Chimichurri Chicken {Oven, Skillet or BBQ}

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

1. Add the sauce ingredients to a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Cook the chicken in the oven, in a skillet or on the BBQ.
4. Make the baby potatoes and veggies.
5. Top the cooked chicken with chimichurri sauce.
6. 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

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.

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.