Chimichurri is an Argentinian parsley sauce for grilled steak. The Argentinians take great pride in their beef, it's the best in the world! Chimichurri sauce can also be a marinade for chicken or even brushed on grilled shrimp.
Trust me, after you taste this, you will want to forbid anyone from using A1 sauce ever again! No offense to those who like steak sauce, but in my opinion, there is no comparison. The freshness of this sauce is a burst of flavor on your palate.
Tips for chimichurri sauce
- You can make this chimichurri recipe in a food processor or just finely chop all the ingredients.
- If you are pressed for time, the food processor is the way to go. I have one of those Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus
appliances that works perfectly for this sauce. At my home in Panamá we always chopped the ingredients by hand, but that was my family's preference to have a sauce that was a bit more coarse. No mini-choppers back then. - You want the garlic minced as finely as possible. You want a nice garlic flavor but no chunks.
- The parsley on the other hand can be a bit more coarse as it will naturally soften in the liquid. You can always adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to the heat level you like.
- Another variation would be to add a little cilantro to your chimichurri for a little more flavor variation. Make some french fries or tostones ( fried green plantain) and dip into this fabulous sauce!
Other uses for chimichurri
Chimichurri steak is not the only way to go. It also makes a fantastic marinade for grilling too. Make a double batch of the recipe below and put ½ in a zip-top half gallon bag and drop in 6 or 8 chicken breasts and let them sit in the sauce refrigerated for a few hours. Grill the chicken and serve with the remaining sauce. You can also marinate some shrimp the same way but I would keep that marinating time to around an hour.
You can freeze chimichurri into cubes. It will keep in your fridge for about 3 months without loosing flavor. Store your frozen chimichurri in a covered ice tray. Because this is made with natural ingredients it is 100% preservative free.
If you love to try new ethnic foods here are some interesting dishes that are very easy. These are some of my most popular ethnic dishes, along with their history and ingredients to make at home.
Cuban Ropa Vieja: A true comfort food of slow cooked beef served over rice.
Recaito: This is the ingredient used in many Latin soups, stews and black beans.
Sofrito: You need to have this base ingredient for Latin style beans and shredded chicken.
Latin Style Black Beans: If you have never tried these you are missing out, and they are so easy!
Tilapia Ceviche: A citrus cured fish or shrimp appetizer with some kick.
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📖 Recipe
Chimichurri - Argentinian Sauce and Marinade Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 cups parsley chopped, lower stems removed
- 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon onion chopped
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar *
Instructions
- Wash the parsley thoroughly and chop in three places.
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for about 30 seconds.
- Stir contents with a spatula and turn processor on again for another 30 seconds.
- Sauce should be a yellow green color with multiple green flakes. (see picture).
- *You may use freshly squeezed lemon juice in place of vinegar.
Nutrition
susan says
Hello I want to know is I can make, bottle and sell chimichurri? How long is shelf life? Can It be frozen?
Analida says
I actually have not frozen it. As for the shelf life? I wouldn't keep it for more than two or three days. In regards to selling it, I would speak to a private label company once you develop your own recipe. Selling food is risky, liabilities can add up to thousands of dollars. Hope this helps.
gumna says
The Argentine beef is likely influenced by the weather condition of the place. It makes for a good ingredient in the sauce.
Analida says
Argentine beef is among the best in the world. Yes, I also think that a lot has to do with the weather conditions, or terroir. Also what the cows eat has a lot to do with the flavor. Chimichurri is absolutely wonderful.
Linda Bredenger says
Delicious, my new favorite grilled meat sauce♥️♥️
Analida says
Thanks so much Linda! I am glad you enjoyed the chimichurri.