Chimichurri Flank Steak

This chimichurri flank steak is crazy flavorful, thanks to a perfect chimichurri sauce. Cooked medium rare inside on the skillet, the flank steak is super tender, and it’s all easy and quick to throw together, coming together in about 30 minutes, not counting marinade time. Great for entertaining and good on the grill, too! Whole30, clean eating, paleo, low carb, and keto.

Show of hands: who loves chimichurri flank steak or churrasco as much as I do?

Wrong – trick question! Literally, no one loves chimichurri flank steak like your girl. Impossible! My mouth waters at the thought of hitting the local churrascaría for dinner. Oh, and there’s not even a question from my husband when a special occasion is coming up. He already knows where we’re going to dinner.

Where, you ask? Where the chimichurri flows freely, and the flank steak is super tender and coated in the stuff. Bonus points for Brazilian cheesy bread (pão de queijo, if you want to be fancy) and caipirinhas!

Chimichurri Flank Steak

The reason I love chimichurri flank steak so much is simple: it’s heavy on the flavor, but it’s surprisingly easy to make at home. While it does taste best when it’s been marinated, it takes only a few minutes to sear in a cast-iron skillet. And yes, you read that right! No need to bundle up in the winter or sweat your buns off in the summer to grill this chimichurri flank steak. I like it best seared in a super hot, heavy skillet: done quickly with a gorgeous crust. Perfection.

Oh, and that chimichurri sauce? I adapted the recipe from Texas de Brazil’s years ago, and it’s a favorite recipe on my site. It’s the ideal blend of parsley and cilantro, plus fresh garlic, dried oregano, spicy chili flakes, fresh lemon juice, and rich olive oil. We have a jar in the fridge at all times and have for the last six or seven years. Yes… it’s that good.

Why This Chimichurri Flank Steak Is So Good:

• Marinating the flank steak in this chimichurri sauce tenderizes the meat and injects it with tons of flavor.
• The chimichurri sauce is absolutely bursting with flavor and comes together super quickly in the blender or food processor.
• Using flank steak makes this recipe affordable and easy. It’s a good cut of meat but not too expensive, like a nice ribeye or strip. However, it’s still super tender and doesn’t require a lot of work to make delicious!
• The chimichurri sauce is my favorite, hands down. It’s the perfect blend of bright lemon juice, lots of fresh garlic, herbaceous parsley and cilantro, dried herbs, a bit of spiciness, and a salty touch.

Tips:

• Make sure you cut the steak against the grain. To do that, look for little grooves or lines in the meat. They should all generally go one way. You will want to cut perpendicular to this grain or flow. So say the grain runs east to west from your vantage point, cut north to south (or south to north – same deal!) to cut against the grain. This makes a big, big difference in the tenderness of your steak, believe it or not.
• You can swap out other cuts of meat for the flank steak here, like skirt steak. Marinate the steak as you would in this recipe but increase or decrease your searing time, depending on how thin or thick the steak is.
• Make the chimichurri sauce in the food processor: blitz the garlic first, followed by the herbs. Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until the desired texture. So quick and easy!

How to Make Chimichurri Flank Steak:

Start by making the chimichurri sauce. Either finely chop all ingredients or use a food processor or blender. If using a food processor or blender, add the garlic first and pulse until minced. Add the herbs next and pulse until finely chopped. Next, add the lemon juice, olive oil, dried oregano, crushed chili flakes, and salt, and process until well combined and the desired consistency.

Next, marinate your steak. If your steak is quite large, you might need to cut it down the middle to fit into your skillet. Do that now, cutting the steak against the grain (See Tips section for help) down the center into two equal portions. Next, place the steaks in a large baking dish and coat with 1/3 cup of your chimichurri, turning to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour or two.

When ready to sear the steaks, remove from marinade and scrape off excess. Pat dry and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Use a decent amount of salt but not too much. There was salt in the marinade, and there is plenty in the sauce you’ll slather over the flank steaks, too! Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for at least a few minutes.

If working with two pieces of steak, pour in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and let heat until shimmering and almost smoking, but not quite. If working with only one piece of steak, use 2 tablespoons of oil now.

Using long tongs, carefully place a piece of steak in the skillet and cook 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steak. 4 minutes per side will result in a medium steak from an average flank steak; cook 3.5 minutes per side for medium-rare. 3 minutes per side for a thinner piece of flank steak will result in a medium-rare to medium steak.

Remove from skillet and let rest 5 minutes. If working with two pieces of steak, repeat the process with the second piece of steak now. After steak has rested, cut against the grain into 1/2″-thick slices. Arrange on a large platter and spoon chimichurri over. Serve with extra chimichurri.

Want to grill this chimichurri steak instead?

Go for it! This recipe will give you some good guidance when it comes to actually grilling the flank steak. You’ll follow the directions of this recipe the same in terms of making the chimichurri sauce and marinading the steak. However, just follow their process when grilling!

TL;DR version: Heat the grill to 450º F. Grill 4-5 minutes per side or until your internal thermometer reaches 130-135 degrees. After that, carry on with the recipe as written here!

Other Types of Steak to Use

If you don’t have or don’t like to use flank steak, there are several other options. In fact, almost any type of steak would work! I would recommend a cut like a skirt steak, ribeye, or strip steak here. Save the filet mignon for my Best Ever Filet Mignon with Garlic Herb Compound Butter!

What People Are Saying About My Chimichurri Recipe:

“I never write comments but we had this on grilled pork and lamb and it was amazing! I can’t say enough about how delicious it was and inspired a whole lot of cooking in my kitchen. It’s great on anything, especially grilled corn!”

“Best chimichurri EVER. It tastes just like Texas de Brazil. Try it on brown rice. Oh my!”

Other Recipes You’ll Love:

• Best Chimichurri Recipe: Texas de Brazil Recipe
• The Best Filet Mignon Recipe Ever with Garlic Herb Compound Butter
• Chimichurri Whole30 Meatballs with Swiss Chard
• Quick Chimichurri Shrimp Skewers

Hey – you’ve made it this far, and now we’re best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!

Chimichurri Flank Steak

Chimichurri sauce and steak are absolutely magical together, and this recipe is so easy. The steak is tender and loaded with flavor from the delicious chimichurri! 

5 from 23 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 17 mins

Marinating Time 30 mins

Total Time 32 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Argentinian

Servings 6 servings

Calories 201 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2-2 pound flank steak

Chimichurri Sauce

• 2 tablespoons fresh garlic peeled
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 cup olive oil or avocado oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon salt plus more to taste

Instructions

 

• Make the chimichurri: In a food processor, add the garlic. Pulse until minced. Add fresh parsley and cilantro and pulse until finely chopped. Add remaining chimichurri sauce ingredients and pulse until well combined. Set aside.
• Marinate the steak: If the steak is large, about 2 pounds, or too big to fit into your skillet, cut it down the middle now. Make sure to cut against the grain (See Tips section in post content for help). Place steaks in a large baking dish or plastic food storage bag and add 1/3 cup chimichurri. Turn to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1-2 hours.
• Sear the steaks: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Remove steaks from chimichurri and scrape off excess marinade. Pat dry and sprinkle with a modest amount of salt.
• If working with two pieces of steak, pour 1 tablespoon of avocado oil into a cast-iron skillet and let heat about 30 seconds or until shimmering but not smoking. If working with steak in one piece, pour 2 tablespoons avocado oil in and heat.
• When the oil is shimmering, use a pair of long tongs and carefully place steaks in skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steak. See Note 1 for details.
• Remove steak from skillet and let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of steak, if steak had been cut in two. After resting, cut the steak into 1/2" slices against the grain. Arrange on a large serving platter and top with fresh chimichurri sauce. Serve with additional chimichurri.

Notes

Note 1
For a thicker piece of flank steak:
3 minutes per side = medium-rare
4 minutes per side = medium

For a thinner piece of flank steak:
About 2 1/2 minutes per side = medium-rare
3 minutes per side = medium

Meat Thermometer Test for Doneness
Medium rare = 130–140°F (55–60°C)
Medium = 140–150°F (60–65°C)
Medium well = 150–160°F (66–69°C)
Well done = 160–170°F (70–75°C)

Touch Test for Steak Doneness

If you don't have a meat thermometer, use your tongs to test for doneness. Gently poke the center of the steak whilst searing with a pair of blunt tongs pressed together.

Rare will feel very soft. 
Medium rare will feel a bit firmer but still tender.
Well-done will feel very firm. 

Nutrition

Calories: 201kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 24gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 667mgPotassium: 472mgFiber: 1gVitamin A: 875IUVitamin C: 11.6mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 2.6mgNet Carbs: 2g

Keyword chimichurri steak, flank steak

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Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10 years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of two who lives in Memphis, TN.