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This Greek-inspired chimichurri sauce is a loose, spoonable herb sauce made with parsley, fresh oregano, mint, green olives, garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, onion, and extra-virgin olive oil. It comes together in 10 minutes and brings bright, briny flavor to grilled chicken, steak, roasted potatoes, and vegetables, with optional feta added before serving.
This version keeps the parsley, oregano, garlic, olive oil, acid, and loose, herby texture you know and love about chimichurri. But because you know I love putting my Greek-inspired spin on just about everything, this chimichurri sauce recipe adds fresh mint, green olives, lemon, and feta for a fresh twist.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Best of all, there is no cooking involved. It’s a 10-minute finishing sauce you can spoon over grilled food, roasted veggies, potatoes, or add to a mezze-style spread. Try it with my grilled feta-brine chicken, and leave the feta out or stir it in right before serving, depending on your mood.
Why You’ll Love This Greek-Inspired Chimichurri
- Ready in 10 minutes: This homemade chimichurri sauce is all about chopping and stirring. No stove, no oven, no fuss.
- Bright and briny: Lemon and red wine vinegar bring the acidity, green olives bring the brininess, and garlic and fresh herbs pack in so much flavor.
- Loose, spoonable texture: Chimichurri should have texture! We’re keeping those herbs and olives visible rather than blending everything into a smooth, pesto-like paste.
- Two ways to serve it: Keep the herb-and-olive base as is for a fresh, punchy sauce, or fold in feta right before serving for a creamier, saltier finish.
What Is Chimichurri Sauce?
Chimichurri sauce is a loose herb, garlic, vinegar, and oil sauce associated with Argentina and Uruguay and commonly served alongside grilled foods. While there are variations, parsley, garlic, oregano, onion, vinegar, and olive oil are usually the key ingredients!
This recipe intentionally takes that base in a Greek-inspired direction with fresh mint, green olives, lemon, and feta. It isn’t meant to be a traditional Argentine or Uruguayan sauce or a traditional Greek sauce either. It’s my spin on it!
If you’re looking for a more classic Greek lemon-and-olive-oil sauce, that’s where my ladolemono comes in.
What Makes This Chimichurri Greek-Inspired?
The base of this Greek-inspired chimichurri still includes familiar chimichurri ingredients. From there, I bring in a few ingredients I absolutely love.
Fresh mint joins the parsley and oregano for a cooling, fresh flavor. Finely chopped green olives go directly into the sauce for texture, while fresh lemon juice works with the red wine vinegar to brighten everything up. Finally, you can fold in crumbled feta right before serving.
Make sure to watch your salt. The green olives are already salty, and if you add feta, you’re adding another salty ingredient. So always taste the finished version before reaching for more salt.
Key Ingredients
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
The olive oil makes up the body of this sauce, so this is the time to pull out the good olive oil. You’re using ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons, and since there’s no cooking required, you’ll really taste it in the final dish.
Fresh Herbs
Parsley is the star of the herb situation here. Fresh oregano adds an earthy, peppery flavor, while mint gives the sauce a fresh, cooling lift without taking over.
Green Olives
Finely chopped, pitted green olives add briny flavor. Chop them finely enough that you can get a little olive in each bite, but don’t turn them into a paste.
Red Wine Vinegar and Lemon Juice
I love using both here because they bring two different kinds of acidity. Red wine vinegar has a deeper tang, while freshly squeezed lemon juice gives you that bright citrus pop that wakes everything up.
Feta
The feta is totally optional, but it’s such a delicious way to switch up the sauce, and you know I’ll never say no to feta! Stir ¼–½ cup of crumbled feta in immediately before serving so you still have visible crumbles throughout. You don’t want to blend it into the base.
How to Get the Right Chimichurri Texture
The texture of this chimichurri sauce matters just as much as the flavor. Finely chop the ingredients but keep the pieces visible. Once everything is mixed, the sauce should look glossy, loose, and spoonable, with the chopped ingredients suspended throughout the oil and acid.
I recommend hand-chopping everything because that’s how this recipe was developed, and it gives you control over the final texture. You’re not trying to make pesto here. Overprocessing the ingredients can turn everything into a paste and take away all those beautiful, distinct textures.
If your sauce seems too oily, give it a really good stir first. The chopped ingredients can settle, making the oil look more prominent than it actually is.
If it tastes too sharp, double-check that you measured the vinegar and lemon correctly. If it tastes too salty, remember to taste the olive-based sauce before adding the feta.
And if you’ve refrigerated your sauce and it seems thick, don’t panic. Take it out of the fridge for 15–20 minutes, then give it a good stir as the olive oil comes back toward room temperature.
What to Serve with Greek-Inspired Chimichurri
This chimichurri sauce is basically your secret weapon for making a simple meal exciting. Spoon it generously over grilled chicken, steak, or grilled veggies; it’s so good on just about everything!
It’s also delicious spooned over Greek lemon potatoes, roasted zucchini, eggplant, or tomatoes. Or grab some warm, fluffy Greek pita bread and serve the sauce as part of a larger spread inspired by my Mediterranean mezze ideas. Chimichurri itself isn’t a traditional Greek meze sauce, but it works great alongside a spread like this.
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can make the base sauce up to one day ahead, which makes this an easy one to prep before you’re entertaining or firing up the grill. Transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.
Take the sauce out of the fridge about 15–20 minutes before serving. This gives the olive oil time to loosen back up and lets the flavors come through more clearly. Give everything a really good stir before serving.
If you’re adding feta, wait until immediately before serving rather than storing it mixed into the base sauce. And if you’re serving this alongside raw meat during prep, don’t reuse any sauce that has come into contact with the raw meat.
FAQs
Chimichurri is a loose herb sauce associated with Argentina and Uruguay, typically made with parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar, chili, and olive oil. This version keeps that recognizable structure and adds mint, green olives, lemon, and feta for a clearly labelled Greek-inspired variation.
Fresh oregano, mint, green olives, lemon juice, and feta give this recipe its Greek-inspired flavor. It’s my house variation rather than a traditional Greek sauce or an authentic Argentine or Uruguayan chimichurri recipe.
Yes! Make this recipe up to one day ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Let it stand at room temperature for 15–20 minutes and stir well before serving so the olive oil loosens and the flavors come through.
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Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- ⅓ cup finely chopped pitted green olives
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- ½ tsp salt plus more to taste
- ¾ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh oregano
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
- optional: add crumbled ¼ – ½ cup crumbled feta right before serving if desired
Instructions
Start Cooking- In a medium bowl whisk together all of the extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic, finely chopped red onion, finely chopped green olives, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, chili flakes and salt. Stir in the finely chopped parsley, finely chopped oregano and finely chopped mint.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt if desired.
- Optional: right before serving, stir in 1/4 – 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese for a very Greek-inspired flavor
Notes
- We love this chimichurri on grilled chicken, steak or even grilled vegetables.
- You can make this chimichurri one day ahead of serving and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Take out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving to bring closer to room temperature to let the flavors shine.
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