Chimichurri Grilled Chicken Thighs
Perfect any night of the week, these chimichurri grilled chicken thighs are easy to make and loaded with flavor. Marinated then grilled to perfection, you’ll love this simple recipe.
I recently made a similar dish for culinary school and knew I had to recreate it for you guys. This chimichurri sauce tastes great with chicken, pork, steak, or fish. This sauce is super versatile and doubles as a marinade too!
**This post contains affiliate links that I am eligible to earn a small commission from.**
This post is sponsored by Smart Chicken. While I was compensated for my time, all opinions are my own.
About Smart Chicken
For this recipe, I used Smart Chicken’s boneless skinless chicken thighs. Whether grilled, roasted or pan fried, their chicken thighs come out juicy, tender, and delicious every single time. Smart Chicken is the reason I started eating chicken again after 9 years without. Their products are superior in every way.
In fact, Smart Chicken’s chickens are fed a high-quality diet, humanely handled, and never given antibiotics, hormones, or animal by-products. Smart Chicken is USDA Process Verified as pure air chilled, without added water and are hand-trimmed for your convenience. The result is the best-tasting, highest-quality fresh chicken on the market!
About Chimichurri Sauce and Marinade
Chimichurri originated in South America and is a popular sauce in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. Made from simple, fresh ingredients, this delicious sauce enhances everything it encounters. Most popular uses include, as a sauce over grilled steak, chicken, pork, or fish. You can also use it as a marinade. Just be sure to wipe off any excess marinade and brush the chicken with avocado oil before grilling. See below for grilling tips and tricks!
Grill like a PRO with these Tips and Tricks – IMPORTANT PLEASE READ
- Preheat your grill to 400-450 degrees. Clean the grill grates and lubricate them with avocado oil right before you are ready to add the protein.
- Brushing the grill grates with avocado oil right before adding the meat will prevent the meat from sticking to the grates. Avocado oil has a high smoke point which will also promote a good sear.
- When marinating any protein in an acid-based marinade be sure to use a NON- REACTIVE bowl. Glass or Ziplock bags work best. Metal bowls are reactive and will impart a metal flavor into the protein as it marinates. This is due to the acid in the marinade. So be sure to use a glass bowl or Ziplock bag!
- Only marinate this chicken recipe for 15 minutes for up to 2 hours. This marinade has vinegar in it so it will breakdown the protein. If it sits too long your protein will get mushy and will be very difficult to grill. Make sure you cover the glass bowl with Saran wrap and place it in the refrigerator when marinating.
- Once the chicken has marinated, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before prepping the chicken for the grill.
- Wipe off any excess chimichurri marinade AND brush the chicken with avocado oil before placing it on the grill. This is especially true for thick cuts of meat. Reason being, is that thick cuts of meat will require a longer cooking time and you do not want the herbs in the marinade to burn leaving behind a bitter taste. For thin cuts of meat, this is not much of a worry, as long as you control the grill temperature.
- When grilling boneless skinless chicken thighs, you’ll want to grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees to ensure doneness. Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken!
How to Make Chimichurri Grilled Chicken Thighs – See grilling tips above! Very important!
Make the Chimichurri Sauce
Add flat leaf Italian parsley leaves, fresh oregano leaves, cilantro leaves, garlic cloves, white wine vinegar, granulated sugar, cumin, kosher salt, and a few turns of cracked black pepper to a food processor. Give it a buzz.
Once the herbs and garlic are well chopped you can add this mixture into a small mixing bowl. Next, add the extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. Mix well and set aside.
Marinate the Chicken Thighs
Add the boneless skinless chicken thighs to a glass bowl. Add half of the chimichurri marinade, reserving the second half to use as a sauce later. Toss the chicken in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes up to 2 hours.
Grill the Chicken
Preheat the grill to 400-450 degrees. See grilling tips above! Very important!
Pull the marinated chicken thighs from the refrigerator and let them rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. Wipe off any excess marinade AND brush the chicken with avocado oil.
Add the chicken to the prepared grill, and grill for 5-7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure doneness. Remove the boneless skinless chicken from the grill and serve hot with extra chimichurri sauce on the top or on the side. Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken!
Storage
Store any leftover grilled chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Store any leftover chimichurri sauce in a separate airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat the chicken in the microwave until warmed through. Looking for more recipes? Try my Peruvian Inspired Grilled Chicken Thighs.
Chimichurri Grilled Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs
- 1 – 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, Smart Chicken
Chimichurri Sauce
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup avocado oil, plus more for grilling – see above!
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ½ – 1 teaspoon ground cumin, depending on preferred flavor level
- 1 cup flat leaf Italian parsley, leaves only, remove stems
- ½ cup cilantro, leaves only, remove stems
- ⅓ cup fresh oregano, leaves only, remove stems
- pinch kosher salt, to taste, I used about 1 teaspoon
- few turns cracked black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- 1 gas grill or similar
- 1 food processor
- 2 glass mixing bowls with saran wrap or lids
- 1 grill tongs for turning the chicken
- 1 grill brush for cleaning the grill grates
- 1 grill brush to brush the grates with avocado oil
- 1 baking tray for grilled chicken
Instructions
How to Make Chimichurri Grilled Chicken Thighs – See grilling tips above! VERY IMPORTANT
Make the Chimichurri Sauce
- Add flat leaf Italian parsley leaves, fresh oregano leaves, cilantro leaves, garlic cloves, white wine vinegar, granulated sugar, cumin, kosher salt, and a few turns of cracked black pepper to a food processor. Give it a buzz. Once the herbs and garlic are well chopped you can add this mixture into a small mixing bowl. Next, add the extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. Mix well and set aside.
Marinate the Chicken Thighs
- Add the boneless skinless chicken thighs to a glass bowl. Add half of the chimichurri marinade, reserving the second half to use as a sauce later. Toss the chicken in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes up to 2 hours.
Grill the Chicken
- Preheat the grill to 400-450 degrees. See grilling tips above! Very important!
- Pull the marinated chicken thighs from the refrigerator and let them rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. Wipe off any excess marinade and brush the chicken with avocado oil. Add the chicken to the prepared grill, and grill for 5-7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure doneness. Remove the boneless skinless chicken from the grill and serve hot with extra chimichurri sauce on the top or on the side.Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your chicken!
One Comment on “Chimichurri Grilled Chicken Thighs”
I made these this evening, but used chicken breasts (thin cut) because that’s what I had. It was so flavorful and tender. A wonderful recipe to get back into grilling for the season.