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4.88 from 8 votes

How to Make Easy Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri sauce is the king of marinades and condiments! Parsley is ground together with oil and vinegar and lots of garlic. It is SO easy to make and requires no cooking. A staple for South American churrasco (grilled meat), it's great with beef, pork, chicken, or your morning eggs.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: South American
Servings: 1
Calories: 1523kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch parsley* about 1 cup, packed
  • 2-4 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves OR 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper OR 1 small red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons cumin optional**
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3/4 cup good quality olive oil

Instructions

  • Wash the parsley and trim the stems. I usually leave it in the bundle it came in from the store and work my knife away from the twist tie. Get all the leaves off, then take a minute to remove any really thick stems remaining. Some thin stems are A-okay. You want about a cup of packed parsley, but it's ok if it's not exact.
  • Crush 2 cloves of garlic with the side of a chef's knife. Peel off the skin (it's easy once the garlic is crushed). If you know you love garlic, toss in 1 or 2 more cloves, otherwise wait until you've tasted the chimichurri before adding more. 
  • If using fresh oregano, tear off leaves until you have 1/4 cup. I love the flavor of fresh herbs, but 2 tablespoons of dried oregano really does work great in this recipe if you don't have fresh oregano. 
  • If using a fresh red pepper, remove the stem and seeds, and slice into strips. (1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper also works well. See how versatile this recipe is!) 
  • Add parsley, 2-4 cloves garlic, oregano, and fresh red pepper (OR 1/2 teaspoon crushed flakes) to a food processor or blender. 
  • Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and 2 teaspoons cumin, if you're using it. 
  • Add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and 3/4 cup olive oil.
  • Use the pulse button on your machine to pulse the mixture in 1 second intervals. You want everything to get chopped but don't go so far that it's completely pulverized. (If you don't have a blender or food processor, you can also just mince everything really fine and mulch it by hand with the vinegar, adding the oil slowly while whisking so that it emulsifies.)
  • Taste the chimichurri and add more garlic, salt/pepper, or whatever you feel it might be missing. 
  • Enjoy with your favorite grilled meat! Chimichurri makes an AMAZING marinade, so I will often make a batch of this and use a little bit of it to marinate the meat, and save the rest to spoon over the meat when serving. (My favorite is Flank Steak. Click here for the recipe!)

Notes

*I've made this recipe with both curly and flat-leaf Italian parsley. I think it's great either way! Use whatever's on sale! 
**Cumin is not a traditional ingredient in chimichurri. But I tried it once and I can't go back because I'm in loooove. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1523kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 164g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 119g | Potassium: 609mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 5354IU | Vitamin C: 79mg | Calcium: 329mg | Iron: 12mg