This Chimichurri Chicken can be made in a skillet, the oven or on the grill. The parsley-based sauce is a taste of summer all year long!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – if you prefer white meat, you can use chicken cutlets or cut breasts in half lengthwise.
- Parsley – you can try making the chimichurri with just cilantro but it’ll have a slightly different flavour.
- Cilantro – swap out the cilantro for fresh oregano if you don’t like cilantro.
- Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
- Red wine vinegar – apple cider vinegar will provide that nice tang to balance the garlic and fresh herbs.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but you can use the jarred variety in a pinch.
- Red chili – if you don’t like a lot of spice, use a milder pepper like diced jalapeno or green chiles, or leave this out altogether.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Baby potatoes
- Golden baby potatoes – or any other type of potatoes like red baby potatoes.
- Red pepper – feel free to swap out for another colour bell pepper.
- Red onion – white or yellow onion will also work but have a milder flavour.
- Olive oil – see substitution notes above.
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but bottled lemon juice will also work.
- Paprika – use a bit of chili powder instead.
- Garlic powder – fresh minced garlic would also be good here.
How to make chimichurri chicken
- Add the sauce ingredients to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Cook the chicken in the oven, in a skillet or on the BBQ.
- Make the baby potatoes and veggies.
- Top the cooked chicken with chimichurri sauce.
- Serve and enjoy!
What to serve with chimichurri chicken
Because this meal is so flavourful, any sides you serve along with it should be lightly seasoned. Here are a few side dish ideas:
- Roasted or boiled baby potatoes
- Rice or rice pilaf
- Roasted cherry or grape tomatoes, or a fresh tomato salad
- Couscous
- Quinoa
- Garden salad with a light vinaigrette or a drizzle of chimichurri sauce
I've also listed a separate optional side dish idea in the recipe card. Here's what you need to make my easy potatoes. You'll mix all the ingredients together then roast in the oven for about half an hour.
- Golden baby potatoes, sliced in half
- Red pepper, sliced
- Red onion, sliced
- A seasoning of olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, garlic powder and salt & pepper
Frequently Asked Questions
Chimichurri chicken is a classic summer dish consisting of chicken thighs or breasts topped with flavourful chimichurri sauce.
This condiment is full of fresh herbs and garlic, so it has a bold fresh flavour. Although some people think the flavour reminds them of fresh grass, the taste is very refreshing. If you love fresh herbs, you'll love this easy, summery sauce.
Absolutely! You can use chimichurri as a marinade and/or as a condiment. Feel free to make the chimichurri sauce up to a day in advance. However, keep in mind that the chicken really just needs 20-30 minutes of marinating time.
Storing and reheating
Chimichurri sauce is best eaten fresh and it doesn’t taste as good when it’s warmed. Because of this, some people prefer to serve it separately from the chicken. As a result, any leftover chicken can be reheated without worrying about having to heat up the sauce.
Any leftover chimichurri sauce should be kept in the refrigerator in a tightly covered jar or airtight container. Leftover chicken should be placed into an airtight container or plastic storage bag and refrigerated as well. You can reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, sprinkling some water over top of the chicken first to ensure it doesn't dry out. The chicken will stay fresh this way for up to 5 days.
Freezing this recipe
Because cooked chicken freezes so well, you can use this recipe for easy meal prep during the week or freeze it for later use. It can be kept frozen for up to 4 months. Just be sure to let the chicken cool to room temperature before transferring it to a freezer-safe plastic storage bag or airtight container.
If you prefer to freeze the chicken while it’s raw, that is also easy to do. You can freeze it right in the chimichurri marinade! 24 hours before you want to cook the meal, transfer the frozen chicken to the refrigerator to thaw. If you’re ready to cook but the chicken hasn’t completely thawed, that’s not a problem.
Just transfer the frozen chicken into a ZIploc bag and make sure the bag is sealed completely. Place the bag into a bowl in the sink and let cool tap water run over the bag until the chicken is thawed.
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More easy chicken recipes
- Baked BBQ Chicken
- Sheet Pan Rosemary Chicken
- Perfect Baked Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Thigh Marinades 5 Ways
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into leftovers.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
Chimichurri Chicken {Oven, Skillet or BBQ}
Ingredients
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Chimichurri sauce
- 1 bunch washed fresh parsley
- 1 bunch washed fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 red chili, deseeded optional
- 1 pinch each salt & pepper
Baby potatoes – optional side dish
- 2 cups golden baby potatoes, sliced in half
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Instructions
Chimichurri sauce
- Add ingredients for chimichurri to a blender or food processor, and pulse until roughly chopped and blended. Alternatively, you can chop all ingredients very finely and mix together.
Oven
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Add chicken to a parchment-lined baking sheet and season with salt & pepper. Bake chicken thighs for 12-15 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from oven and serve with chimichurri sauce and choice of side. Enjoy!
Skillet
- Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken to skillet once skillet is hot, seasoning with salt & pepper and sauteeing for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time. Remove chicken from skillet and serve with chimichurri sauce and choice of side. Enjoy!
BBQ
- Preheat BBQ to 450 F. Season chicken with salt & pepper. Once BBQ is hot, grill chicken thighs for 10-12 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Remove from grill and serve with chimichurri sauce and choice of side. Enjoy!
Roasted baby potatoes – optional side dish
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Toss potatoes, red pepper and red onion with olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, garlic powder and salt & pepper.
- Add mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or add to a foil pouch and grill for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time. Serve with chicken and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Ashley says
Great healthy dinner. My picky eater husband even enjoyed the chimichurri. The potatoes were a little dry so I think tossing them in a little oil first would have helped.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!