Chimichurri Chicken Asparagus Skillet

This fantastic chimichurri chicken recipe will be your new favorite dinner! It’s flavor-packed, healthy, and easy to make all together in one beautiful cast iron skillet.

This is a sponsored post written in partnership with Marquette Castings. All opinions are my own! 

Is there anything more appealing than a simple, delicious meal cooked in one skillet? Easy to make, easy to devour, easy to clean. All the best things in life, right there.

I’ve got a few skillet meals coming your way in the next few weeks, but I’m starting off with my very favorite – a delicious chimichurri chicken recipe, cooked with fresh asparagus in one gorgeous cast iron skillet.

What is chimichurri?

If you ask the great Google, you’ll learn that chimichurri, derived from South American and Mexican cooking, is “a piquant sauce or marinade traditionally used on grilled meat, typically containing parsley, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, and flakes of chili pepper. Often billed as ‘Argentine BBQ sauce,’ chimichurri extends its influence far beyond the grill.”

I couldn’t agree more!

Do you need a food processor to make chimichurri?

NO! I’ve made this nearly a dozen times, and only used a food processor once. Not only is it unnecessary, I actually prefer the texture when you just chop all the ingredients by hand. It really doesn’t takes much more time, especially when you consider you’re saving the effort of cleaning another appliance. Of course, if you prefer a smoother, more even texture, the food processor–or blender–is still an option.

Chimichurri is one of those condiments that every cook out there probably makes in a slightly different way. But I’ve found my favorite, and it’s adapted from Karina at Cafe Delites. Her recipe came straight from her Uruguayan-born father.

I just use slightly less olive oil, go a little heavy on the garlic, and swap red chilies for jalapeno. I know this last point might be a little controversial! But I often have jalapenos on hand and rarely have red chilies. So there you go. You do you!

So, first things first – prep your chimichurri. This entails nothing more than chopping everything together and stirring.

Now for the main event!

How to make a chimichurri chicken skillet

Are you ready? This is easy and delightful:

1. Marinate the chicken in a few spoonfuls of the chimichurri; let it sit.
2. Prep your asparagus by trimming off the tough, white-ish ends.
3. Warm a small drizzle of olive oil. Add the asparagus. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Cook for about 4 minutes, tossing occasionally. It’s done when the asparagus turns bright green, is still crisp but just tender enough to be pierced with a fork, and has a few char marks in places. Yum!

Then you’ll remove the asparagus and set it aside on a plate. Cook the chicken … add the asparagus back in …

… and spoon some of the remaining chimichurri over the whole thing.

Dinner’s ready!

I like to serve it with a little rice, because, hello, my name is Monica and I’m addicted to carbs. But of course that’s an easy swap for anything else that suits you.

The cast iron skillet that makes my heart skip a beat

OK, now, can we talk for just a minute about this gorgeous skillet? It’s made by Marquette Castings, a company based in Michigan that specializes in investment-quality cookware.

What does that mean exactly? Well, the thing is, as it took me awhile to learn, really good cookware isn’t meant to be disposable. A great skillet or Dutch oven can be used for years and years, and even passed down to the next generation, with no compromise in its beauty or cooking ability. That’s what investment-quality means to me.

Not all my cookware is this way. A lot is a mash-up of his, hers, and OMG do we really still own that?? So when I do invest in a really great piece, I appreciate it!

Marquette Castings Cast Iron Skillets

I make recipes like this chimichurri chicken in Marquette’s No. 10.5 skillet. It is the perfect size for our family! Here are a few of the things I really love about it, especially compared to the cast iron I used to use:

• It is SO lightweight. I can easily lift the skillet with one hand, even filled with food. This is super helpful when I need to transfer it from the stove to the table, or to the oven, etc.
• Lifting the skillet is also easy because the handle is really comfortable. I’m not sure what it is about it, maybe the curve? But you can tell it was designed thoughtfully, like someone actually gave some consideration to whether a cook with a normal sized hand, very likely wearing an oven mitt, would be able to grab it securely.
• The surface, both inside and out, is really smooth, almost silky. This makes it really easy to clean!! It’s also nice for pan sauces that require scraping the bottom of the skillet while cooking. Also it looks pretty. 🙂
• The surface heats and cooks very evenly. We have a gas cooktop, and with most of my cookware, there’s a major difference between how hot the pan gets in the middle vs. around the edges. Somehow that doesn’t happen with this skillet, which means everything cooks more quickly and evenly.
• Did I mention it’s easy to clean? That’s a definite priority for me – HA!

Cast iron skillet made in USA

I also really love that Marquette is a small company that manufactures their cast iron skillets in the USA – in Michigan, to be exact. They use a really unique process called investment casting – that’s how they get the skillets so smooth and lightweight. I loved reading a bit about the process – made me appreciate all those details that much more!

I know I’m fan-girling a little bit here, but I really do love this pan. It’s an investment that I feel great about, because I know I’ll use it day-in/day-out forever. Sorry to spoil any future surprises, but it just might be my new go-to gift for weddings and major housewarmings, too. 🙂

Marquette Castings Discount Code

OK, last but not least! Marquette Castings has generously provided a discount code for my readers, so you can see for yourself what a great addition this would make to your kitchen. 🙂 Use code “nourish” to receive 10% off!

Psst.. they make a really nice Dutch oven, too!

And the Dutch oven is an exceptional value! You can see mine in action here and here!

More easy chicken dinner recipes

• Brown butter sage skillet chicken
• Creamy Tuscan chicken (SO POPULAR!)
• Balsamic-glazed bruschetta chicken
• Lemon thyme quicken
• One-pot curry cashew chicken and rice

And last but not least, as always, if you try this chimichurri chicken skillet or any other recipe on the blog, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you, and other readers will benefit from your experience!

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5 from 20 votes

Chimichurri Chicken Asparagus Skillet

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

This chimichurri chicken recipe will be a new favorite for all! It's flavor-packed, healthy, and easy to make all together in one beautiful skillet.

Ingredients

Chimichurri

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 3-4 turns freshly-ground black pepper

Skillet

• 3-4 thinly-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1-2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound asparagus, with tough ends trimmed off
• coarse sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

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Instructions

• To make chimichurri, stir all ingredients together in a small bowl. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to release all of the flavours. (Alternatively, you can whiz everything together in a blender or food processor.) Chimichurri can be prepped up to 24 hours ahead, if you like; store in the fridge.
• To start the skillet, spoon 1/4 cup chimichurri out into a shallow dish, reserving the rest to serve later. Nestle the chicken in the dish to coat, and let marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
• While the chicken marinates, warm oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the asparagus and season it with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing occasionally, just until crisp-tender and slightly charred. Remove asparagus to a plate and set aside.
• Add the marinated chicken to the skillet. Cook pieces for 3-4 minutes on each side, until the outside is golden and the inside is cooked through. Return asparagus to the skillet, spoon a little chimichurri over everything, and serve with additional chimichurri at the table. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Be sure to use thinly-sliced chicken breasts for this; otherwise, it will take much longer for the chicken to cook through, and odds are good that the outside will be tough and overcooked before the inside is done. You can always make your own thin-sliced breasts just by cutting “regular breasts in half—the long, flat way!
2. Chimichurri recipe adapted from Cafe Delites. 

Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below, then snap a quick picture and tag @nourishandfete on Instagram so I can see it!

Author: Monica Lensink

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chimichurri chicken