Enhance the flavor of your meals by adding chimichurri with cilantro! The vibrant green sauce is a game-changer; you can use it as a topping, marinade, or dip for grilled meat and veggies. Once you try it, you’ll want to put it on everything! Try one of these sauces if you want a little spice in your life—skhug, shatta sauce, and serrano crema.
What’s a sauce I could put on absolutely everything? Chimichurri is one of them, without a doubt! What I love most about chimichurri with cilantro is its versatility and fresh-tasting flavor.
Whether you use it as a topping or incorporate it into your cooking to make recipes like chimichurri rice or chimichurri aioli, the simple yet flavorful sauce will take your meals up a notch.
Where is Chimichurri From?
Argentina is the birthplace of chimichurri, a classic sauce with global popularity, and for a good reason! According to the BBC, it started with an Irish immigrant named James (Jimmy) McCurry, who was craving Worcestershire sauce but couldn’t find it in Argentina.
He decided to create a flavorful condiment in response using local ingredients. And guess what? People loved it so much that the sauce eventually took his name, Jimmy McCurry, pronounced ‘chimichurri’ in Argentina. The rest is history.
Key Ingredients
- Shallot: Shallots are sweeter than onions and provide a ton of flavor.
- Fresno Chilies: I enjoy the sweet and spicy addition of Fresno peppers, but you can leave them out or replace them with a pinch of red pepper flakes if you are concerned about the spice level.
- Garlic: Use a whopping six fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Herbs: Parsley is the classic herb for chimichurri, but I love mixing parsley with cilantro leaves. You can also swap or add fresh oregano for extra flavor.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Balance the overall flavor with red wine vinegar, or substitute it with fresh lemon juice from half a lemon.
- Olive Oil: Put the so-called cherry on the cake by finishing the sauce with high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
Additions and Substitutions
- Add the chopped ingredients to a blender or wide-mouthed jar for an immersion blender and combine with red wine vinegar and salt. Pour the olive oil into the cup or blender in a slow, steady stream, a little at a time, while processing to create a paste-like consistency.
How to Make Chimichurri With Cilantro
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Use a sharp knife to chop and dice the shallots, peppers, garlic, parsley, and cilantro. Transfer them to a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Stir in the red wine vinegar and salt.
Step 3: Add the olive oil, a little at a time, until you get the consistency you want.
Expert Tips
- Finely chop the herbs. Chop the fresh herbs as finely as possible to release their aromatics.
- Combine with vinegar. Combine the chopped ingredients with the red wine vinegar before adding the olive oil, helping the vinegar and olive oil to incorporate.
- Refrigerate the sauce. Refrigerate chimichurri with cilantro before serving to allow the flavors to combine.
If you enjoy chimichurri with cilantro, pair it with one of these dinner recipes!
What Do You Put Chimichurri Sauce On?
If you’re a fan of bold, fresh flavors, you’ve got to give chimichurri with cilantro a try. While it’s often paired with a juicy steak, the condiment tastes just as good on grilled chicken drumsticks, fish, and vegetables—roasted potatoes, grilled zucchini, and turmeric roasted cauliflower to name a few.
The sauce is so versatile that it might become a go-to for all your favorite meals. Drizzle it over carne asada tacos, Persian joojeh kabobs, air fryer rack of lamb, tandoori chicken tikka, and scrambled eggs Hey, don’t knock it until you try it.
Chimichurri is an excellent dipping sauce for crusty bread like Dutch oven sourdough bread, crunchy baguette, or Indian samosas. If you are looking for a more traditional pairing, serve it with choripan (chorizo on bread) or Argentinian BBQ called asado.
How to Use Chimichurri
Use it as a topping, dipping sauce, or a simple marinade. Transform the chimichurri into a salad dressing or combine it with other ingredients to make chimichurri aioli to spread onto sandwiches, wraps, and burgers. Mix the sauce into your favorite grains to create tasty side dishes like chimichurri rice.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover chimichurri in an airtight container or glass jar for one week.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does chimichurri taste like?
Chimichurri is a flavor bomb with every bite. It’s fresh and herbaceous from the parsley and cilantro, with a garlicky kick and the right amount of heat from the Fresno peppers.
Is chimichurri similar to pesto?
The two are herb-based sauces, but they have distinct flavors and ingredients.
Pesto, from Italy, is primarily made with basil leaves, nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, giving it a rich flavor and creamy texture.
Chimichurri hails from Argentina and features fresh parsley leaves (sometimes cilantro), garlic, red pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. It’s lighter and more herbaceous than pesto.
Does chimichurri contain cilantro?
I believe cooking should always be an adventure, so add or remove whatever you want to suit your taste buds.
Classic recipes for chimichurri overwhelmingly call for parsley leaves, but feel free to shake things up with cilantro or oregano leaves.
More Sauce Recipes:
Chimichurri with Cilantro
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 1-2 Fresno peppers, stemmed, deseeded, and finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Use a sharp knife to chop and dice the shallots, peppers, garlic, parsley, and cilantro. Transfer them to a mixing bowl.
- Stir in the red wine vinegar and salt.
- Add the olive oil, a little at a time, until you get the consistency you want.
- Finely chop the herbs. Chop the fresh herbs as finely as possible to release their aromatics.
- Combine with vinegar. Combine the chopped ingredients with the red wine vinegar before adding the olive oil, helping the vinegar and olive oil to incorporate.
- Refrigerate the sauce. Refrigerate chimichurri with cilantro before serving to allow the flavors to combine.