Charred jalapeño, fresh parsley and cilantro, and a punch of garlic blend into a bright, spicy Jalapeño Chimichurri Sauce. This stuff will wake up your taste buds and brighten anything you can make on the grill!
Jalapeño Chimichurri Sauce
I love a good chimichurri already, but this sauce turns up the flavor by including the sweet heat of jalapeño. First you’ll blister the pepper over heat until it’s nice and roasted, then blend it right in with the fresh cilantro, parsley, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. The charring not only softens the pepper up, but also adds a subtle smokiness to the flavor profile. The whole thing comes together in about 5 minutes once your grill is hot, and it adds a whole new depth of flavor to an already amazing sauce that’s great on steak, seafood, veggies, chicken, and more.
Ingredients for Jalapeño Chimichurri Sauce
Just like my classic chimichurri sauce, you don’t need a ton of ingredients to make its spicy sister. In fact, the only real difference is the addition of the jalapeño. Here’s what you’ll need so you can get started:
- 1 whole jalapeño: One pepper, charred on the grill, gives the sauce its smoky heat. You can leave the seeds in or out, depending on how hot you like it.
- 1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley: This provides the herby foundation for your sauce. I think flat leaf has more flavor than curly, so grab that if you can.
- ½ cup cilantro: This is the twist on my classic chimichurri which uses oregano. Cilantro adds fresh, citrusy notes that pair beautifully with the charred jalapeño. If you’re not a cilantro fan, you can use oregano or increase the parsley.
- ½ cup olive oil: I recommend using a good extra virgin olive oil here. The ingredients are minimal so you’ll taste the quality.
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar: This brings a tanginess and cuts the richness of the oil to add brightness to the sauce.
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled): I use raw, sharp garlic for this recipe to provide the sauce a little extra bite.
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes: I love a little extra heat on top of the jalapeño, but you can skip this one if you’re not a fan of heat.
- Salt and pepper (to taste): I recommend starting with about 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper. You can adjust the salt to taste after that.
How to Make Jalapeño Chimichurri Sauce
There’s not a lot of cooking or steps between you and this rich and savory chimichurri sauce. Just a quick trip on the grill for the jalapeño before it gets blended together with everything else.
- Preheat the grill. Set up your grill for high heat direct cooking, around 400 to 450 degrees F. I love cooking my jalapeño over charcoal so I get some nice charring along with the blistering. You can also make this on a gas or pellet grill. Just make sure the pepper blisters so you know it’s nice and soft.
- Char the jalapeño. Drizzle the jalapeño with olive oil and lay it directly over the heat. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning until the skin is blackened all the way around.
- Prep the pepper. Twist off the stem, then slice it open and remove the seeds if you want a milder sauce.
- Blend it all together. Add the charred jalapeño, parsley, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to a blender or food processor. Pulse until everything is combined but you can still see little flecks of herb. If you run it too long, the chimichurri can turn bitter. You want a little texture!
- Serve or store. Pour it into a bowl and use it right away, or cover and keep it at room temp if you’re serving within an hour or 2. You can store any leftover sauce in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Make sure to allow it to warm a bit and give it a good stir before serving.
Susie’s Jalapeño Chimichurri Pro Tips
If this is your first time making chimichurri or you’re a seasoned pro, I’ve got a few tips to help you nail it:
- Char it well. A raw jalapeño will remain firm and won’t have any of that smoky flavor. You want a lot of charring and blistering so don’t be afraid to let it grill!
- Adjust the heat. I love this sauce to have a little kick, but I get that not everyone likes spicy. You can opt to remove the seeds from the jalapeño or cut down on the red pepper flakes if you want less heat.
- Don’t over blend. I know I already mentioned this, but that’s how important it is. Chimichurri is a sauce you want clinging to meats, so it needs some texture. Once everything is combined, your sauce is ready.
- Serve at room temp. Because of the oils in the sauce, it’s best when served at room temperature. If you have leftover sauce, make sure to warm it after the fridge before serving.
Serving Suggestions
This sauce goes on just about anything you can throw on the grill, but here are a few of our favorite ways to enjoy it at our house:
- Grilled Flat Iron Steak: This sauce with steak is a classic pairing. The spicy, herby sauce spread over charred beef is hard to top.
- Steak and Eggs: Drizzle a little of this stuff over breakfast, then thank me later.
- Grilled Pierogies: You’ll never look at steak and potatoes the same way again after you try this.
- Grilled Octopus: If you’re feeling adventurous, this is a match made in seafood heaven.
More Awesome Condiment Recipes
Once you start making your own sauces and condiments, the store-bought stuff kind of loses its appeal. Lucky for you, I’ve got dozens of easy and amazing sauce and condiment recipes to try next. You can find them all here on the https://homefrontking.com/ and in the Hey Grill Hey App, but here are some crowd favorites to try next:
Simple Jalapeño Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Make a batch of this jalapeño chimichurri, spoon it over something hot off the grill, then come back and leave a rating and a comment below to let me know how you enjoyed it! For more grilling inspiration, follow along @heygrillhey on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to my YouTube channel so you never miss a chance to become a Backyard BBQ Hero!
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Preheat your grill. Set up your grill for high-heat direct cooking at 400-450 degrees F.
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Char the jalapeño. Drizzle the jalapeño with a little olive oil. Place on the grill grates and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until blackened all the way around. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool slightly. Remove the stem. You can also remove the seeds and ribs for less spice.
1 jalapeño
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Combine ingredients. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients for the chimichurri, including the roasted jalapeño.
1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, ½ cup fresh cilantro, ½ cup olive oil, ⅓ cup red wine vinegar, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
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Blend. Pulse until well combined, but you can still see small pieces of the herbs.
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Enjoy. Pour the chimichurri sauce into a serving bowl, cover, and store at room temperature until ready to use. This sauce can be made several hours in advance. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You will want to remove the sauce from the fridge at least an hour before using it to melt the olive oil if it has solidified. Stir the chimichurri before serving as the sauce has a tendency to separate.
Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 1075IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
