Chimichurri Chicken can be grilled, baked or fried. And Chimichurri sauce can be made 3 ways depending what’s in your fridge.
Love chicken thighs? Who doesn’t! Check out my Ukrainian baked chicken thighs or roasted chicken thighs and potatoes, and Mexican coconut cilantro chicken.
Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce
Tuck your handkerchiefs under the chin as things are about to get messy, drippy and charred on iFOODreal.
This Chimichurri chicken is fatty, juicy and oh so flavourful with fresh garlic, parsley and oregano chimichurri sauce.
This Memorial Day you will be wiping your faces with hands and not caring much because there will be no time. Ain’t nobody got time for that, right?!
What Is Chimichurri Sauce?
Chimichurri sauce comes from Argentina. It is a serving and dipping sauce made with the following ingredients:
- Parsley
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Vinegar
Sometimes, red bell pepper and tomato are added. We are keeping healthy cooking simple here.
But wait, there is more…haha. I tested chimichurri sauce 3 ways. Yes, 3 recipes depending on what herbs your like and have on hand – parsley, arugula or mint.
Best Chicken to Use
Let’s talk about meat.
I think best cut of meat to make chicken with Chimichurri sauce would be boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Considering Chimichurri sauce has a lot of fat from olive oil, dry white meat would be perfect here. I recommend to cut it lengthwise so it marinates and cooks better.
However, as you can tell from the photos bone in or boneless chicken thighs would be just as yummy. Depends how much fat you are willing to eat and what’s your preference – dark or white meat.
How Long to Marinate?
And what is recommended marinating time for Chimichurri chicken recipe?
Well, the longer the better, of course. But because you will be topping chicken with more Chimichurri sauce for serving, you can get away with as little as 30 minutes marinating time.
That is right – just add more chimichurri sauce on top. Fun fact, in Argentina no one marinates their chicken or steak in chimichurri sauce. But we live in Canada and the US, where anything is possible. And why not?! Sometimes…
3 Ways to Cook Chimichurri Chicken
No matter how you choose to cook chicken, discard marinade.
Chimichurri chicken recipe can be grilled, baked or pan fried.
- Grill: Grill on indirect high heat with closed lid for 15-20 minutes per side. Or until juices run clear (check with a knife near bone. Bone in chicken takes longer to cook. Grills vary so check your chicken often. You know your grill best, so it’s hard to advise on exact cooking time.
- Bake: Rub the bottom of large baking dish with oil and lay marinated chicken breasts or thighs in a single layer. Bake uncovered in 450 degrees F preheated oven for 25-35 minutes for chicken breasts and 40 minutes for thighs. Or until internal read thermometer registers 150 degrees F internal temperature. You do not need to wait for 165 degrees F as meat will get there during resting. This way you will avoid dry chicken
- Pan Fry: Cook Chimichurri chicken in preheated on medium heat skillet. Breasts – for 5-6 minutes covered per side. Thighs – for 10-12 minutes per side. Covering chicken will allow it to get cooked through in the thickest part without burning. However, keep in mind that pieces of parsley will burn a bit and that’s fine.
What to Serve Chimichurri Chicken With?
Serve warm chicken drizzled with remaining Chimichurri sauce. Crispy charred fatty chicken skin – to eat or not to eat – you decide. I occasionally do.:)
Great low carb sides would be: cauliflower potato salad, roasted asparagus, baked butternut squash or baked zucchini sticks.
Simple salads: lettuce salad, dill coleslaw or Mexican bean salad.
Whole grains: quinoa, brown rice, mashed potatoes and cauliflower mash.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
- Cilantro lime chicken – baked, grilled or fried.
- Chili lime chicken – flavorful Mexican chicken breast.
- Grilled chicken breast – simple with a few ingredients.
- Greek chicken kabobs – chicken and veggies with tasty Greek seasoning.
- Greek chicken – juicy and delish with lemon, garlic and oregano.
- Browse all healthy chicken recipes.
Chimichurri Chicken
Chimichurri Chicken can be grilled, baked or fried. And Chimichurri sauce can be made 3 ways depending what’s in your fridge.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven, Stove or Grill
- Cuisine: North American
Ingredients
Chimichurri Sauce:
- 1/2 cup olive oil, extra virgin
- 1/4 cup white (red or white wine) vinegar
- 3 – 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 cup parsley, packed
- Dash of maple syrup or raw honey
Check out chimichurri sauce 3 ways if you have mint or arugula.
Chicken:
- 4 lbs of bone in chicken thighs or 3 lbs boneless thighs or breasts*
Instructions
- In a food processor or high speed blender, add Chimichurri ingredients and process on Low until chunky sauce forms.
- In a large bowl, add chicken and pierce randomly with a small knife. Pour half of Chimichurri sauce on top and mix with your hands to coat the meat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or preferably overnight. The longer the better, obviously. Discard marinade before cooking.
- Grill: Grill on indirect high heat with closed lid for 15-20 minutes per side. Or until juices run clear (check with a knife near bone. Bone in chicken takes longer to cook. Grills vary so check your chicken often. You know your grill best, so it’s hard to advise on exact cooking time.
- Bake: Rub the bottom of large baking dish with oil and lay marinated chicken breasts or thighs in a single layer. Bake uncovered in 450 degrees F preheated oven for 25-35 minutes for chicken breasts and 40 minutes for thighs. Or until internal read thermometer registers 150 degrees F internal temperature. You do not need to wait for 165 degrees F as meat will get there during resting. This way you will avoid dry chicken
- Pan Fry: Cook in preheated on medium heat skillet. Breasts – for 5-6 minutes covered per side. Thighs – for 10-12 minutes per side. Covering chicken will allow it to get cooked through in the thickest part without burning. However, keep in mind that pieces of parsley will burn a bit and that’s fine.
- Serve hot drizzled with remaining Chimichurri sauce. Crispy charred fatty chicken skin – to eat or not to eat – you decide. I occasionally do.:)
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
* I used 12 large chicken thighs bone in and skin on. You can use boneless and skinless chicken breasts which would be perfect because they are lean. Cut them in thinner pieces lengthwise.
**Check out chimichurri sauce 3 ways if you have mint or arugula.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
Nutritional Info varies greatly on what cut of chicken you use, whether you eat skin or not and how much Chimichurri sauce you slather on it.:)
OMG – That was absolutely delicious. I never had it before and I just can’t get over how tasty it is. The kids loved it and it was so easy to make. I added a little rice and roasted asparagus. 5 stars and bookmarked. Thanks!
★★★★★
You are so welcome, Keb! I appreciate your kind review and am thrilled that your family likes the recipe!
A huge hit for our pesto-loving family …. a great way to jazz-up chicken with non-spicy Argentine-flair.
Chimichurri sauce was fragrant, and reminiscent of Italian pesto but more “bright” since parsley has a lighter flavor than basil, and is a traditional palate-freshener. We love garlic so we doubled the amount, which brought out the deep layers of this sauce. Next time we’ll make double the sauce, and freeze it for future dishes … I’ll use this on everything!! 🙂 Thanks!
★★★★★
So glad your family enjoyed the recipe! Garlic is my fav too!
I like this recipe on steak and need try it on chicken.
My dad used to do this sauce for fried fish but it is good with chicken too!!!
★★★★★
With any meat, really!
My favourite summer recipe!!!
★★★★★
Yay!:)
Another 5-star recipe!! I didn’t alter a thing…this chimichurri sauce is perfect as is! I used large boneless, skinless chicken tenders and marinated them for about 7 hours. I used a wood pellet smoker grill and the chicken turned out perfectly tender and so flavorful. I made the sauce with fresh flat leaf Italian parsley from our yard as well as garlic from our garden from last fall’s harvest. Such fresh, perfectly blended flavors in this recipe. I chose a dash of honey this time, which was perfect, but just out of curiosity I might try the maple syrup next time for comparison.
★★★★★
It was delicious!
★★★★★
Wow the recipe was absolutely wonderful,I love Grilled Chicken so much,Thanks for sharing this Recipe Olena!
You are very welcome!
Thanks! I will try them for sure, coconut cilantro looks especially interesting. Btw I used a tip yesterday for marinating meat that was new for me. I just put the marinade with the chicken in a large ziploc and tossed together. That’s so convenient! Clean hands, clean dishes, even coating.
Yes, that is! A bit environmentally unfriendly.:) I had a friend who used to mix large salads in a white garbage bag.
Absolutely excellent, a new staple in our household. My family adores what they believe is called ‘green chicken’ lol.
For marinating, I remove the blade from my food processor and dump the chicken in it. Saves on additional dishes and is environment friendly 👌🏻
Thanks for sharing 🙂
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Christine!
We are tired of grilled chicken with lemon so I was looking for a new recipe. This was delicious! I have marinated chicken thighs for a couple hours and cooked them at roaster at home for an hour. It worked out perfectly! I also like the fact that the ingredients are simple and affordable.
Hi Galina. YES!. Glad you enjoyed.:) While grilled chicken sounds easy sometimes you are at a loss how to season it. Try my lemon rosemary and coconut cilantro grilled chicken.
Oh my! Sure wish it would stop raining….
I wish it stopped raining in Vancouver too.