This steak chimichurri stir fry is the perfect hearty dinner to make on the griddle. With tender steak, fresh green beans, baby potatoes, and a homemade chimichurri sauce that will knock your socks off, this cowboy-style griddle stir fry will be a hit with your family!
Changing My Mind About Chimichurri
If you would have asked me a year ago to make a steak chimichurri recipe on the griddle, I would have politely declined. For my entire life, I thought that I was not a fan of the popular herby steak accompaniment. Maybe I had tried a bad version of chimichurri at a restaurant, I’m not sure.
But then I met Al Frugoni, an open fire cooking specialist, and I got to sample his chimichurri seasoning blend, and my mind was forever changed.
The combination of herbaceous parsley and cilantro, rich olive oil, and tangy red wine vinegar is truly a match made in Heaven. And the homemade sauce is incredibly easy to make with common ingredients.
Whether you serve this chimichurri as a steak topping on ribeyes or New York strips, or you drizzle it on top of this cowboy stir fry recipe, just do yourself a favor and make it!
Ingredients for Steak Chimichurri Stir Fry
This stir fry recipe is a play on the popular cowboy stir fry, so it’s loaded with steak, potatoes, and vegetables of your choice. Exact measurements and full ingredients list are provided in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- steak – Use your favorite tender cut. Ribeye or New York strip works well for this recipe.
- potatoes – We used a potato medley with a blend of baby dutch yellow potatoes, purple potatoes, and fingerling potatoes. You can substitute for regular russet potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces if you wish.
- green beans – Fresh is best for this recipe. I find that frozen vegetables tend to get soggy on the griddle.
- bell pepper – We used red bell pepper for added color.
- mushrooms – A common steak side dish, sliced baby bella or regular mushrooms work well in this stir fry. If you’re not a fan, simply omit them.
- beef tallow or your favorite high-heat cooking oil – Most griddle recipes start with at least a small amount of oil or fat for lubricating the griddle surface.
- butter and Worcestershire sauce – For my quick steak “pan sauce” hack… try it, thank me later.
For the Chimichurri:
- red wine vinegar – Some recipes use white wine vinegar, which has a milder taste. But the more authentic chimichurri is made with red wine vinegar.
- olive oil – Since this sauce has so few ingredients, and olive oil is one of the main components, I recommend using a good olive oil. You can also use extra virgin if you wish.
- parsley or cilantro – Parsley is more traditional, but cilantro adds a nice bright flavor. For our recipe, we used a 50/50 blend of both fresh herbs.
- oregano – Use Mexican oregano if you have it, or substitute regular dried oregano.
- spicy red pepper or jalapeno – With the seeds and veins removed, the chimichurri isn’t too spicy. I used a red jalapeno to add a bit of color to my sauce.
- crushed red pepper – Optional, but it adds a beautiful punch of flavor. Even my wife, who doesn’t like spice at all, loved this sauce with the very small amount of red pepper that we added.
- garlic – Fresh, finely minced garlic cloves. We like ours with four cloves of garlic, but some recipes include a smaller amount. Experiment to see what you like best. I did use a garlic press to get my garlic very fine.
Making the Chimichurri Sauce
The first step to this fantastic, restaurant-quality dinner is making the chimchurri sauce. You want to do this at least two hours ahead of time so that the flavors have a chance to marry together.
Just finely chop the fresh parsley and cilantro first. Then add the herbs to a small bowl with olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, oregano, and the spicy ingredients (if using). Give the sauce a good mix, and then let it sit for a few hours. You can also make it the night before.
How to Make Cowboy Steak Stir Fry with Chimichurri
Step 1: Prep the steaks.
To save time, I like to do this while the chimichurri is resting in the refrigerator. Just season all sides of your steak with a small bit of kosher salt. Then refrigerate the steaks for about 1-2 hours uncovered to salt brine.
This optional step does two things: dries out the surface for a better sear, and pre-seasons the steak. Of course, if you’re short on time just pat the steaks dry with paper towels and skip the salt brining process. Read more about cooking the best griddle steaks here.
Step 2: Prep the vegetables. Slice mushrooms if you didn’t buy pre-sliced, chop up your bell pepper, and halve or quarter the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Remember, more surface area equals more crispy bits.
Before turning on the griddle (and while your sauce and steak are in the fridge), go ahead and parboil those potatoes in salted water just until fork-tender (but not cooked through). Then drain and set aside until you’re ready to finish cooking them for that nice crispy texture on the griddle.
Step 3: Sear the steak on the griddle. Add some beef tallow or oil to the hot griddle surface, sear the steaks, aiming for a tad under your preferred doneness (I go just shy of medium rare). Remember, the trick is getting a good sear and not overcooking since it gets tossed back into the stir fry.
When the steaks are done, transfer to a small sheet tray with a pad of butter and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. As the steak rests, it melts the butter and the juices from the meat create a stupid-easy “pan sauce” of sorts.
Step 3: Cook the potatoes. After the potatoes are parboiled and drained, add them to the griddle in a bit of oil to crisp up. Allow the potatoes to cook about 3-4 minutes on the first side to develop a nice golden brown color. Then season with salt and pepper, and sauté together until done to your liking.
Step 4: Sauté the other vegetables. While the potatoes are cooking, add the mushrooms and then the bell peppers, onions, and green beans. I like to cook the mushrooms in a separate area from the other veggies first so they brown, rather than steam.
Step 5: Mix the potatoes, veggies, and chimichurri sauce together. After a few minutes, stir fry the vegetables together. When they’re almost completely done to your liking, spoon some chicmichurri sauce on top and toss to combine.
*TIP – You don’t want the chimichurri sauce on the griddle for too long. This is more of a finishing sauce, and the olive oil and fresh herbs have a tendency to burn if they’re heated too much.
Step 6: Add the steak and more chimichurri sauce. While the veggies are finishing up, slice your rested steak into bite-sized cubes.
Mix all the components together: potatoes, veggies, steak, and all the glorious drippings. Lastly, drizzle in spoonfuls of your herby chimichurri. Stir just to heat through, turn off the griddle, and top with extra fresh herbs.
And then this delicious and easy griddle stir fry is ready to serve! The homemade chimichurri sauce is SO good that I like to bring the bowl of leftover sauce to the table to drizzle even more on top of the finished dish!
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Steak and Vegetable Stir Fry with Chimichurri (Cowboy Stir Fry)
Ingredients
- 2 steaks (about 1½ lbs) like ribeye or NY strips
- 1 – 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil
- 1-1½ lb baby potatoes cut into quarters
- 12 oz fresh green beans cut into thirds
- ½ onion cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 bell pepper cut into bite-sized pieces
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
For the Chimichurri:
- ½ cup good olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves finely minced
- ½ jalapeno seeded, deveined, and finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano Mexican oregano is preferred
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the chimichurri – Add all chimichurri ingredients including the fresh herbs, olive oil, red wine vinegar, etc to a small bowl. Mix together well. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
- Prep the steaks – While the chimichurri is cooling, season all sides of the steaks with a small amount of kosher salt (about ½ teaspoon each steak). Refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours to salt brine. *Alternatively, you may just pat the steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper or your favorite steak seasoning to save time.
- Parboil the cut potatoes in salted water just until fork-tender (but not cooked through). Then drain and set aside. *The potatoes will continue to cook on the griddle, so don't overcook them at this point.
- Heat the griddle to medium heat (about 425-450℉).
- Sear the steaks – Add some cooking oil to the hot griddle surface, and spread it around a bit with your spatula. Place the steaks down on the oiled griddle, and cook untouched on the first side for about 2-3 minutes to develop a nice crust. Flip to the second side and cook an additional 2 minutes. *Cooking times will vary based on the size of your steaks and desired doneness. You want to pull the steaks at about 115-120℉ to rest, since the cut steak gets tossed back into the stir fry to continue cooking.
- Finish cooking the potatoes – While the steaks are cooking, in a separate area on the griddle, add about 1 tablespoon oil to the hot griddle. Add the parboiled potatoes and cook untouched on the first side for about 3-4 minutes to develop a nice color. Then season with salt and pepper, sauté together, and continue to cook until done to your liking.
- Rest and cube the steak – When the steaks are done, transfer to a small sheet tray or a plate to rest. *For a simple steak "pan sauce", add 2 pads of butter (about ½ tablespoon each) to the tray. Top the butter with a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Place the hot steaks on the butter while they rest. After resting for about 5-10 minutes, cut the steak into bite-sized pieces.
- Sauté the vegetables – While the steaks are resting, sauté the vegetables (green beans, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms) until tender-crisp. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- Combine sautéed vegetables and potatoes with some of the chimichurri – Stir fry the vegetables and potatoes together. When they’re almost completely done to your liking, spoon about 3-4 tablespoons of chicmichurri sauce on top and toss to combine.
- Add the steak and more chimichurri – Mix all the components together: potatoes, veggies, steak, and the pan drippings from the rested steak. Stir fry everything together until done to your liking. Lastly, drizzle in spoonfuls of the chimichurri, reserving some for serving.
- Garnish and serve – Transfer the steak chimichurri cowboy stir fry to a serving plate. Garnish with more fresh chopped herbs. Serve with reserved chimichurri for topping, if you wish.
Notes
- You don’t want the chimichurri sauce on the griddle for too long. This is more of a finishing sauce, and the olive oil and fresh herbs have a tendency to burn if they’re heated too much.
I did this just as it said and it was so good! Never had chimichurri sauce before (that I know of), but it was great! My husband loved it too, and he can be pretty honest.
So glad you liked it Sandy! We just made a grilled steak chimichurri too, and just used the sauce on a regular grilled steak and it was fantastic as well.
Just made this and it’s amazing
Excellent and all inclusive.