Marinate chicken breast or thighs in a simple, vibrant chimichurri sauce then bake, grill or pan fry until tender & juicy. Serve with fresh sauce drizzled over the top and enjoy!
Chimichurri Chicken at A Glance
- Divide the chimichurri sauce into two portions:
- One half to marinate the chicken & one half to serve as a finishing sauce after cooking for a final punch of flavor.
- You can use chicken breast, drumsticks or thighs:
- I went with boneless, skinless thighs for these pics, but you can just as easily use breast, drumstick or skin-on/bone-in thighs. Check the recipe notes for cook times & temperatures needed your different cuts of meat.
- The sauce can be as versatile as you’d like it to be:
- Swap out all of or half of the parsley for cilantro like in my cilantro chimichurri recipe. Use fresh chilis instead of dried flakes, try a different vinegar or citrus add other ground herbs or spices. Use what you like and what you have available.
Recipe Steps
1. Make chimichurri: Whisk together oil, vinegar, dried/ground herbs & garlic first, then stir in the fresh chopped herbs. Taste and season as you see fit.
2. Marinate chicken: Add chicken to a large bowl or zip top bag then add only half of the chimichurri sauce. Toss the chicken until well coated in sauce
↳⏲️ How long to Marinate the chicken? ⏲️
Quick Answer: 30 minutes is plenty.
- 30 minutes – 2 hours for chicken breast
- 30 minutes – 6 hours for chicken thighs
Any longer and the vinegar might start to tenderise the chicken a bit too much which could result in a mushy texture or even go tough & dry if left for a really long time.
Since you should serve the cooked chicken with fresh chimichurri on top, marinating (in this recipe) is for texture, not flavor. Thirty minutes is a decent amount of time to tenderize and hydrate the chicken.
3 Cook chicken: Bake, grill or pan fry your chicken until cooked though – pick your preference!
4. Serve: Drizzle the remaining chimichurri sauce over the top of each chicken and enjoy.
Cooking Methods – Bake, Grill or Pan Fry
Bake in the Oven
- Boneless thighs: Bake at 400°/200°C for about 30 minutes or until cooked through.
- Bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks: Bake at 400°/200°C 40-45 minutes.
- If you want crispy skin, bake chicken on an oven-safe wire rack over a baking sheet for optimal airflow.
- Chicken breast: Bake at 400°/200°C 20-25 minutes on average.
- Thin/pounded breast pieces will bake 15-20 minutes.
- Large pieces need 20-25 minutes.
Outdoor Grill
Make sure to let the chicken rest at room temperature while the grill heats up – no placing cold chicken on a hot grill grate.
- Boneless thighs & chicken breast:
- Preheat your grill to a medium high heat for about 15-20 minutes (around 375°F – 450°F | 190°C-230°C).
- Cook about 5-7 minutes on each side over direct heat. If the chicken doesn’t easily lift up, it’s not ready to flip. Total time will depend on size and thickness of the meat.
- Make sure to lay boneless thighs flat and pound of cut the chicken breast in half so it cooks evenly over the heat.
- Bone-in thighs: Methods for grilling bone-in thighs can differ quite a bit depending on preference and chef. Some people prefer cooking them fast and hot while others prefer low and slow. Go with your preferred method here.
Pan Fry on the Stove Top
Fully preheat your pan with a small amount of oil before adding chicken. Use a grill pan if you want to have grill marks, but make sure it’s well oiled. Heavy-bottomed pans and cast iron skillets are ideal for maintaining an even temperature.
- Bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks:
- Cook about 30-40 minutes over a medium heat, flipping about halfway through. Don’t flip or move the chicken often so they have a chance to properly sear.
- Thick/large pieces: Reduce to a medium-low heat and cook an extra 5-10-ish minutes
- Skin-on drumsticks or thighs: Place meat, skin-side down first and let cook without moving until golden. Don’t overcrowd the pan or the skin won’t crisp up.
- Boneless, skinless thighs & chicken breast:
- Cook about 12-16 minutes over a medium-high heat (5-8 minutes each side).
- Pound or cut chicken breast so that it’s an even thickness all over.
A Few Ways to Serve with these Chimichurri Chicken Thighs
The leftover chimichurri works great as a simple vinaigrette tossed into salad greens or mixed into rice, mashed potatoes or herby boiled potatoes.
Depending on the season you can easily serve with a side of grilled or roasted veggies like corn on the cob, zucchini, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli etc.
Lean into the bright & herby chimichurri flavors with a crisp & refreshing side salad like this French Carrot Salad, Crunchy Spring Greens Salad or Lebanese Cabbage Slaw.
Slice up the chicken and make a burrito bowl with red rice, sautéed black beans and roasted sweet potato.
More chicken Recipes to Check Out
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this Chimichurri Chicken recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Chimichurri Chicken Recipe
Marinate chicken in a simple, herby chimichurri sauce then bake, grill or pan fry until tender & juicy. Serve with reserved sauce and enjoy!
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (120ml)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (30ml)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp sea salt + more to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper + more to taste
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ½ cup fresh parsley or cilantro or a mix of the two - finely chopped
- 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- Chimichurri: In a small bowl whisk all of the ingredients (except chicken) until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Marinate: Add the chicken and about ½ the chimichurri to a large bowl or zip-top bag. Mix until fully coated in marinade. Cover bowl or seal zip top bag. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 6 hours. If marinating longer than 30 minutes, place in the fridge until needed. About 20-30 minutes before cooking, take the chicken out of the fridge and let sit at room temperature.
- Heat Pan: Warm a large skillet or cast iron pan over a medium-high heat. Add enough cooking oil to lightly coat the pan. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. It's ok to crowd at this point as the chicken will shrink as it cooks.
- Cook: Add chicken to the hot pan, undisturbed for about 8-10 minutes. Flip over each thigh and cook on the other side for another 10-12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate or chopping board.
- Serve with Sauce: Let the chicken rest a few minutes before serving and enjoy. Serve with the remaining chimichurri sauce on the side or served over the top.
- Leftovers: Cool chicken to room temperature then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Keeps up to 3 days.
Notes
- Internal Temperature: 165°F/74°C is the minimum temperature required for food safety, but for dark meat like thighs and legs, aim for 195°F/90°C for a richer flavor.
- Chicken breasts: Pound or cut breast in half so they are even in thickness all over. Pan fry/grill about 5-8 minutes on each side until cooked through or bake in oven for 20-25 minutes at 400°F/200°C.
- Boneless, thighs: Spread across a large, rimmed baking dish and bake at 400°F/200°C for about 30-35 minutes or grill about 5-8 minutes on each side until cooked through.
- Bone-in, skin-on thighs: Spread the chicken (skin side up) across a greased, oven safe wire rack placed over a large baking dish and bake at 400°F/200°C for about 20-25 minutes then flip over and bake another 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Pan fry about 30-40 minutes over a medium heat - flip halfway through. For large pieces, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover/cook during the final 10 minutes until cooked through.
- If you're leaving the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator, make sure to take it out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before cooking to let it come up to room temperature.
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