Chimichurri is an oil and vinegar based sauce that originates from Argentina and Uruguay. It is commonly made using parsley, garlic, a light oil, oregano, and vinegar, but many variations exist. Like so many sauces, cooks have made changes that better fit their tastes and the availability of ingredients. One such change is the use of cilantro in addition to or even in place of parsley.
Even between Argentina and Uruguay one finds slight differences. For example, the recipes in Chef Presilla’s cookbook show the ingredients to be mostly the same; however, the Argentinean chimichurri uses white distilled vinegar while the Uruguayan chimichurri uses red wine vinegar, which to me, is a huge difference in flavor. The latter also adds cumin and white pepper.
In Argentina and Uruguay, chimichurri has been used for centuries as a standard table sauce. It’s put on meats and vegetables, pasta, beans and rice. Chef Presilla states that “It should be the salsa of the new millennium” and I have to agree with her.
The chimichurri recipe below was developed through experimentation, making a few different versions, changing amounts and ingredients to get to what we like the best. In place of vinegar (which I sometimes have a hard time with), the recipe uses lemon juice. It also uses a combination of parsley and cilantro, not as much garlic as some recipes, and a little more oil than most. I love using the oil for frying eggs, dipping bread or drizzling on vegetables.
Chimichurri Sauce
“*” See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
- 6 large garlic cloves*, smashed, diced
- ½ bunch fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro*, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice (~1 ½ lemons)
- 1 ½ tsp. dried oregano, crushed
- 2 – 3 tsp. red chile flakes* (amount depends on how hot you want it and how hot your red chile is)
- 1 tsp. salt*
- 3/4 cup safflower oil*
Place the garlic, parsley and cilantro in a food processor and chop for about 1 minute. (I use the processor attachment of my immersion blender.)
Add the remaining ingredients and process on medium for about 10 seconds, then on high for another 10 seconds or until ingredients are well chopped and blended, and you have an emulsion.
Transfer to a glass container with a non-metallic lid and refrigerate. Let it rest overnight for the best results.
Garlic – Six large garlic cloves create a very garlicky sauce, but not overwhelming. You can add more or less to your liking.
Cilantro – If you have the soap gene for cilantro, just omit it and use the full bunch of parsley. This yields a more traditional chimichurri.
Red Chile Flakes – I’ve used both Aleppo Flakes and New Mexico red chile flakes. Both worked great but my New Mexico flakes have some heat to them, so I use 2 tsp. because I like my chimichurri spicy, but not too hot. With the Aleppo flakes, I use 3 tsp.
Salt – Be careful on the salt. It is easy to get this too salty. One teaspoon provides plenty of salt – IMO.
Oil – Because of the amount of oil called for, use a light, mild tasting oil like safflower, canola or avocado. A light olive oil can be used, but be careful that the flavor of the olive oil doesn’t overpower the other ingredients.
I’ve read that chimichurri can last 3 – 4 weeks in the refrigerator, but ours never lasts that long because we either use it up fast or I freeze some of it in small containers after a week, just to spread it out over a month or two. There are so many good condiments, I like to mix things up.
Chimichurri makes a killer dipping sauce for bread (oh, that garlic!), a complementary condiment for grilled halibut, beans, tamales, tacos, tostadas, grilled chicken, and grilled beef. It’s nice drizzled on sandwiches or added to burgers. For breakfast, skim off some of the oil and use it to fry an egg or two, then top the eggs with the chimichurri.
This recipe was inspired by the Chimichurri at 40 Aprons. For me the lemon juice in place of vinegar was the key.
How do you use chimichurri?
Check out this Red Chile Pistachio Chimichurri from Jan, An Inspired Cook. It’s a very creative recipe that she serves over grilled pork chops.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I do love condiments! Along with this chimichurri, here are a few other sauces we enjoy on a regular basis.
I found another great application for your chimichurri. I frequently do our big meal of the day as a late lunch, before I run out of steam to cook. Today I made crostini brushed generously with your chimichurri, then layered with pork tongue, goat cheese or asiago, and vine ripened tomato. The chimichurri really made the crostini. It was out of this world! I paired it with a nice chianti. We had Korean melon and Korean green tea buns for dessert. Yummy!!
That sounds wonderful!!! I know I will never be able to get Bobby to eat tongue every again, but your crostini would work great with pork or beef, I’m sure. Sounds like a fabulous meal!
This is very new recipe to me.. It looks refreshing and flavorful so i will definitely try this one..
Thanks Priya! I hope you do get a chance to try it. It’s good stuff. 🙂
MJ, This recipe is a winner! I love your substitution of lemon juice for the vinegar. Have you ever tried it with Meyer lemons?
Thanks so much Viviane! No, I have not tried it with Meyer lemons. They are very hard to find here, but I bet they would provide even less of an acidic taste. Good suggestion.
Looks like I wanna dip the bread I am eating now 🙂
Great as a marinade as well
It’s a great bread dipper! Thanks!
I love this recipe and I am definitely making it, I can almost taste it. By the way seeing your link to the chili sauce reminds me how much I like that one too.
Thanks so much Adina! You’re right – the chili sauce is another good one. Glad you like it!
My family loves chimichurri sauce and it’s probably my favorite to enjoy with steak. BBQ season is coming up so I’ll make your sauce to go with Mr. JOC’s steak. Can’t wait to try!
Thanks so much Nami! We usually use it on beans and vegetables but tonight I topped a rice bowl with grilled flank, onion and peppers, avocado and chimichurri. It was awesome!
I just want to dip a large slice of warm bread in it and devour it!
Thanks Katerina! That is certainly a great way to enjoy it.
Herbaceous is a great word. Your chimichurri looks amazing MJ (that first photo is gorgi). I find sauces like this can literally transform a meal. I made another blogger’s tomato and white bean casserole with feta (lovely enough) but it was the lemon parsley oil (omg) that kicked it over the top! I like the generous use of garlic in this one and the opportunity to mix in other garden herbs – tis the season! That’s so interesting about the potency of the oil; I don’t know why I haven’t noticed that before with olive oil… I tend to find it mild but maybe it’s the type I’m using, not sure.
Thanks so much Kelly! Like you, I’m a condiments freak. 🙂 My kitchen door is filled with an assortment of condiments to add to dishes. It is amazing how just a small amount of something like that lemon oil can elevate a dish. I have a Lemon white balsamic that I use a lot as a light drizzle.
We have a couple of olive oil specialty stores that sell a huge variety of olive oils and infused oils and vinegars. The store has tasting bottles and little pieces of bread so you can taste and compare. It’s amazing how different olive oil can be. My favorite is a spicy and peppery oil from Chile. So yes, olive oils can be quite potent and overpowering. I tried making mayo with olive oil twice and didn’t like either of them – just too much of the olive taste for a mayo.
Can you believe I haven’t made chimichurri yet? I have never even tasted it! I keep on forgetting to make it, even though every time I hear about it, I know I’d love it…
Your chimichurri looks so good, I’m sure I will remember it next time I wonder what new I can do with my balcony’s crops. I like the presence of chile flakes, obviously!
Thank you for reminding us of your other delicious homemade sauces! I must say that thanks to you red chile sauce has become a new staple in our house (I have now a frozen jar of it and will experiment with it; I hope freezing was not a mistake…).
Thanks Darlin! Hey, I hadn’t made it until a few months ago and I’m A LOT older than you. 🙂 I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make and I’m still discovering more and more ways to enjoy it. Give it a try when you get a chance.
Absolutely no problem freezing red chile sauce. About every two months I make a huge batch then divide it into serving size containers and freeze. It freezes quite well, so no worries.
Love chimichurri but did not know much about it and the varieties from countries. Crazing it now for dinner!
Thanks Evelyne! I know, in creating the post, it was interesting to learn its origin.
We love slathering chimichurri sauce on everything, so delicious. With grilling season here, this sauce is going to be showing up a lot on our menu. Wishing you a super weekend!
Thanks Bobbi! It’s so easy to make, there is no reason not to have a jar in the refrigerator at all times. 🙂
A great sauce, MJ. Looking forward to seeing it over at Food on Friday: May Cheers
thank you so much Carole! I’ve added to your list!
Our neighbours are from Argentina and every time we are over for a BBQ they serve homemade chimichurri. I did not know about the subtle differences in the recipes between Argentina and Uruguay – will mention my new found knowledge next time I am over at theirs and I’d love to try your recipe. I like that you used lemon juice instead of vinegar. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Miriam
Thanks Mariam! There are so many recipes for chimichurri out there, you just have to kind of pick and choose and my it your own. We all have different palates, so it’s nice to create something that works for you.
I like the less garlic too. Fresh garlic is so intense, it often overpowers everything else. With grilling season on the horizon this is the perfect sauce to have on hand!
thanks Deb! I know, the first time I made it the recipe called for a whole head and the garlic just overpowered everything. This is still garlicky, but not overpowering.
Everyone has there own version of this and they are all good! Can’t get enough of this stuff! Perfect for grilled food and since we are entering that season this sauce is already making my mouth water!
Thanks Abbe! I know, there are thousands of versions out there, and they are all good! How can you go wrong with chimichurri. 🙂
This looks and sounds wonderful. We love using things like this on sliced tomato, boiled eggs, corn, etc. I probably won’t use it on red meat because I’m kind of a meat purest. Jim likes sauces on his meat. I will probably try it on fish and maybe chicken. I do like sauces to brighten up chicken now and then. I saw that Sharon suggested half lemon and half wine vinegar. What do you think about rice vinegar? It’s not quite as tart as regular vinegar. I think I may try half lemon and half rice vinegar. I’ll let you know what happens.
Thanks Darlin! Oh, I can’t wait to have some homegrown tomatoes to put this on. That’s going to be so good! Haven’t had it on corn, but will try it. I’m with you on the meat, especially red meat. A good steak doesn’t need much, just a little salt and pepper. Rice vinegar might work, but then it might make it a little sweet, but half and half would probably be great. Let me know. OXOXO
I made a small batch of this tonight. It is delicious!!!! We were having soup and sandwiches so I chopped up a tomato for a small salad and drizzled this on top. Oh so very good! It was sooo good that we dipped our sandwiches in what ran off the tomatoes. You could probably even spread it on the bread for sandwiches. Jim even got out some flour tortillas to sop up the remainder from his plate. Question – yours looks so clear and mine was definitely an emulsion, very cloudy. What did I do wrong?
YAY!!! I did the same thing as Jim with a corn tortilla after using it on chicken tacos. 🙂 As far as it being cloudy, maybe you blended it too long. It does continue to clear the longer it sets, but if you pulverize everything, then it might stay cloudy. Have you tried it on fried eggs yet? So good! Thrilled that you all enjoyed it and I hope it wasn’t too spicy for Brynn or did she even eat it because of the red chile flakes?
Yes! This looks perfect! I’m pinning this to make this summer. So perfect for grilled meats and veggies!
Thank Amy! Hope you enjoy!
I’ve never made my own Chimichurri but I’m going to remedy that with your delicious recipe, MJ. The spices sound just perfect and I love the fresh herbs. If you have time please do pop by and share this lovely recipe with Hearth and Soul this week. I hope you are having a lovely week!
Thanks so much April! It’s been shared. Hope you’re having a great week.
Oh boy ! I am in love with your creations ! Will do and let you know how it worked; cilantro is a bit intense and I love the idea of combining it with parsley to have a milder touch; but here we have another beautiful ingredient: chile flakes 🙂 and we shall definitely use it with everything instead of “our” pesto ! Thank you so much ! Will be back after trial batch of this beauty !
Thanks so much! If you make it, please let me know how you enjoy it!
Dear MJ, I have made the sauce yesterday and we had it today with some slices of ciabatta bread and tomatoes. It is really very tasteful and perfect for our gatherings outside the houses. Thank you so much !
YAY!!!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and shared your results! Not I can’t wait to be picking homegrown tomatoes. You ciabatta bread and tomato sounds awesome!
I love chimichuri sauce! So good on roasted chicken and vegggies!
Thanks Angie! I too love it on roasted chicken and veggies. Just last night with had tacos with leftover smoked chicken and chimichurri. So good!
Chimichurri is such a lovely condiment! Love your recipe!
Thanks Mimi!
Really, really like chimichurri sauce. Love it on a grilled flank or skirt steak, in particular. Good recipe — thanks.
It’s good stuff, isn’t it? 🙂 Thanks John!
Love chimichurri esp on roasted meats.
Thanks A_B! I actually haven’t tried it on roasted meats yet, but then I don’t roast meat very much. I’ll try to remember that though. Thanks!
Great sauce. Delicious on anything charbroiled. Like most condiments of this nature, everyone has their own rendition. I, too, use both parsley and cilantro, but hand mince the ingredients, resulting in a slightly chunky texture. (Don’t wanna have to wash the food processor). Last batch I made, I subbed out half of the lemon juice for red wine vinegar. What a delightful depth and nuance that added! I’ll try it in the food processor next time and see how I like it. After all, tweaking is what makes cooking fun! Thanks for posting this very versatile condiment.
Thanks so much Sharon! You have more patience than I do. I have hand minced the ingredients before as well and found that my little immersion blender attachment does it much faster and doesn’t pulverize like a regular food processor. I’m going to try that mix of lemon and red wine vinegar next time. Just the red wine vinegar was way too acidic for me. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!