Chimichurri Chicken Tacos

Jazz up Taco Tuesday with Chimichurri Chicken Tacos! Boneless skinless chicken breast slices are marinated in a flavorful homemade chimichurri sauce, and cooked to perfection on the stovetop. Finish off the chimichurri chicken with a simple lime yogurt crema sauce!

I'm all for a traditional beef taco in a hardshell, but I also love having a little fun with the menu on Taco Tuesdays! From my Salmon Tacos with Sriracha Yogurt Sauce and Roasted Cauliflower Sweet Potato Tacos to my Smoked Pork Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Sauce, there are so many ways to add flavor into taco night! These Chimichurri Chicken Tacos are absolutely no exception. The amount of flavor in the chimichurri chicken is INSANE and we loved it so much, we made them twice in one week!

What is Chimichurri Sauce?

Chimichurri Sauce is an Argentinian sauce that is uncooked and used as a marinade or a dipping sauce. It typically contains parsley, fresh oregano, onion, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and garlic. It's often used for steak but we love it with chicken and fish, too! My version adds cilantro for an even bigger zip of freshness!

Ingredients in Chimichurri Chicken Tacos

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - I love using chicken breasts for tacos, but chicken thighs would work well, too! Additionally, shrimp would be delicious in these tacos, as well.

Fresh Parsley - it's not often that parsley is the star of the show, but in this chimichurri chicken recipe, it really shines!

Fresh Cilantro - since this is a recipe for tacos, I had to add some fresh cilantro in place of the oregano.

White Onion - a white onion is finely diced and added to this chimichurri sauce.

Fresh Garlic

Red Wine Vinegar

Red Pepper Flakes

Olive Oil

Plain Yogurt - these chimichurri chicken tacos are topped with a lime yogurt crema that is so tasty. The base of the crema is plain yogurt and I always use whole milk yogurt, as it is much creamier than non-fat yogurt. Don't use flavored yogurt - be sure to look for plain yogurt.

Lime Juice

Garlic Powder

Sea Salt

How to Make Chimichurri Chicken Tacos

Make the chimichurri. Simply place the fresh cilantro, fresh parsley, onion, red wine vinegar, lime juice, garlic, red chili pepper flakes and sea salt into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Next, add the olive oil and pulse again until combined but not pureed. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

Marinate the chicken. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips. Combine the sliced chicken breast with ½ cup of the Chimichurri and let marinate. I marinate for at least 30 minutes, but you could do this 8 hours in advance.

Cook the chicken. Heat some olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the marinated chicken and cook until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Note: if you're making this in the summer/grilling months, this is a great recipe for the grill! For grilled chicken, simply cook on the grill for 4 minutes on each side.

Make the lime yogurt crema. Combine the yogurt, lime juice, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Assemble. Add the chicken to tortillas (we like the street taco size!) and top with the lime yogurt crema and shredded pepper jack cheese! Since we loved the chimichurri so much, we added some of the remaining chimichurri sauce to the tacos as well. SO so good!!

Chimichurri Chicken Tips and Variations

Use a thermometer to ensure your chicken is cooked through. I love my instant-read thermometer for quickly checking if my meat is done.

Make the chimichurri ahead of time. To make this an easier weeknight dinner, prep the chimichurri sauce a day or two in advance.

Not a fan of cilantro? Just omit it from the chimichurri and add a little extra parsley.