Chimichurri Skirt Steak is a famously delicious Argentine grilling recipe that's easy to prepare and dazzling in flavor.
Argentina's vibrant green vinegar and herb sauce is unquestionably one of the world's best sauces for steak, both as a marinade and to slather on top. Juicy, flavorful chargrilled skirt steak and zesty Chimichurri sauce are the most heavenly duo. Everyone needs this incredibly easy and utterly delicious recipe in their summer grilling repertoire.
Chimichurri is a raw sauce made from parsley, garlic, oregano, olive oil, vinegar, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. The ingredients are finely chopped or pureed in a blender or food processor. Chimichurri sauce can be prepared ahead of time and will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge. It is absolutely sublime on grilled steak.
THE BEST 'CHIMICHURRI' STEAK DINNER
Whenever I want to whip up a fantastic steak dinner in no time at all, this chimichurri steak recipe always does the trick. It's such a big crowd pleaser, and it's super easy to prepare.
The beauty of this simple recipe is the union of rich meaty chargrilled steak with wonderfully fresh tasting and zesty chimichurri sauce. The pairing could not be more perfect or delicious.
CHIMICHURRI SKIRT STEAK IS THE BEST
While you can use any cut of meat to make chimichurri steak, skirt steak is my favorite and here's why. Skirt steak has just enough marbleized fat to keep the meat moist as it cooks and, because skirt steak is thin with lots of surface area, the intense heat of the grill cooks it quickly, giving a rich flavorful char on the outside and leaving it luscious and tender in the middle.
Skirt steak with chimichurri is so flavorful you don't need a lot to feel satisfied. I usually plan for about 5 ounces of steak per person. Then there's room on the plate for a few of my favorite sides such as hearts of palm salad, sautéed corn with scallions, chipotle coleslaw or Japanese potato salad.
For best results, always slice grilled skirt steak against the grain. This will ensure that the steak is as tender as it can be.
CHIMICHURRI IS A GREAT MARINADE FOR STEAK
If you're making chimichurri sauce for steak, make extra to use as a marinade. I always do. This recipe uses ¼ cup of the sauce as a marinade and the rest is a condiment to be spooned on top.
For the best char on your grilled steak, be sure to scrape off excess chimichurri marinade and pat the meat dry before grilling it. The meat will retain plenty of flavor from soaking up the marinade. Plus you'll be serving the steak with fresh chimichurri sauce to spoon on top.
HOW TO MAKE CHIMICHURRI SKIRT STEAK
This Chimichurri Skirt Steak recipe is made in 3 simple steps:
- Whizz the chimichurri ingredients in your blender or food processor.
- Use ¼ cup of the chimichurri sauce to marinate the steak for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.
- Scrape off the marinade and grill the steak for 3-4 minutes per side or until it's done to your liking.
Slice the skirt steak across the grain and serve it with the remaining chimichurri sauce on the side. Or, for a gorgeous and tempting presentation, arrange the sliced steak on a serving platter and spoon the beautiful green sauce down the middle.
If you have leftover chimichurri sauce, you're in luck. It's delicious on practically any grilled meats, fish, chicken or even vegetables. I love to have a stash of chimichurri in the fridge to jazz up burgers and sandwiches, too.
If you love the vibrant flavors of chimichurri, try this wonderful healthy Chimichurri Broccoli Salad recipe.
Here's the recipe for Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce. If you try this recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think.
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Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A wonderfully flavorful and easy recipe for grilled skirt steak with a vibrant herb and vinegar sauce to use both as a marinade and to slather on top.
Ingredients
For The Sauce
- 2 packed cups of flat leaf parsley leaves and delicate stems (from 2 big bunches of parsley), roughly chopped (remove thick stems).
- 5 large garlic cloves roughly chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup distilled white vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
For The Steak
- 2 lbs skirt steak (or substitute flank steak)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Put all sauce ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or blender and blend just until everything is combined and garlic is very finely minced. Set aside.
- Put steak in a glass bowl or plastic container. Spoon 4 tablespoons of chimichurri sauce on top of steak and spread it around. Flip steak over a few times to coat. Marinate the steak at room temperature for 1 hour or in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Allow steak to come to room temp before proceeding (about ½ hour out of the fridge)
- Preheat grill to high. Season steak with salt and pepper and grill for 3-4 minutes per side (5-6 minutes per side for flank steak), until it is lightly charred on the outside and medium rare inside. Let steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice it against the grain.
- Serve steak with chimichurri sauce spooned on top or on the side.
Notes
Storage: Chimichurri sauce will keep for 2 weeks in fridge, though it will lose some of its vibrant green color over time. For best taste and texture, allow it to come to room temperature before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Marinating time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Argentinian
[First published on April 29, 2013. Updated and refreshed on April 21, 2022 with all new photos including process shots and more detailed clarifying information in the written post. The recipe was changed to increase the amount of parsley in order to get a thicker textured sauce. Otherwise it's the same delicious recipe.]
Dacia J
We love this chimichurri sauce. It’s great over salmon but also chicken and beef as well! It’s beautiful on the plate, keeps well and dresses up any meal. We’ve served it countless times to guests as well as midweek! Terrific!
George
You can't blend parsley in a blender. It's impossible. Now I have an oily blender with soggy parsley. Thanks.
Edgar
I have now made this three times and it is always a huge hit with the fam. Super easy and full of flavor. We had it last night for guests who came over and they asked for the recipe so I just sent them this link! Thanks.
Petra G
I've tried a lot of steak and chimichurri recipes and this is the best chimichurri steak recipe yet. We loved it! No leftovers! Thanks for a keeper.
Henry
I love the combo of flavors in this chimichurri. Goes great with the char on the steak. You've done it again Lisa! This recipe is worth firing up the grill even in the winter
Chris
I followed the recipe and it turned out very runny and vinegary. I had a good size bunch of parsley, but I think it probably just needed more. Your picture looks more oily than watery, but mine is say more watery (vinegar). Maybe you should have extra parsley on hand just in case you have this problem. I only had cilantro, so I added some which made it a little better, but still not as pictured. Not sure why it didn't turn out right. I would half the amount of vinegar next time.
Lisa
Thanks for the feedback Chris. I really appreciate it. I updated the recipe and specified how many cups of parsley to use, in addition to how many bunches. I think the amount of parsley in a bunch of flat leaf parsley, varies wildly. Hopefully this will solved the problem. Sorry you were disappointed. I hope you'll give the recipe another try.
Sarah @ StrawberryPlum
Hurray--it's finally grilled steak with chimichurri season again! I add fresh cilantro and mint to mine. I'm not sure how "authentic" it is, but it's delicious.
Donna
I made this tonight with grilled chicken breasts. It was delicious! It was so easy and it really made "plain old" grilled chicken much more exciting. It had just the right amount of spice and it really brightened up the dinner. We ended up pouring it on the rice and sautéed vegetables too! Thank you for the idea and easy recipe.