Have you ever tried Argentinian churrasco or Argentinian grilled meats covered in chimichurri sauce? If you haven’t, you’re missing out!! For real! Add that to your bucket list if you are a meat lover because once you try it, you might never want to eat any other type of meat or use any other condiment on your grilled meats.

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I have been living in Miami for over 18 years now. I love the city, the panoramic views, the people and the diversity. Above all I love the melting pot of international cuisines you can find in this town. One of my favorites is Argentinian food, mainly asados, churrascos, chorizos etc – basically all types of roasts on the grill. At some point I’ll write a post on its own just about how they cut and grill their meats. However, today I want to introduce you to their secret condiment: chimichurri sauce!!
What is Chimichurri Sauce?
Chimichurri sauce is a sauce used on grilled & BBQ-ed meats mostly in Argentina and Uruguay. Usually I serve this sauce on the side of churrasco and I can pour over the meat as much as I want. However, I have heard that the meat can also be marinated with the sauce or basted! Some people will spoon it on top of the meat as it cooks.
Chimichurri is made mostly with parsley, garlic, red chili pepper, oil and vinegar. As with any traditional recipe there are variations by region, family or preference so I won’t pretend to know what’s the most traditional recipe. Some variations include tomato, red pepper, flakes instead of red chili, oregano, and other spices.
Chimichurri is Perfect for Keto Diet
If you are not aware what Keto or Low Carb diets are please read my post on Eating Lifestyles. Why do I say that chimichurri is perfect for keto diet? Well, chimichurri is made with oil and mostly chopped parsley so it’s carb free and contains lot of oil (fats). Add that on top of meat and you got yourself the perfect combination for keto!! Now, if you like to serve rice next to your churrasco your meal won’t be keto friendly anymore. However, if you serve a large salad with your asado and chimichurri, then you got yourself a perfect keto meal. I personally don’t follow the keto diet but I love grilled meats with chimichurri.
Chimichurri happens to be not only low carb / keto friendly but also gluten free, vegan, paleo and whole30. Even though it is more traditionally served over grilled meats, you can serve it over grilled vegetables too if you don’t eat meat.
Chimichurri Sauce Recipe Notes & Tips
I have had to do several trials and errors to figure out a good recipe that works for my family. Feel free to play with the ingredients and their quantity until you achieve the desired results.
- I highly suggest you chop the parsley by hand or a small electrical food chopper, but don’t use a food processor. You are not trying to make hummus or a parsley paste. Yes you have to chop it really fine, but no, it doesn’t have to be a paste.
- You can use dried oregano if you can’t find fresh.
- You can use red pepper flakes instead of a red chili pepper.
I tend to eye ball my recipes a little to adjust for how many people we have over. This past Saturday, I sat down to write down all the ingredients I use and their quantities. Hope you enjoy my version of chimichurri!!!
Here’s a picture of the ingredients before I started chopping them.
Chimichurri Sauce – Keto Friendly BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh chopped Italian parsley
- 2 tbsps chopped fresh oregano leaves in absence of fresh, you can use 1 tbsp of dried oregano (however parsley has to be fresh and not dried)
- 1 red chili pepper you can use red pepper flakes too
- 1 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsps red wine vinegar
- salt to taste
- 5 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- Chop the parsley really fine. Remove stems when possible. Add to a deep bowl.
- Chop the oregano leaves or add dried oregano over the chopped parsley.
- De-seed the red chili pepper, clean and wash. Chop it fine and add it to the rest.
- Mince garlic and add to the bowl. Add salt as well.
- Finally pour 1 cup of olive oil and 3 tbsps of red wine vinegar. Mix well and set it to chill.
- Usually I prepare few hours before serving. I have had leftovers the next day but I don’t know how long it would be fresh in the refrigerator beyond 1 day since we always finish ours within 24 hrs.
Video
Notes
- These are estimated nutrition facts (per serving): 197 calories, 1 g Carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 22 g Total Fat, 0 g Protein
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
If you would like to save this recipe for later, please pin the below image on Pinterest. Feel free to contact me with questions or tag me in social media if you made my recipe:)
Instagram: mediterranean_latin_love or Facebook: Mediterranean Latin Love Affair.
Other Latin American Inspired Sauces:
Latin American cuisine is diverse and has some of the most amazing sauces I have ever tried. Besides chimichurri, feel free to check out these other recipes. Hope to add more in the future:
Update: Post was first published on 01/07/2019 and updated on 01/21/2020 with new pictures. See below one of my older pictures for this post.
Mari Estilo
OMG I love Chimichurri! Is one of my favorite things ever!
Muchas gracias por compartir esta receta, definitivamente voy a intentar hacerla. No soy muy buena en la cocina, pero me encantaría aprender a prepararla.
mavi trapos
la salsa chimichurri e suna de mis salsa favoritas, a mi me gusta mucho combinarla con embutido, es más, a modo “tradición” es lo que ceno alguna noche cuando me voy de festival de música, entre pan y con patatas jejeje que un día es un día!
Ada Zuluaga
Amo el chimichurri en mi casa no puede faltar con unas buenas empanadas e incluso con sopas
admin
Gracias Ada, si de verdad se puede usar en todo. Chimichurri es tan versatile!
Enri
I love chimichurri! I even have it with pasta and it’s so yummy! Your chimichutti looks delicious!
Yasmari Bello
i love chimichurri with chiken or meat. Thanks for Your recipe
admin
Thank you Yasmari:)) me too!! I even like it over potatoes, they taste so good with chimichurri.
Edel
I love chimichurri, one of my favorites on top of meats. That is a keto recipe is an added bonus. Thanks for sharing!
Linda
#yummy! This is on my list for next weeks meal planning! Keep the recipes coming!
Sonila
Awww thank you Linda:))
Vicki Belanger
I am definitely going to give this a try – it looks so yummy!
Sonila
Thank you Vicki!! Hope you like it:).
Holly Bird
This looks great!! Thank you for this recipe..I have been looking for a good keto chimicurri!