Herby, garlicky Argentinian chimichurri sauce is the star of the Best Chimichurri Chicken recipe. Chicken with chimichurri sauce is fresh, bakes up incredibly tender and juicy in about 45 minutes. Serve baked chimichurri chicken with a few of your favorite side dishes, or slice and serve over your favorite salad for an extraordinary lunch.
Diet-friendly chicken breast doesn’t have to be boring, and I don’t call this the best chimichurri chicken for nothing! The simple chimichurri sauce, a classic condiment in Argentina, is used as a marinade/baking sauce for chicken, and the result is succulent and delicious. The sauce is loaded with parsley, cilantro and garlic, so it’s flavorful and diet-friendly.
If you love herby flavors, try my Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken, Creamy Herbed Chicken or Parmesan Herbed Potatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Oven Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce
- No marinating necessary. Chimichurri sauce is so flavorful you don’t even need to marinate the chicken in advance. (But you can if you want to!)
- It’s bright and flavorful. The chimichurri sauce is made with fresh parsley and cilantro, so it’s bright and flavorful.
- It’s diet-friendly. Enjoy a low-carb, gluten-free, and keto-friendly dish that’s not lacking in flavor.
Chicken Chimichurri Ingredients
For the chicken
- Chicken: we’re using boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can use just about any chicken cut if you adjust the cooking time.
- Seasoning: a blend of garlic powder, paprika (use smoked paprika if desired), salt and black pepper adds lots of flavor to the chicken. Substitute your favorite chicken seasoning blend.
- Olive Oil: or use any light, neutral-flavored oil.
For the Chimichurri Marinade
- Olive Oil: or use any light oil.
- Red Wine Vinegar: you can also substitute white wine vinegar.
- Fresh Herbs: fresh, finely chopped parsley and cilantro are the stars of this sauce. You can use all parsley or all cilantro if preferred.
- Red Chili Pepper: deseeded and finely chopped red pepper adds a bit of heat. Omit if you prefer a milder flavor or substitute with a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Seasoning: round out the flavors with dried oregano, salt and black pepper.
- Garlic: freshly minced garlic really rounds out all the flavors. Dried garlic should not be substituted.
How To Make Chimichurri Chicken
- Prepare the equipment. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking dish with oil and set it aside.
- Dry and season the chicken. Pat dry the chicken breasts with a kitchen towel. Season the chicken on both sides with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Brown the chicken. Heat a large skillet with olive oil; add the chicken breasts and cook for 5-6 minutes, transfer them to a prepared baking dish and set aside.
- Prepare the chimichurri sauce. Prepare the sauce by combining the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- Top chicken and bake. Spoon about 4 tablespoons of prepared sauce over the chicken breast, making sure the chicken is covered with sauce completely. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes and then remove the foil and bake further for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Rest the chicken. Once done, allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes. Top the chicken with some more sauce.
- Garnish and serve. Transfer the baked chimichurri chicken to a platter and serve with extra sauce on the side to enjoy.
Tips To Make the Best Chicken Chimichurri
- Pound your chicken breasts for even thickness and more even cooking.
- Bring chicken to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- When browning the chicken, you do not need to cook it all the way through. It will finish cooking while baking.
- Season the chicken before topping it with the chimichurri sauce.
- Not a fan of cilantro? Feel free to use all parsley if you prefer.
- Prepare the sauce in a blender or finely chop the herbs and mix by hand in a bowl.
- Omit the red chili pepper for a milder sauce.
- Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken should be cooked to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F but avoid overcooking.
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Serve extra sauce for dipping the chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baking is easy, but you can grill chimichurri chicken on a traditional grill over indirect heat. You can also cook the chicken in a grill pan or a skillet. Covering the skillet is recommended, so the chicken will cook through without burning.
This recipe calls for a red chili pepper to be added to the sauce, so it does have a bit of heat. If you prefer a milder flavor, omit the chili pepper.
We saved time and skipped the marinating. The sauce is so flavorful that the chicken doesn’t really need to be marinated, but you certainly can. To marinate, coat the chicken with 4 tablespoons of the chimichurri and refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight before baking.
Cool the chicken completely, then store the leftovers for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, skillet, or slice and serve cold over salad.
Freeze unbaked chicken in the chimichurri marinade for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and bake as directed. Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
This recipe is so versatile and can be served with almost anything. Some of my favorites include Crispy Air Fryer Roasted Potatoes, Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Lemon Herb Mediterranean Pasta Salad or Air Fryer Pasta Chips.
More Chicken Recipes
- Autumn Chopped Chicken Salad
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
- Easy Grilled Chicken Satay
- Greek Chicken Salad
- Air Fryer Garlic Chicken Wings
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Baked Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Baked Chimichurri Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 lb chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
For the sauce
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon red chili pepper deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking dish with oil and set it aside.
- Pat dry the chicken breasts with a kitchen towel. Season the chicken on both sides with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Heat a large skillet with olive oil; add the chicken breasts and cook for 5-6 minutes, transfer them to a prepared baking dish and set aside.
- Prepare the sauce by combining the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- Spoon about 4 tablespoons of prepared sauce over the chicken breast, making sure the chicken is covered with sauce completely.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes and then remove the foil and bake further for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Once done, allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes. Top the chicken with some more sauce.
- Transfer the baked chimichurri chicken to a platter and serve with extra sauce on the side to enjoy.
Notes
- Pound your chicken breasts for even thickness and more even cooking.
- Bring chicken to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- When browning the chicken you do not need to cook it all the way through. It will finish cooking while baking.
- Season the chicken before topping it with the chimichurri sauce.
- Not a fan of cilantro? Feel free to use all parsley if you prefer.
- Prepare the sauce in a blender or finely chop the herbs and mix by hand in a bowl.
- Omit the red chili pepper for a milder sauce.
- Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken should be cooked to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F but avoid overcooking.
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Serve extra sauce for dipping the chicken.
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