will think some ingredients to add to make it tastier and delicious. Thank you.
Thank you Chelsea!!!!! (:
I love Chimichurri Sauce!!!!!
Another great recipe, but all of your recipes always are!!!!! (:
So don’t stop!!!!!
Have a Wonderful Day!!!!! (:
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed! Thank you so much Maria you made my day! 🙂
I don’t think ive ever tried chimichurri before, sound really great though
dorky-and-weird.blogspot.com
xoxo <3
Thanks Jessy! 🙂