Chimichurri Steak! Chimichurri Sauce and Steak is a match made in heaven, arguably one of the BEST sauce for steak in the world!
This famous sauce from Argentina is made with parsley, oregano, garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil. It’s quick to make and will take your next steak dinner to a whole new level!
Chimichurri Steak
I think of Chimichurri as South America’s answer to pesto. Except…..dare I say it…better. It’s just as flavourful, but fresher, not as rich because of the slight tang from vinegar and plenty of garlic.
And here’s the secret about Chimichurri Sauce.
By itself, Chimichurri Sauce is kind of bland.
However, when you eat it with steak, that is when the magic happens. It is incredible. Seriously SO GOOD. Chimichurri Sauce and Steak are a match made in heaven. Like tomato and basil. Cheese and wine. They are just “meant to be”.
Just one bite of Chimichurri Steak is all you need to understand why South Americans are mad for this stuff!
What goes in Chimichurri Sauce
Here’s what you need. It’s especially great if you’ve got an abundant supply of home grown parsley because it’s a great way to use lots of it!
You’ll see plenty of variations around the place, but this is a classic version. Some versions use fresh red chilli instead of dried. While fresh chilli looks better because you get more vibrant bits of red in the Chimichurri Sauce, dried pepper flakes adds better flavour than fresh.
Chimchurri Sauce – super easy to make!
Chimichurri Sauce is ridiculously easy to make. If you have a food processor. 🙂 For convenience, I usually throw everything into a food processor but I sometimes chop the parsley by hand too.
Best steak for Chimichurri Steak?
Chimchurri Sauce is brilliant paired with any steak suited to grilling. But in a nod to its Argentinian roots, I like to pair it with cuts traditionally used in South America such as flat iron, flank and skirt steak. Flat Iron is my personal favourite – it’s softly marbled with fat so it’s tender and has a great beefy flavour. I prefer it over more expensive cuts like tenderloin – better texture and flavour!
While Chimichurri Sauce is especially great paired with the strong beefy flavours of steak, it’s also terrific with other proteins – chicken, turkey, fish, prawns/shrimp – as well as vegetables.
It keeps for a couple of days in the fridge and freezes very well too. So it’s a terrific one to have on hand for quick steak dinners! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chimichurri Steak
Ingredients
Chimichurri Sauce
- 1 cup parsley leaves , tightly packed
- 1 tbsp oregano leaves , tightly packed (still lovely without)
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 0 - 2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional - adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup (65 ml) red wine vinegar (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Steak
- 700g / 1.4lb flat iron, flank, skirt steak or other steak of choice, at room temperature (Note 3)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Chimichurri Sauce
- Place all ingredients except oil in a food processor. Whizz until parsley is finely chopped, but not pureed - see video or photos. Alternatively chop parsley by hand.
- Transfer into a small bowl. Add oil, gently stir. Set aside for 1 hour before use, overnight is even better!
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 days (Note 3). Makes 3/4 cup.
Steak
- Take steak out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Heat BBQ or heavy based skillet with 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil over high heat until smoking.
- Sprinkle each side of steak generously with salt and pepper.
- Add steak and cook to your liking.
- Cook times: for steak 2cm / 4/5” thick, 2 min on each side for medium rare (until internal temp is 52C/125F, will rise to 54C/130F after resting) OR 2 1/2 min each side for medium (internal temp 57C/135F, will rise to 60C/140F).
- Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 - 10 minutes.
- Cut thin slices against the grain (see photo below) and serve with Chimichurri Sauce on the side so people can help themselves.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published August 2016. Updated in July 2019 with brand new photos, new video and new writing – no change to recipe, readers love it as is!
How to cut meat “across the grain”
For all proteins, including chicken (especially breast), the best way to cut slices is “across the grain” to ensure every piece is as tender as it can be.
It isn’t always easy to see the direction of the fibres in some meats, but it is usually very clear in steaks like skirt, flank and flat iron which are traditionally used for Chimichurri Steak!
Life of Dozer
What torture this must be for Dozer….to be so close and yet so far, from this big juicy Chimichurri Steak….. No garlic loaded beef for Dozer! Garlic is bad for dogs!
Can you use dried oregano as a sub for fresh in this recipe?
Made this with added cilantro red chillies chilli flakes red onions, let rest and the taste is off the charts!!
What a simple way to spruce up a steak! This was a hit at my parents’ house.
Thanks for another delicious recipe, Nagi!
Hi Nagi.. Will it have an impact to the flavor if I use the beef steak marinade for the steak then drizzle the chimichurri sauce on top? Or is it better to just stick to salt and pepper? Thanks
I always thought the more fat the better the beef. Or like, the more expensive the cut, the better it is.
BUT BOY WAS I WRONG!!
this is by far the best cut of steak and the tastiest for sure. Perfect amalgamation of tenderness, marbling, taste and juiciness!
Thank you again Nagi for introducing me to yet another home run of a recipe!
This was AWESOME! Yum yum yum. Thanks Nagi.
Some of the comments mention marinading the meat, but the directions don’t say to do that. Should I marinade in the Chimichurri, and save some to serve on top?
This was so delish! We had it with some potato salad and a bit of a fresh green salad. Such a good summer dish!
AWE-SOME!!!! As always, you get the flavors nicely rounded. I lived in Brasil and went to the south often (including to Argentina). There, it was sometimes all parsely, but just as often a mix of parsely and cilantro (coriander) leaves. That, and they would often use fresh chiles instead of dried pepper flakes. I use Thai green chiles, but that can get spicy if you are not careful.
I saw a steak and chimichurri recipe elsewhere that got me mad inspired to make this BUT it wasn’t a blog that I follow religiously and at 20 great British pounds a pop for wagyu beef skirt steak, I wasn’t going to risk making a meh meal.
So I wondered does my favourite food blogger Nagi have a recipe and sure enough I came across this. It’s a winner!!!! I could drink the chimichurri sauce neat, it’s that good.
I only had apple cider vinegar which worked great and I served it with eggs sunny side, toast and coffee. What a decadent Sunday brunch!
I have a dilemma. My partner absolutely hates parsley and so many recipes call for it so I just don’t make them. What can I use instead.
I just read elsewhere that you can use carrot greens for Chimichurri sauce. It might be worth trying.
Hi Sharon, it really depends on the recipe to be honest – this one really needs the parsley! N xx
my deceased wife used to make this
Bless you Jean, your comment made me tear up, it’s been such a sad time for all of us, I can’t imagine missing a loved one. Be well.
Abt the Chimichurri:
1)Can it be use for roasted or grilled chicken?
2)What are the other uses?
Traditionally it is served with steak (it is Argentinan!) but with a bit of tailoring, (less pepper) it works well with fish. For chicken, use the pepper you like, but use Nagi’s chicken marinade first to ensure a juicy chicken.
Hi Odelia, yes any chicken or even seafood pairs well with it (it’s just traditionally used with steak) – N x
I have made the chimichurri it is amazing but this time I have made it the oil has set & goes hard in fridge. Why would this happen?
Hi Sarah, oil solidified when cold. Just bring it out of the fridge and let it come up to room temp and the oil will go back to its liquid state. N x
Can I use dry parsley and oregano? I am living in Jakarta and parsley would be an imported veggie… which means hard to get and expensive. If possible with the dry herbs… What would the proportion be?
Hi what sides would you serve with this?
Hi George, so many things! Grilled corn or veggies, a side salad, roast potatoes, pasta salad – anything really! N x
Can I use apple cider vinegar?
Sure can Vanessa N x
This was perfect. Thank you so much😊
Another winner in the never ending series of ideas from Nagi. Never thought of using chimichurri on anything but steak but, well, why not?
I love it so much it’s great on chicken & fish too!! N x
I loved this chimichurri recipe,I had it on my steak tonite and will use the rest tomm on my roasted veggies
So easy to make and SOOO DELICIOUS ..THANK YOU!!