A fresh twist on a classic, this cilantro chimichurri sauce is an easy and delicious way to elevate your next homecooked meal. Excellent as a marinade, a sauce for grilled meats and seafood, or as a condiment, it’s affordable to prepare and can be incorporated into dishes a number of ways.
Cilantro chimichurri sauce is an excellent accompaniment to grilled meats, including chicken, steak and white fish. It’s easy to prepare and packs a lot of flavor.
The vibrant green sauce also elevates simply prepared proteins, making the meal feel more special and unique. It keeps well in the fridge for several days, is easy to substitute in key ingredients, and can even be frozen! Read on to see how easy it is to make this delicious, herby sauce.
What is chimichurri sauce?
Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce which originated in Argentina. Commonly used as a condiment for grilled meats and fish, it’s also great as a marinade.
Traditional chimichurri is made with parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, dried oregano and of course olive oil. Our cilantro version uses a mix of both fresh parsley and cilantro, and swaps out lime juice for the vinegar.
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Ingredients needed
- Finely chopped parsley and cilantro, 1 cup and ½ cup respectively. Traditional chimichurri uses just parsley, but in our version we are adding cilantro to introduce a fresh, citrusy, and slightly peppery flavor.
- Minced garlic, 3-4 cloves.
- 2-3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice. This replaces the traditional red wine vinegar to help balance out the bitterness of the herbs. The lime juice complements the cilantro remarkably well.
- ½ cup or a bit more of good quality olive oil. Since we are enjoying the cilantro chimichurri sauce uncooked, make sure to use an olive oil you would reserve for salad dressings.
- Red chili, finely diced, or red pepper flakes to add a bit of heat.
- Dried oregano, 1 teaspoon.
- Sea salt or kosher salt to taste, about ½ teaspoon.
How to make chimichurri
Chop the herbs
Chopping the herbs takes the most time, so make sure to set aside at least 10 minutes or so. You can also try pulsing them in a food processor, just make sure they don’t get pulverized into a paste. Mince the garlic and also finely dice the fresh red pepper if using.
Add It all to a bowl
In a small bowl, add the fresh herbs, pepper, garlic, salt and oregano.
add Olive oil & lemon juice
Squeeze the fresh lime juice and add to the bowl, along with ½ cup of good olive oil.
Mix & adjust
Stir everything together, and then adjust the quantity of oil and level of saltiness. If you’ve tightly packed your parsley and cilantro when measuring, you may find ½ cup of oil is too little, so add in a bit more until you reach the desired consistency. The sauce should be like a thicker, but fluid sauce.
Recipe FAQ’s & helpful Tips
helpful tip when storing
This sauce stores well in the fridge for up to a week. Make sure to store in a lidded container, and remove from the fridge at least 15 minutes before planning to use, to allow the olive oil to return to a liquid state. If in a hurry and the olive oil is still too solid, simply run the covered jar under warm water for a minute.
This herbaceous sauce can definitely be spicy depending on how much red pepper flakes or fresh red chili is used. An excess amount of garlic can also intensify the strength and zing of the sauce, however this recipe is very mild and only has the smallest bit of heat. Even the spiciest chimichurri sauces are mild compared to a typical sriracha or hot salsa.
Freeze chimichurri for 3-4 months in single portion ice cube trays. When you are in need of the sauce, simply thaw in the fridge, or place in a sealed ziploc bag and set in a water bath for 15-20 minutes to thaw. The flavor and color should hold pretty well to its original fresh form.
how to use chimichurri sauce
There are actually many creative ways to use the fresh herby sauce. The obvious ways are to use chimichurri sauce as a marinade for meats and even hearty veggies. But here are a few ways you maybe hadn’t thought of:
- Use as a drizzling sauce for roasted potatoes or over easy eggs.
- Blend with chickpeas to make a unique hummus dip,.
- Spread on toasted baguette for a delicious herby sandwich.
- Toss into cooked pasta as a unique sauce.
- Mix into burger patties or turkey meatballs to add a flavor and moisture.
Try cilantro parsley chimichurri with these dishes
Grilled Top Sirloin & chimichurri Sauce
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Chimichurri Cilantro Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Parsley finely chopped
- ½ cup Cilantro finely chopped
- 3-4 Garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon Red chili finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Oregano dried
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Olive oil may need up to ¾ cup
- 2-3 tablespoon Lime juice
Instructions
- Prepare the fresh herbs, chili and garlic.1 cup Parsley, ½ cup Cilantro, 3-4 Garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon Red chili
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and stir till well combined. Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste, and add more olive oil a tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. May need up to ¾ cup.1 teaspoon Oregano, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ cup Olive oil, 2-3 tablespoon Lime juice
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