Marinated Flank Steak: The Best Recipe with Chimichurri (Carne Asada Style)

I have been making this marinated flank steak for years and it never gets old. The marinade is built around lime, orange, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro, which puts it squarely in carne asada territory. By the time the steak hits the grill, it is tender, juicy and packed with bright Mexican flavor. The best part is how little hands-on time it takes. Once the meat is in the marinade, you have done about 90 percent of the work.

This is the most useful flank steak recipe in my rotation. You can serve it as a main with chimichurri sauce spooned over the top, slice it thin for tacos, build it into fajitas or use the leftovers in a salad the next day. Once you have the marinade memorized, you can pull a great steak dinner together from a tough, inexpensive cut on a Tuesday night.

Table of Contents-Click to Expand

• What Is Marinated Flank Steak?
• Skirt Steak vs Flank Steak: Which Is Better?
• How to Make the Best Flank Steak Marinade
• How Long to Marinate Flank Steak
• How to Grill Flank Steak (Time and Temperature)
• Stovetop and Oven Method (No Grill Required)
• Marinated Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
• Use This Marinade for Fajitas Too
• Carne Asada Variation
• Flank Steak Nutrition and Protein Content
• Is This Flank Steak Recipe Keto?
• What to Serve with Marinated Flank Steak
• How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
• Recipe
• FAQ

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What Is Marinated Flank Steak?

Flank steak is a long, lean cut from the abdominal area of the cow. It is naturally tough because it comes from a heavily worked muscle, which is exactly why marinating matters so much. The acid in the marinade gently breaks down the muscle fibers and the salt and seasonings carry flavor deep into the meat. Without a marinade, flank steak can be chewy and underwhelming. With one, it is one of the best, most flavorful steaks you can grill and one of the most affordable.

This particular marinade lands in carne asada territory because of the citrus and Mexican aromatics. Carne asada literally translates to “grilled meat” in Spanish, and traditional versions are made with skirt or flank steak marinated in lime, orange, garlic and chiles. The recipe below is closer to a classic carne asada than to a steakhouse marinade, just with less added sugar than most restaurant versions. If you have lived anywhere with a real Mexican food scene, this will taste familiar.

Skirt Steak vs Flank Steak: Which Is Better for This Recipe?

I have made this recipe with both cuts plenty of times. The honest answer is that both work beautifully. They come from similar parts of the cow and share a similar flavor profile, but there are real differences in texture, fat content and how they handle on the grill. Here is how they compare:

Feature	Flank Steak	Skirt Steak
Cut location	Lower abdomen	Diaphragm (under the ribs)
Texture	Lean, firm	Looser fibers, more tender
Fat content	Leaner	More marbled
Flavor	Mild beefy	More intense, beefier
Best marinade time	8 to 24 hours	1 to 4 hours
Cook time per side	4 to 6 minutes	3 to 4 minutes
Price	Mid-range	Slightly higher
Best for	Slicing, salads, leftovers	Tacos, fajitas, traditional carne asada

The short version: skirt steak is the traditional choice for carne asada and has more inherent flavor and tenderness because of looser fibers and more marbling. Flank steak is a little leaner, more affordable and a bit more forgiving on the grill since it is thicker. Either works beautifully with this marinade. If your grocery store carries both, I will grab whichever looks fresher and is on a better price.

One small note on shopping: ask your butcher or meat counter for “outside skirt” if you can find it. It is more tender than inside skirt and easier to cook well. Most grocery stores carry inside skirt, which still works, just slice it especially thin against the grain. You can also get great flank and skirt steak from Butcher Box and Wild Pastures.

How to Make the Best Flank Steak Marinade

The marinade is built around lime, orange, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro, with olive oil and Worcestershire sauce for depth and salt. Each ingredient earns its place:

• Lime juice and zest for acid and brightness
• Orange juice and zest for a small amount of natural sweetness and more acid for tenderizing
• Worcestershire sauce for umami, salt and complexity
• Extra virgin olive oil to carry flavor and help with browning
• White onion as a mild aromatic base
• Fresh garlic, lots of it
• Jalapeno for mild heat and more flavor than spice (most of the heat is in the seeds, leave them in if you want it spicier)
• Fresh cilantro, the signature carne asada flavor
• Sea salt and black pepper

The full measurements are in the recipe card below. One thing I want to call out: the orange juice is important. Most authentic carne asada recipes lean on orange juice for the slight sweetness and the additional acid for tenderizing. The amount in this recipe is small enough that the steak stays low carb because most of the marinade gets discarded. If you are doing strict keto, you can leave the orange out and the recipe still works.

How Long to Marinate Flank Steak

For flank steak, aim for at least 6 hours and ideally 12 to 24 hours. The thicker fibers benefit from a longer soak. Skirt steak is thinner with looser fibers, so 1 to 4 hours is plenty. Going longer than 24 hours with either cut starts to break the meat down too much and you end up with a slightly mushy texture. The acid does its work overnight and then it is done.

If you are short on time, even a 30-minute quick marinade adds meaningful flavor, especially if you puree the marinade in a blender first. The pureed version coats the meat more thoroughly so you get more flavor in less time. This is the trick for a true weeknight version when you forgot to plan ahead.

Pro tip from years of making this: prep the marinade the night before and pour it over the steak before bed. By dinnertime the next day, the meat is fully seasoned and ready to grill. I make the chimichurri the night before too so the flavors fully develop while the steak marinates.

How to Grill Flank Steak (Time and Temperature)

Flank steak likes high heat and short cook times. Here is the approach I have settled on after years of trial and error:

1. Take the steak out of the marinade about 30 minutes before cooking and let it come to room temperature. This helps it cook evenly.
2. Preheat the grill to high (450 to 500 degrees F).
3. Pat the steak dry. A wet steak will steam instead of sear.
4. Grill 4 to 6 minutes per side for a 1.5-pound flank steak, depending on thickness.
5. Pull the steak when the internal temperature reads 120 to 125 degrees F for medium rare. It will continue cooking another 5 to 10 degrees while it rests.
6. Rest for 10 minutes loosely tented with foil before slicing.
7. Slice thin against the grain. This is non-negotiable for tender flank steak.

For doneness, here are the target internal temperatures (pull the steak about 5 degrees below your target so the carryover cooking lands you in the right zone):

• Rare: 120 to 125 F
• Medium rare: 130 to 135 F
• Medium: 140 to 145 F
• Medium well: 150 to 155 F

I take mine off at 120 and rest it for 10 minutes. By the time I slice, it is right at 130. Anything past medium gets noticeably tougher with a lean cut like flank, so if you have someone in the family who likes their steak well done, cook the thinner end of the flank longer or sear a few slices on a hot pan after slicing.

I use a NutriChef Smart Bluetooth thermometer on the grill so I do not have to keep opening the lid to check. It connects to your phone and alerts you when the steak hits the target temp. Best $40 you can spend if you grill regularly.

Stovetop and Oven Method (No Grill Required)

If you do not have a grill, you can still make excellent flank steak indoors. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat with a tablespoon of avocado oil until it is smoking. Sear the steak 3 to 4 minutes per side, then transfer to a 350 degree oven and finish to your target internal temperature, usually another 4 to 6 minutes depending on thickness. The cast iron sear gives you the same flavor benefits as a grill if you preheat the pan properly.

A heavy-duty grill pan works too if you want grill marks without firing up the outdoor grill. The key with any indoor method is to get the pan screaming hot before the steak goes in and to crack a window because there will be smoke.

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Marinated Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Spooning fresh chimichurri sauce over sliced flank steak is one of the best ways to serve this recipe. The chimichurri adds a bright, herbaceous, garlicky finish that complements the carne asada flavors in the marinade. The marinade is acidic and citrusy, the chimichurri is herby and peppery and together they hit every flavor note you want on a piece of grilled steak.

I make my chimichurri the night before and let it sit in the fridge so the flavors fully develop. By the time the steak is resting on the cutting board, the sauce is ready to spoon. If you want to go heavy on the chimichurri, and I usually do, double the batch. It keeps in the fridge for a week and is delicious on roasted vegetables, eggs or another grilled steak later in the week.

Use This Marinade for Fajitas Too

This same marinade works beautifully for steak fajitas. The technique is identical, just slice the cooked steak a little thinner and serve it with grilled bell peppers and onions, warm tortillas and your favorite toppings. For low-carb fajitas, swap regular tortillas for our zero-carb keto tortillas. The flavor profile of this marinade is essentially a great fajita marinade, so this recipe pulls double duty depending on how you serve it.

For an easy fajita night, I marinate the steak overnight, then slice and grill an onion and a few bell peppers in cast iron while the steak rests. Pile everything on a platter, set out tortillas and toppings and let everyone build their own.

Carne Asada Variation

To turn this into a more traditional carne asada plate, slice the steak thin and serve it on warm corn or keto tortillas with diced white onion, fresh cilantro, lime wedges and salsa or pico de gallo. That is essentially what carne asada tacos are. The marinade as written is already in carne asada territory, so no recipe changes are needed beyond the serving style.

For carne asada fries, pile sliced steak on top of crispy fries (or jicama fries for low carb) with shredded cheese, sour cream and pico. For carne asada nachos, swap the fries for chips. For a carne asada bowl, layer cilantro lime cauliflower rice, sliced steak, black beans (or skip them for keto), avocado and salsa. Same steak, different vehicle. This is one of those recipes that earns its place in the rotation because of how many directions it can go.

Flank Steak Nutrition and Protein Content

A 4-ounce serving of cooked flank steak provides roughly 24 grams of protein, 11 grams of fat and 0 grams of carbs from the meat itself. The marinade adds a small amount of carbs from the orange juice, but most of it never absorbs into the meat. The recipe as written comes in at about 7 grams of carbs per serving, with most of that coming from the unused marinade.

For high-protein eating, this is one of the most efficient steak cuts you can grill. Flank steak is also a strong source of iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and creatine, all of which support energy, recovery and muscle maintenance. Research published in Nutrients (Coelho-Junior et al., 2020) reviewed the relationship between protein quantity, quality and meal distribution and found that achieving roughly 25 to 30 grams of high-quality protein per meal supports muscle protein synthesis and helps prevent muscle loss with aging. A 6-ounce portion of this flank steak gets you to 36 grams in one serving, which lands above that threshold without effort.

For more on protein needs, especially for women, take a look at our protein calculator. If you want help building this kind of high-protein meal into a weekly plan, our high-protein meal prep recipes are a good starting point.

Is This Flank Steak Recipe Keto?

Yes. As written, this recipe is keto-friendly with about 7 grams of carbs per serving, most of which come from the marinade that does not actually get eaten. The meat itself absorbs very little of the orange juice. If you want to be extra strict, leave the orange juice out entirely. The lime juice alone is enough acid to tenderize the steak and keep the flavor balanced.

For a fully carnivore version, use just salt, pepper and a splash of lime juice to wet the surface, then grill as written. You will lose some of the carne asada flavor, but you will still have tender, well-seasoned flank steak. Or season with our spicy dry rub for a beefy, smoky alternative without the citrus.

What to Serve with Marinated Flank Steak

This flank steak pairs well with almost anything. A few of my go-to sides:

• Chimichurri sauce (essential)
• Bacon brussels sprouts
• Kale walnut salad
• Grilled or roasted asparagus
• Cauliflower rice or jasmine rice
• Keto tortillas for tacos or wraps
• Pico de gallo and guacamole
• Keto taco salad using leftover steak
• A bowl of keto Mexican pozole alongside

For a full menu when I am hosting, I will serve the steak with chimichurri, bacon brussels sprouts and a smoky cucumber jalapeno margarita. Everything except the steak can be prepped ahead, which is the only way I survive a dinner party.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Store leftover sliced flank steak in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The meat firms up when cold, so for the best texture, let it come close to room temperature before serving cold (it is great on a salad). To reheat, the gentlest method is to add the slices to a skillet with a splash of beef broth or water over low heat, cover and warm for 2 to 3 minutes. Microwaving works in a pinch but tends to make lean cuts rubbery, so I avoid it when possible.

Leftover flank steak is excellent in:

• Steak salads (the easiest fast lunch)
• Quesadillas with keto tortillas
• Breakfast scrambles with eggs and cheese
• Steak sandwiches with chimichurri as the spread
• Quick stir-fries with whatever vegetables are in the fridge

You can also freeze cooked flank steak for up to 2 months. Slice it before freezing and lay it flat in a freezer bag so portions defrost quickly. I will often grill a 2-pound flank, eat half that night with chimichurri and freeze the other half sliced for fast lunches over the next month.