Chimichurri Chicken Drumsticks

5 from 4 votes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Chimichurri chicken is a flavorful and lively meal that is good for your health and good for your wallet.

Serving of chimichurri chicken on a dinner plate.

Chimichurri Chicken Drumsticks

OK. Maybe I live in a closet (although I can assure you that isn’t the case). Why then had I not heard of Chimichurri until earlier this week when I finally made a reappearance at our gym?

As I was making my way toward the treadmill, I came across a podium with a couple of healthy recipes that were on display for gym members. I popped a copy of the recipe into my workout bag on my way out and this is what happened when I got home, later that day.

Tray of chimichurri chicken drumsticks.

Ingredients for Chimichurri Sauce

This Chimichurri Chicken is indeed simple to make and very flavorful. It’s basically made with a marinade that consists of things like:

  • Cilantro
  • Parsley
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Lemon juice
  • Olive oil
  • Other flavorings like garlic, salt, pepper, etc.

A plate of food with Chicken and Chimichurri sauce

We like a little zing in our food and so we added some hot pepper flakes to this Chimichurri Chicken. Some other seasonings that would work include cumin, paprika, and oregano.

Although Chimichurri has its roots in South America, it has many of the same seasonings associated with Mexican-style foods. It is healthy food and a great way to celebrate Cinco de mayo.

We baked these Chimichurri Chicken Drumsticks but you can use the marinade for delicious grilled pork, beef, or chicken as well.

Serving of drumsticks with chimichurri sauce and garnished with cilantro.

This chimichurri Chicken is super simple to put together. Once the meat is in the marinade, it just needs a short stay in the fridge, maybe for a good hour or so, You want the meat to take on the flavor of all of these beautiful flavors. You can even let it soak overnight for a solid marinaded flavor the next day.

Plate or chicken drumsticks with cilantro

The Best Chicken Parts for Chimichurri

You can use any cut of chicken when making this chimichurri dish. As a rule, the darker cuts (thighs and drumsticks) will add more flavor. On the other hand, white meat may be a bit less in calories if you are watching your waistline. The good news is that you can use whatever chicken you have on hand, bone-in or boneless, white or dark.

Give this Chimichurri Chicken a try soon. You’ll find out that this entrée is a rare guiltless indulgence that you can enjoy for lunch or dinner. Even better,  it tastes great from the oven or the grill. Enjoy!

Dan from Platter Talk signature

 

 

 

 

 

If you’ve tried this chicken chimichurri or any other recipe on Platter Talk, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, we love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what we have cooking.

Chimichurri Chicken

5 from 4 votes
Chimichurri chicken uses a classic Argentinian sauce that features fresh herbs, garlic, and red wine vinegar. Recipe form Kristie Butler RD
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 people

Ingredients 

  • 2 lbs chicken drumsticks

for the Chimichurri Sauce

  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 lemon, squeezed for juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp red peper flakes, crushed
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions 

  • Combine all of the ingredients for the chimichurri sauce in a food processor and pulse process until cilantro is coarsely chopped.
  • Pat the chicken try and put it in a large mixing bowl. Pour all but 1/4 cup of chimichurri sauce over the chicken and reserve remaining sauce. Stir the chicken or mix with hands until it is well covered by the sauce. Cover the bowl and place it in refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight for the next day.
  • When you're ready to make the chimichurri Chicken, preheat oven to 350° F. Bake for about 50 minutes or until done. Finish under the broiler for 1-3 minutes for a nice, crispy finish.
  • Serve the chimichurri Chicken while hot and top with the reserved sauce.

Notes

You can prepare the chimichurri sauce in a food processor but manually chopping the herbs and aromatics will make the dish more robust.
 
Keep any leftover chimichurri sauce to serve on crusty bread, fluffy white rice or mashed potaotes.
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 490kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 139mg, Sodium: 452mg, Potassium: 378mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g, Vitamin A: 340IU, Vitamin C: 8.7mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Argentinian
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!
Updated from the original post from May 4, 2017

 


Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

Get new recipes sent to your inbox!
Don't miss out! Subscribe and get all the new recipes first.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This looks amazing guys – love all the ingredients in this CHimicurri chicken recipe! Don’t laugh, but I only heard of it recently too! I’m like you, when I see a recipe that intrigues me – I photo copy it and try to duplicate it. Sometimes the recipe is worthy to make the blog- other times – not so great.

    Have a great week gentlemen!!

  2. Also your photography, IT’S GORGEOUS.

    (sorry accidentally submitted before I finished 🙂

  3. Omggg this chicken looks AMAZING!!! Loving the green on this!

    By the way, I am so loving your blog right now! Everything looks soooo delicious!

  4. 5 stars
    It’s incredible that I have never made Chimichurri sauce and it’s so easy. You can make a large batch a use it for different dishes the whole week. Amazing guys!