Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
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Easy Argentinian marinated Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce is bursting with bold savory flavors and just a hint of heat. This quick-seared steak is so tender and juicy it will melt in your mouth.
Have a totally Argentinian dinner party theme by pairing this incredible chimichurri flank steak with my Mexican Street Corn Chicken Pasta Salad or try my Argentinian Chimichurri Chicken Recipe OR make up a big batch of my Chimichurri Sauce and enjoy whenever the mood hits!
About 6 months ago I visited Austin, TX, for the second time. The first visit was when I was a freshman in high school. The second trip was for work. I spent 3 days eating my way around town including the best donut I’ve ever had and my first encounter with flank steak mingled with chimichurri sauce. That steak melted in my mouth.
The juicylicious flank steak combined with the tangy garlic chimichurri sauce had been on my mind ever since, so of course I had to recreate it at home!
Why This Recipe Works
A good marinade — This steak marinade is super simple, and only involves a couple of pantry staple ingredients. You let the steak sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours or overnight for sheer steak perfection.
Chimichurri sauce — If you’re a steak-and-sauce combo fan, may I suggest you back away from the A1 and make this super simple, garlicky chimichurri sauce ASAP. It will change the way you think of steak forever.
Universally loved — I don’t know many people who don’t like steak and if they don’t then maybe they just haven’t tasted this one yet! I promise, if you’re a steak lover, then you’ll love this flank steak recipe.
Perfect for guests — Steaks are great to cook for one sure, but it’s even more fun to grill them out for a crew. Wow last-minute guests or your monthly couples’ dinner party with these amazing chimichurri steaks.
Here’s How You Make It
There are three little steps to making this chimichurri steak, but don’t be put off by that, they’re all super easy and when you put it all together you’ll be so grateful you did!
- First, make the marinade by combining all the ingredients together in a jar or in a bowl. Either shake the ingredients together or whisk them together and then pour them over the steak in a large, air-tight bag. Seal it up and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to all night long.
- Now combine the chimichurri ingredients together in a blender or food processor. You want these ingredients to be chopped and mixed together well, but stop mixing way before you hit “smoothie” level blending. Use the “pulse” button on your food processor for best results.
- Now, preheat a skillet with some oil in it on your stovetop or heat up your grill to medium-high heat. Add the steak and sear on each side for 6-8 minutes. You want the steak to be browned on the outside and light pink on the inside.
- Let the steak rest for a few minutes, then when you’re ready to eat it, slice it across the grain, add chimichurri sauce over the top and dig in!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chimichurri sauce is typically made of parsley, garlic, some kind of vinegar, and spices such as salt, pepper, oregano, and red peppers in olive oil.
I based mine off the sauce I had in Austin. As most foods go, “standard” sauces can vary across regions. That’s why mine also includes cilantro, onions, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar and Italian seasoning. But feel free to experiment with herbs and spices till you find the perfect combination of chimichurri sauce for you!
Expert Tips and Tricks
- When grilling/searing your steak, you want to watch for a blackened outside and a juicy, barely-pink (but not red) center. As soon as the pink starts to disappear, your steak is ready. The other really important step is to cook the steak quickly at a high temperature. If you cook it too long it will get tough and lose that melt-in-your-mouth quality.
- Be sure to let the steak rest for about 5 minutes or so on a cutting board (so when you cut it the juices don’t run out everywhere), and then cut across the grain in very thin strips.
- If you don’t know what it means to cut “across the grain,” it’s easy as can be. Just look at the steak and you will see that it has parallel lines running in one direction – cut across the lines, in the opposite direction. This is called cutting across the grain. It makes a huge difference in how tender your meat will be when you eat it and trust me, you can definitely tell the difference when you’re chewing juicy and super tender steak instead of chewy tough flank steak.
Try These Recipes Next
- Best Quick Steak Marinade
- Mushroom Sauce for Steak
- Sirloin Steak Recipe
- Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Tiger Sauce
- Flank Steak Marinade
- Best Chimichurri Sauce
- Argentinian Chimichurri Chicken
- Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chimichurri Butter
- Grilled Tri Tip Steak with Tiger Sauce
- Chimichurri Sauce
Did you try this flank steak with chimichurri sauce? EXCELLENT! Please rate the recipe below!
Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds flank steak
Marinade
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- juice of 1 lime
Chimichurri Sauce
- ½ cup cilantro
- ½ cup parsley
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- ½ teaspoon Italian blend seasoning
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar , or apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Whisk together marinade ingredients. Combine marinade and steak in a large ziplock bag. Seal and chill for 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Combine all chimichurri ingredients in a blender or food processor, and pulse until smooth.
- Preheat a an oiled skillet or grill to medium-high heat. Sear steak for 6-8 minutes on each side until heavily browned on the outside and slightly pink in the middle.
- Thinly slice steak across the grain and serve with chimichurri sauce on top.
Notes
- When grilling/searing your steak, you want to watch for a blackened outside and a juicy, barely-pink (but not red) center. As soon as the pink starts to disappear, your steak is ready. The other really important step is to cook the steak quickly at a high temperature. If you cook it too long it will get tough and lose that melt-in-your-mouth quality.
- Be sure to let the steak rest for about 5 minutes or so on a cutting board (so when you cut it the juices don’t run out everywhere), and then cut across the grain in very thin strips.
- If you don’t know what it means to cut “across the grain,” it’s easy as can be. Just look at the steak and you will see that it has parallel lines running in one direction – cut across the lines, in the opposite direction. This is called cutting across the grain. It makes a huge difference in how tender your meat will be when you eat it and trust me, you can definitely tell the difference when you’re chewing juicy and super tender steak instead of chewy tough flank steak.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tiffany, this recipe is amazing!!! I decided to cook it sous vide… OMG!!!! it was out of this world!!! I will defenitely make it like this, over and over. i’ll defenitely share it in spanish. cheers!
Awesome job, Dora!!
Holy wow! This recipe Was deliCious! I read the reviews and started small with the onion thinking i could just add more if it wasnt enough. I used 1/4 onion and it was perfect. I made bbq veggie skewers as a side and it paIred PerfEctly 🙂
So happy this dish turned out so great for you, Christina! This is one of my absolute favorite, non traditional ways to eat steak! Thanks for sharing your input on the onion flavoring!
Awesome. The family all gave it a thumbs up. It’ll be in the weekly rotation
Hi Carlos! That makes me so happy to hear that your entire family loved this! The homemade chimichurri sauce is the best! Right?!
The onion flavor OF the chimchurri was too much. :/ Wish i read the reviews first. had to TOss as well after the effort. i wonder what it would have tasted like without it! meat had a good flavor though.
Sorry that you didn’t have a fantastic outcome, Julie! Not sure what caused such the strong onion flavor for you. I hope you enjoy it next time with perhaps a little less onion. 🙂
Great recipe! Amazing taste…
Thanks, Lisa!
Amazing recipe! I made it for my family and we all loved it. I broiled the steak instead of on the skillet – it turned out just as good. Thank you!
Glad that it turned out awesome that way as well!
dELICIOUS! i ACCIDENTALLY LEFT THE ONION OUT OF MY CHIMICHURRI (AND WAS KIND OF RELIEVED i DID, AFTER READING THE REVIEWS THAT THE ONION TASTE COULD BE TOO STRONG) AND i SERVED IT WITH CORN ON THE SIDE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND BELL PEPPERS. mY 9 YEAR-OLD WANTED TO EAT THE CHIMICHURRI WITH A SPOON! tHANKS FOR THE RECIPE!
Ehm, sorry for the weird caps.
Kid approved- you just can’t beat that!
this looks delicious! I am planning to make this on thursday, but I wanted to know, what oil did you use for the marinade? Would avocado oil work? thanks!
Hi Hannah – I used extra virgin olive oil, but avocado oil should work as well.
This recipe looks great! What sides do you recommend serving with this dish?
This is a delicious recipe. I did the steak on the grill (about 6 minutes per side) because cooking things like this on the stovetop sets off my smoke alarms!
The marinade adds flavor and helps tenderize the meat, but it’s the sauce that really adds the pizzazz. Who knew such simple ingredients could produce such a “wow” factor. The color and fresh taste are spectacular. The sauce would be great on other meats — chicken, salmon, etc. — but don’t fail to make this recipe as is! Delicious!
Btw, I made the sauce in my Ninja cup (not the big blender or food processor attachment but the smoothie cup). It turned out perfectly. Easy clean up too!