A good sauce can change EVERYTHING. The entire flavor profile of a dish changes with a sauce. Salads, pastas, and simple proteins come to life when paired with the right sauce.
One sauce that you can never go wrong with is a chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri is a condiment that pairs well with so many different foods. I’ve been learning about this Argentinian sauce lately and I’m really excited to share how I make it. Although this sauce is usually used as a topping or a dipping sauce for grilled meats, I’m here to encourage you to get creative with it! Why limit yourself?
There are probably a hundred and one ways to use chimichurri sauce, but one of my favorite ways to use it is by making chimichurri rice.
If I weren’t allergic to shellfish, you can trust that I’d be having this sauce with some shrimp and rice. You can use it on sandwiches, as a base for a marinade, turn it into a salad dressing, serve it with steak and fries. The possibilities are endless. Once you make this sauce, you’ll love it so much that you’ll be thinking of all the ways that you can incorporate it into your meals… or maybe that’s just me 🙂
Just a couple of disclaimers:
I am not claiming to have invented chimichurri. I recognize (and appreciate) that it was created by South Americans. It’s an Argentinian sauce, but chimichurri is also found in Uruguayan, Paraguayan, and Chilean cuisines.
Chimichurri does not traditionally contain shallots, but I like the taste of them. As always, take my recipes with a grain of salt. Keep what you like, leave what you don’t.
If you try this or my chimichurri rice recipe, I’d love to see your pictures! Please tag me on Instagram (@jaclynnish) so that I can show some love!
Alright, let’s get into it:
Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 TBSP dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add red wine vinegar, shallots, garlic, and dried red pepper flakes to a bowl. Let the ingredients sit while preparing the parsley.
- Separate parsley leaves from stems. Keep leaves only.
- Finely chop parsley leaves.
- Add chopped parsley, olive oil, oregano, and salt to the vinegar, shallot, garlic, and pepper mixture.
- Mix well and enjoy right away, or allow the sauce to sit for 10 minutes to 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.
Notes
- as always, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- there are many ways to enjoy chimichurri! spoon over grilled meats, mix into rice, or use as a marinade base.
- store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 7 days.
- freeze in ice cube molds and store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 6 months. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
- save parsley stems in freezer to make homemade veggie stock.