Summary
This content explains how to make chimichurri using a food processor instead of chopping by hand. It describes the key ingredients, how they work together, and how to control the texture. The method saves time and produces a versatile sauce that can be used in many ways.
What’s on Your Plate
This is a food-processor chimichurri designed for real kitchens. It is bold, loose, and textured, comes together in minutes, works on almost everything, and freezes exceptionally well for meal prep.
Chimichurri is one of those sauces that quietly earns a permanent place in your kitchen once you understand how it works. It is not a purée, not a paste, and not a green drizzle pretending to be pesto. It is a loose, herb-forward sauce where acid, oil, garlic, and herbs remain distinct and purposeful.
This version is made in the food processor, intentionally. While hand-chopped chimichurri is traditional, the food processor gives consistency, speed, and repeatability without sacrificing texture. That makes chimichurri practical enough to become part of everyday cooking rather than something reserved for special occasions.
I make this sauce mainly as a wonderful marinade, but I also save some to use as a condiment. It’s wonderful.
A Brief History of Chimichurri
Chimichurri is most closely associated with Argentina and Uruguay, where it traditionally accompanies grilled foods. Its exact origin is debated, but it has long been a working sauce rather than a precious one. It was meant to be mixed, poured, and used generously.
And yes, the name sounds suspiciously like “chim-chiminy, chim-chim-charu” from Mary Poppins. Whether that results in humming while cooking is entirely optional, but it does make the name hard to forget.
Why Chimichurri works
Chimichurri works because it is structurally simple and functionally flexible. Vinegar brightens and preserves. Oil carries flavor and coats food evenly. Garlic infuses over time rather than overwhelming. Fresh herbs stay assertive instead of muted.
Because chimichurri does not rely on emulsification or dairy, it adapts easily. It can be spooned over grilled or roasted foods, brushed onto vegetables, stirred into grains and beans, folded into eggs, or used as a finishing sauce just before serving. It enhances without masking.
Using a food processor makes this versatility practical. Pulsing gives you even chopping while keeping the sauce loose and textured. That structure is also why chimichurri freezes so well. The components may separate slightly when thawed, but they come right back together with a stir, with flavor intact.
You are also free to adapt the spices according to your preferences. If you don’t like spicy foods at all, omit the crushed chili. If you like things a little sweeter, you can add lemon juice. You can even play with the herbs a little bit – I had a sad bit of cilantro begging to a home and I put it in there, too.
Nutrition Notes
Chimichurri is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free. It is built on fresh herbs, healthy fats, and acid rather than sugar or starch. Because it is used as a condiment or finishing sauce, a small amount delivers significant flavor without heaviness.
Serving and Storage
Serving
You can use chimichurri as a marinade, you can brush it on food going on the grill, mix it with pasta like pesto, or serve it as a condiment. Chimichurri would be a great accompaniment to our Chuck Steak Sous Vide, or Smoked Chicken Thighs, or our Baked Steelhead Trout.
Storing
You can store chimichurri in the refrigerator for a quite some time. Make sure it is well sealed in glass.
Common Mistakes and Gotchas
A list of common mistakes and Gotchas
- Do not over-process. Chimichurri should be textured, not smooth.
- Do not under-acid. Vinegar is structural, not optional.
- Do not think of this as a meat-only sauce. If you do, you will underuse it.
- Do not cook it directly. Chimichurri is a finishing or marinating sauce, not something to simmer.
FAQ
What can I use chimichurri on?
Almost anything. Meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, beans, grains, eggs, potatoes, and bread all benefit from it.
Can I use it as a marinade?
Yes. Chimichurri works well as both a marinade and a finishing sauce.
Does it freeze well?
Very well. Portion it or vacuum-seal it, thaw as needed, and stir before using.
Is this traditional?
Traditional chimichurri is hand-chopped, but this method preserves the same balance while making it practical for everyday cooking.
Step by Step Photos
Chimichurri Recipe
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Chimichurri
Equipment
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon Cumin, ground
- ½ cup Water, very hot
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 2 tablespoons *olive oil
- ¼ cup Cilantro, fresh
- 1 cup parsley, fresh leaves
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- Mise en place
- 1/4 cup dried oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon Chili flakes, 1/2 teaspoon CuminPut the oregano, paprika, chili flakes and cumin in the food processor and process to mix.
- 1/2 cup WaterAdd the hot water and let the mixture sit for a about 5 minutes.
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 8 cloves Garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup Cilantro, 1 cup parsley, 1/2 teaspoon Black pepperAdd the remaining ingredients and pulse until all the ingredients have mixed and are all very small. Do not over process.
Video
Nutrition
Transcript of Chimichurri in the Food Processor
Transcript
Good afternoon, and welcome to the Good Plate’s Kitchen.
Today, I would like to talk to you about chimichurri.
And it easy way to make it in the food processor.
And yes, the song for Mary Poppins is running in my head right now.
Chim chimery, Chim chimery, Chim chimery.
Anyway, this is what we’re talking about.
Okay, so if you haven’t heard about that, it is a…
Argentinian sauce that is used a lot on meats.
It’s used on vegetables.
It could be a marinade.
It can be just a sauce.
It’s very, very versatile.
And the way that it’s usually made is usually made by chopping things very,
very finely and using a mortar or a mortar and pestle.
And that can get tedious really, really fast.
So, that was kind of like, okay, I really want to make this.
How am I going to do this?
Okay, let’s try the food processor.
Guess what? It works beautifully.
So, what you want to do is you want to prep your ingredients and…
Okay, the star of the show is dried oregano.
This is a very herbal flavor.
It dried oregano and parsley, which together
make a beautiful, beautiful marriage.
And a lot of garlic.
And then we have red pepper flakes for heat, paprika, for charm, cumin,
which is one of those wonderful spices.
Olive oil, red wine vinegar, which provides
acid, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
And all that goes into the food processor.
It’s very, very easy.
You put it in the food processor.
And you don’t want to make it into a paste.
So, what you want to do is you want to use the chop.
So, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop.
Maybe about 15, 20 seconds, something like that on a pulse chop.
And there you have it.
It’s all done.
And you take it out. And you taste it.
You can adjust it for seasoning.
If you think it needs, maybe you want to put some lemon in it.
Maybe you want to put more heat in it.
Maybe you want to put more red pepper flakes.
But that’s up to you.
That’s your taste.
And then you can take that wonderful stuff.
And you can put it in a jar and put it in your refrigerator to use for other foods.
Or you can do like I do.
And you can marinate meat with it.
And what I do is I take the meat.
And I put it in a vacuum sealable bag.
I used flap meat.
And I put a whole bunch of that wonderful chimichurri on it.
Sealed the bag. Put it in the freezer.
Then I had some chicken thighs.
I did the same thing with them.
And put them in a bag.
Put the chicken.
Put the chimichurri.
Sealed it and put it in the freezer.
Now, what’s going to happen is some night when I really don’t feel like cooking.
I have an absolutely excellent dinner that everybody’s going to love.
So, my recommendation to you today is to get some of those herbs.
Get it together.
Put it in your food processor.
Be happy.
And we’ll see you next time on The Good Plate.
Thanks for listening.
As always, forever forward, forever flavorful.
Yum, yum!
