This delicious and easy to make cilantro chimichurri sauce can also be used as a marinade as well as a salad dressing. Use it to top beef, chicken, pork or fish!
Cilantro, basil and red wine vinegar are what give chimichurri sauce its delicious flavor.
Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce
Cilantro. It’s one of those things you either love it. Or you hate it.
Cilantro contains a natural chemical compound, called an aldehyde, that can taste unpleasant to some people.
For some people disliking cilantro is a matter of personal preference. They just don’t care for the flavor.
For others it comes down to genetics. These people have a variation in a group of olfactory-receptor genes that makes a part of cilantro, called aldehydes, taste very soapy.
My husband is one of these people. To him, he says cilantro tastes like a mouth full of soap. I however am not and, to me, it tastes delicious. In fact, it tastes so good (it’s one of my favorite sauces) that I often make this cilantro based chimichurri sauce to use as a marinade, sauce and even as a salad dressing.
Ingredients for Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce:
Fresh Cilantro and Basil – this makes up the base of the herbs in this sauce. Only fresh herbs will work in this recipe.
Fresh Oregano – you can also use dried oregano if desired. Both work in this recipe.
Red Onion – I like the flavor of red onion but you can also swap this out for sweet onion or yellow onion.
Fresh Garlic Cloves – adds more flavor to the sauce. Don’t have fresh garlic? You can swap this out for your favorite brand of jarred garlic.
Seasoning Spices – these include salt, black pepper, ground cumin and red pepper flakes.
Red wine vinegar – while you can use other types of vinegar I highly suggest sticking with red wine vinegar. The flavor goes will with the cilantro and basil.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – use olive oil or another light, neutral flavored oil such as vegetable, canola or safflower oil.
How to make Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce:
Begin by washing all of your fresh herbs well. Cilantro is often grown in very sandy soil and this sandy grit sticks all over the leaves. Wash the herbs well and then strip the leaves off the tougher stems.
Place in a blender.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and begin to pulse the blender.
This helps to slowly pull the leaves down into the herbal mixture. No need to scrape them down if you start out pulsing.
Once the herbs are pulled into the pureed mixture you can then switch to a different setting such as liquify or puree.
Continue to puree the mixture in the blender until it is smooth. Taste and adjust any seasons needed such as salt.
If you like this cilantro chimichurri recipe you can also add in the following to give this a different twist:
- Add fresh lime juice or lemon juice (1 fresh lime or lemon)
- Add 1-2 shallots
- Add a 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- Swap out the oregano with fresh parsley leaves
How long can you keep fresh cilantro chimichurri sauce:
This sauce will last about a week when stored in the refrigerator in a covered container or mason jar.
You may want to take your sauce out 10 to 15 minutes before you need it. It tends to thicken up when cold.
Can you freeze cilantro chimichurri sauce?
Yes this can easily be frozen in a sealed airtight container. You’ll want to use it within a month as the flavor of the fresh herbs changes after that time.
Freeze the extra in an ice cube tray. Remove the cubes and place them in a sealed freezer bag (mark the date on the bag). Whenever you want to add some fresh chimichurri flavor to a dish just drop in an ice cube or two while cooking.
How can I use cilantro chimichurri sauce?
This is an versatile sauce and dressing. Here’s some of my favorite ways to use this flavorful sauce.
The chimichurri sauce can be used as it is to top your favorite foods such as baked chicken, grilled meat, pork, skirt steak and more.
It can also be used as a marinade for chicken, beef, pork or seafood. Just put your meat or seafood into a storage bag and add some of the cilantro chimichurri sauce into the bag. Gently knead the bag to coat. Set the bag aside in the refrigerator 4 to 6 hours to allow the meat to marinate in the sauce.
You can also use it as a salad dressing. If it’s too thick add a equal amount of olive oil and red wine vinegar (1 to 2 tablespoons of each to start with) to thin it out. This will turn the sauce into more of a vinaigrette that you can use to top your salad greens.
I love making simple wedge salads and use this cilantro chimichurri as the dressing.
You can even use this sauce to brush over vegetable skewers and then cook them on the grill.
Make a sauce to use on sandwiches by mixing the chimichurri sauce with a bit of mayonnaise, sour cream or even Greek yogurt. Use this as a spread on sandwiches, wraps and it even makes a great addition to your avocado toast.
I like to mix a little of this green sauce into my riced cauliflower bowls and then top them with grilled chicken for a quick lunch or dinner.
There are so many delicious ways to use this flavorful chimichurri sauce.
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Easy Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1/2 bunch Basil
- 1/4 bunch Oregano or use dried oregano
- 1 small Red Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Begin by washing all of your fresh herbs well. Cilantro is often grown in very sandy soil and this sandy grit sticks all over the leaves. Wash the herbs well and then strip the leaves off the tougher stems.
- Place in a blender.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and begin to pulse the blender. This helps to slowly pull the leaves down into the herbal mixture. No need to scrape them down if you start out pulsing.
- Once the herbs are pulled into the pureed mixture you can then switch to a different setting such as liquify or puree. Continue to puree the mixture in the blender until it is smooth. Taste and adjust any seasons needed such as salt.
Notes
Nutrition
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I’m trying tonight with carne asada !!