This chimichurri chicken is the ultimate summer dinner! It’s quick and easy, grilled to juicy perfection, and coated in a generous amount of fresh chimichurri sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Chimichurri Chicken
The first time I made this chimichurri chicken, all I could say was “oh dang, that’s good“. Each bite is perfectly charred, has juicy goodness, and is coated in a vibrant layer of freshly made chimichurri sauce. It’s everything you want in a savory summer dinner! I’d also consider this one of those grilling recipes you’ll always look forward to making, no matter how many times you’ve had it. Here’s why:
- It’s crazy easy. Just like my grilled steak with chimichurri, all you need to do is marinate the chicken, then grill it for about 4 to 6 minutes per side.
- The chimichurri sauce can be made ahead. And you should—it gets even better as it sits!
- It looks gorgeous on a platter. Perfect for dinner parties, cookouts, and summer entertaining.
Chimichurri Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs: I’m using boneless, skinless chicken thighs for maximum juiciness. Plus, they’re really easy to cook on a grill!
- Chimichurri Sauce: My homemade chimichurri sauce is made from lots of fresh parsley and oregano, a red chili pepper, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper. For more info on the sauce, check out my chimichurri blog post.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
How To Make Chimichurri Chicken
Make the chimichurri sauce. Stir together the parsley, oregano, chili pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Note: You can also prepare the chimichurri sauce a day in advance and store it in the fridge.
Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour about ⅓ of the chimichurri sauce on top. Make sure the chicken pieces are well coated, then cover and marinate in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.
Cook the chicken and serve. Heat an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan over medium-high heat. Oil the grates, then grill the chicken for about 4 to 6 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C). Then, transfer the chicken to a serving plate and spoon the remaining chimichurri sauce on top.
Common Questions
If you’re short on time, marinating for 30 minutes works great, as I did in this recipe. But for the best flavor, aim for 4 to 8 hours. Avoid going beyond 24 hours, especially for boneless cuts, because the vinegar and herbs in chimichurri can start to break down the texture of the meat and make it mushy.
Yes, you can use chicken breast, but here are a few notes. Use 4 chicken breasts, as that’s what will fit on the grill pan and be the perfect amount for the chimichurri sauce used. Also, you can follow my grilled chicken breast for proper cooking times.
For the ultimate summer spread, I love serving this with grilled vegetables or roasted vegetables such as grilled corn on the cob, roasted asparagus, roasted potatoes, or mashed potatoes. This is also great served over a salad with butter lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and extra chimichurri.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Picatta: An Italian favorite here!
- Air Fryer Chicken: Crispy, tender perfection.
- Cilantro Lime Chicken: A great alternative for fresh and zesty flavors.
- Lemon Pepper Chicken: A staple dinner recipe.
- Or browse through my list of chicken recipes or chicken thigh recipes!
If you make this chimichurri chicken recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Indoor Grill Pan My favorite stovetop grill!
- chef's knife A go-to knife in my kitchen.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
For the chimichurri sauce
- ½ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano leaves , or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped red chili pepper (from one small chili pepper), or ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the chimichurri sauce. Add the parsley, oregano, chili pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Stir together. Note: You can also prepare the chimichurri sauce a day in advance and store in the fridge.
- Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour about ⅓ of the chimichurri sauce on top. Make sure the chicken pieces are well coated, then cover and marinate in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Cook the chicken. Heat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat. Oil the grates, then grill the chicken for about 4 to 6 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C). Alternatively, you can cook the chicken in a skillet.
- Top with sauce and serve. Transfer the chicken to a serving plate and spoon the remaining chimichurri sauce on top.
Lisa’s Tips
- Optional: If you’d like to get a little more surface area on the grill, you can pound the chicken thighs a bit flatter.
- Storage tips: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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Behind The Scenes
I recently made this recipe for my family and it got gobbled up so quickly! I made the chimichurri sauce the day before, so that I wouldn’t have to worry about any chopping with everyone here (and let’s be honest, extra dirty dishes). Then, when my family arrived it was as simple as marinating the chicken and tossing it on the grill.
I still look forward to one day when I can have a big outdoor grill, but until then, my large grill pan works just fine! And needless to say, it’s family approved. :)
Simply, flavorful and delicious! My garden is overrun with herbs and this put them to good use! The chicken is tender and loaded with flavor and is perfect for meal prepping for the week. So good!
Amazing! Thrilled to hear you’re loving this chimichurri chicken, Adrienne.
This was amazing! I love chimichurri and used the remaining marinade to drizzle over quinoa (and my son’s rice).
Love how you used the remainder of the chimichurri sauce, Angela! Glad this dish was a hit.
Another winner, Lisa! This recipe is my new favorite.
Wonderful! I’m so glad this chimichurri chicken has become a new favorite, Alan.
I grilled these for dinner tonight. So easy and scrumptious! Thank you, Lisa, for another delicious recipe to add to my rotation.
Amazing! Glad this chimichurri chicken was a hit, Judy!
Excellent!!! Made this last night. Made a double batch of the chimichurri sauce. Used some of the sauce to marinate the chicken in and added more chimichurri sauce on top of the grilled chicken and grilled summer vegetables kabobs. Delicious!!
Woohoo—glad you loved both the chimichurri sauce and the grilled chicken itself, Sue!
Yet another fantastic, tasty and easy recipe!! Perfect for summer grilling! This and the cilantro lime are my two go to chicken marinades for the summer! 🤤
Hi Trisha – Happy to hear you’re loving this recipe, along with the cilantro lime chicken!
I followed the recipe exactly, but added in my garden radish greens to add more pep & bulk, and had to bake the chicken. I think next time I can add in fresh radishes to the chimichurri.
Fresh radish to the chimichurri sounds so refreshing! Glad you enjoyed this variation of the recipe, Hibber.
Made this tonight! So good!
Wonderful! Glad it was a hit, Erin.
Such a delicious and easy summer recipe. Will definitely make again. Made the sauce in advance so only had to grill the chicken. Easy does it and that’s how I like it ;-)
The sauce gets even better as it sits as well! Glad you enjoyed this chimichurri chicken, Babette.
Made this today using 4 thick chicken breasts, definitely double up the chimichurri sauce if you use chicken breasts as Lisa suggested! You will want to use more to marinate and have alot to use to top it off once cooked. I made some rice and sauteed zucchini as a side and poured some chimichurri all over everything! So delicious! Had to use red pepper flakes as I coukdn’t find just one red chili pepper and didn’t want a giant bag to go to waste, next time I’ll just get the bag and make it often!
Yes, you’ll definitely need more sauce for chicken breasts. Glad this dish was a hit, Danielle!
Absolutely delicious! Marinated 4 hours and grilled on my Traeger. Will be grilling this again and can’t wait to try it on skirt steaks Thanks Lisa!!!
Definitely try the sauce on skirt steak next, Rodney! But, happy to hear you loved this chicken recipe.
This was delicious! Thank you Lisa!
Wonderful! Glad you loved this chimichurri chicken, Gina.
I just made this with boneless skinless thighs. I wish I had made more sauce. Next time I’ll double the recipe for the sauce. It was very flavorful. I had all the ingredients except for the pepper. I used dried red peppers.
It’s definitely a keeper. Simple and delicious!!
You can never seem to get enough of that chimichurri sauce, right? So happy you loved the recipe, Rany!
Hola!!!! Excellent for Friday Fun cook with family! Going to shopping ingredients now 🛒💖
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this chicken recipe, Kary!
I love your recipes. Can this be made with breast instead as I’m not a fan of thighs. Thanks!
Hi Anita – Yes, you can use chicken breast! Though, you might need more chimichurri sauce to marinate them. Also, I would follow my grilled chicken breast recipe for proper cook time.