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Grilled Chimichurri Chicken

Grilled Chimichurri Chicken marinated in homemade chimichurri sauce – fire up your grill for this easy and delicious entree recipe at your next barbecue! Post includes baking instructions for those of you who prefer baked chicken.

Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Marinade | TheRoastedRoot.net #dinner #grilling #bbq #healthy #recipe #paleo

You’re looking at my lollipop.

If there’s one meat I can eat like candy, it’s grilled chicken.

Resisting the temptation to gorge myself on animal isn’t normally difficult for me, but when it comes to bone-in skin-on chicken, perfectly cooked chicken straight from the Q, there’s just no controlling this girl.

Hand me a bib, skip the fork, let’s get a month’s-worth of protein in one shot, who-let-the-ravenous-raging-Marvel-Comic-menace-to-society-out? status.

I love the crispy skin, tender, juicy flesh, and am completely unopposed to fatty chicken juices dripping down my chin while I sink my teeth into the succulent meat. 

Animal nibblets are my crack, they are.

Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Marinade | TheRoastedRoot.net #dinner #grilling #bbq #healthy #recipe #paleo

This summer, I’ve been whipping up pesto and chimichurri sauce like crazy, as the two sauces are so easy to prepare and they add freshness and spunk to everything from meat to roasted vegetables to salad.

What is Chimichurri Sauce?:

In case you’re unfamiliar, chimichurri sauce originates from Argentina and is made with cilantro, parsley (sometimes other fresh herbs), red wine vinegar, garlic, and sometimes onion.

It’s very typical in Argentina to serve grilled steak with the sauce. I prefer my chimichurri sauce to have more parsley than cilantro (sometimes I skip the cilantro altogether), and enjoy using lime juice instead of vinegar, just FTR.

Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Marinade | TheRoastedRoot.net #dinner #grilling #bbq #healthy #recipe #paleo

All you do to prepare the sauce is blitz everything in your blender and lickety split, bangity boom, the result is a flavorful sauce that happens to be a perfect marinade for grilled chicken (or beef, fish, etc.).

Marinate the chicken for just 15 minutes (up to 10 hours) prior to tossing it on the grill, and you’ve got yourself a crispety crunchety luscious main event for all your picnics and barbecues.

Can I Bake Instead of Grill?:

If you don’t have a grill or would like to make this in the dead of winter, no problem, you can bake this too! 

After marinating the chicken, transfer it to a casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes (until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F).

Here is the baked version:

Baked Chimichurri Chicken #paleo #healthy #dinner #recipe
You guys. It’s almost comical how tasty this stuff is! If you have even the slightest inclination toward chicken, I recommend you flip your world upside down by marinating it in herby sauce and grilling it.

I used some of the leftover chimichurri sauce for serving the chicken, and also used it as salad dressing for leftover grilled chicken salads.

You know what side dish would go most excellently with this chicken? Grilled Sweet Potatoes, Zucchini, and Yellow Squash with Pesto and Feta!

Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Marinade | TheRoastedRoot.net #dinner #grilling #bbq #healthy #recipe #paleo

Lick that lollipop.

I’m done.

My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!

Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Marinade | TheRoastedRoot.net #dinner #grilling #bbq #healthy #recipe #paleo

Grilled Chimichurri Chicken

Grilled Chimichurri Chicken is mouth-wateringly delicious and easy to make! This recipe will forever change your grilling game!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
  • 1/2 cup chimichurri sauce, plus more for serving, recipe below

Chimichurri Sauce:

  • 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 4 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ cup white onion, finely chopped

Instructions

  • Prepare the chimichurri sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blending until desired texture is reached - you can leave the sauce chunky, or blend it until creamy.
  • Place the chicken pieces in a large zip lock bag along with 1/2 cup of the chimichurri sauce. Seal the bag and move the chicken around until everything is coated in sauce. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes, up to 12 hours.
  • Preheat your grill to medium-high. Place chicken pieces on the hot grill, skin-side down and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook until dark grill marks appear, about 5 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken, sprinkle with sea salt, and continue cooking until dark grill marks appear on the other side, about another 5 to 8 minutes. Flip again and continue cooking and flipping until drumsticks reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, and thighs reach between 165 and 175 degrees F.

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  • If baking instead of grilling, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place marinated chicken in a large casserole dish and bake on the center rack for 45 to 60 minutes, until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 to 175 degrees F. To make the skin crispy, place oven on the high broil setting and move the chicken to the second to the top rack. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes until skin crisps up. Serve with remaining chimichurri sauce.
  • Place chicken on a serving plate and serve with remaining chimichurri sauce alongside your favorite side dishes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1grams - Calories: 455kcal - Carbohydrates: 4g - Protein: 31g - Fat: 456g - Fiber: 1g - Sugar: 1g
Course: Lifestyle
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken recipe, chimichurri chicken, chimichurri sauce, grilled chicken, grilling recipes, healthy chicken recipes
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 455kcal
Author: Julia
Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Marinade | TheRoastedRoot.net #dinner #grilling #bbq #healthy #recipe #paleo

More chimichurri ideas:

Caprese Pizza with Chimichurri Sauce

Grain-Free Almond Flour Pizza Crust + a Caprese Pizza Recipe | TheRoastedRoot.net #glutenfree #pizza #dinner #recipe

Chimichurri Beef Sliders

Chimichuri Beef Sliders | https://www.theroastedroot.net

Roasted Portobello and Chickpea Burritos with Chimichurri Sauce

Veggie burritos with roasted portobello mushrooms, chickpeas, cauliflower rice, and chimichurri sauce | theroastedroot.net #vegetarian #recipe

Recipe Rating




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Liz @ Floating Kitchen

Thursday 20th of August 2015

GAH! Give me some napkins and one (6?) of these chicken lollipops. I'm ready to eat them very messily and I don't even care if anyone is watching me!

Alexis

Thursday 20th of August 2015

These look incredible! I'm definitely going to make these!

Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating

Thursday 20th of August 2015

We love grilled chicken legs as well, and my son can put them away like nobody's business. The other day I was like....wait, did he just eat five of those?!?! So tasty.

Joe

Wednesday 19th of August 2015

Your chicken looks amazingly good! Got to try this soon.

Becky Winkler (A Calculated Whisk)

Wednesday 19th of August 2015

YES!! These are so much better than actual lollipops. Chimichurri is the BEST and I am making this ASAP.

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