Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce Recipe – Great on Burgers & Chicken!

This cilantro jalapeño sauce recipe is delicious on chicken, shrimp, burgers, eggs, roasted potatoes and more! The perfect meal prep sauce.

Nothing elevates a simple chicken dinner like a slam dunk homemade sauce. Well friends, your search for the perfect sauce is over. This cilantro jalapeño sauce recipe is bright, tangy and just the right amount of spicy. It's excellent on chicken, but just as good on burgers, shrimp, fish, roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, tacos and more!

The best part? This is designed as a meal prep sauce. That means you can make it ahead to make dinnertime super easy. Another plus? If you have littles who hate spice, leave the sauce off of theirs! Or, provide a bit on the side for dipping if they're feeling brave. You can also easily adjust the spice level of this cilantro jalapeño sauce by either removing all of the jalapeño seeds, or leaving a few in for a bit more spice.

To make the sauce, you'll first roast the jalapeños in the oven. This serves to deepen the flavor, as well as mellow some of the spiciness. Next, you simply add all of the ingredients (olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, roasted jalapeño, garlic, salt & cilantro) to the blender and blend until smooth. That's it! A few simple steps and you'll have an incredible homemade sauce to make all of your meals a whole lot tastier throughout the week.

 

Ways to Use this Jalapeño Sauce Recipe

This jalapeño sauce recipe is SO incredibly versatile! Here are just a few ways to use enjoy this sauce. Have another idea? I'd love to see it! Message me on Facebook or post a pic on Instagram and tag me @prepdish.

• Grilled Chicken: This tangy sauce pairs so well with the slightly smoky flavor of grilled chicken. It lends a ton of bright flavor for never-boring-chicken everyone will love.
• Burgers: I'm a huge fan of creative burger toppings. Especially if I'm hosting, I love laying out a variety of toppings, spreads and sauces and letting people create their own culinary masterpieces. Cilantro jalapeño sauce is the perfect complement to a straight off the grill backyard burger.
• Roasted Veggies: Drizzle this jalapeño sauce recipe atop roasted veggies or serve on the side as a dip. This sauce is particularly tasty on roasted potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and roasted carrots. You can also, of course, drizzle on top of grilled veggies!
• Shrimp: Sauté some shrimp or grill them on kabobs and serve with this tangy, spicy sauce.
• Fish: You can either marinate white fish in cilantro jalapeño sauce, or cook the fish simply and top with this sauce.
• Veggie Grain Bowls: Layer a grain (or cauli rice!), veggies and whatever protein you like in a bowl. Drizzle some cilantro jalapeño sauce on top and dinner is done!

Is this a good meal prep sauce?

Yes! This jalapeño sauce recipe was originally developed for our Prep Dish meal prep meal plans. In the meal plans, the sauce was used two ways: once on grilled chicken and a second time on a sweet potato, kale, black bean wild rice bowl. I LOVE this strategy of making one sauce and using it twice throughout the week. This is an amazing way to cut down on prep time without feeling like you're eating leftovers every day.

This is the perfect meal prep sauce because you can make the whole thing ahead of time. When it's time to serve dinner, you simply drizzle it on.

What's the nutrition like for the Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce?

Unlike most store bought bottled sauces, this cilantro jalapeño sauce is full of nutritious ingredients. Here are a few of the nutritional highlights:

Jalapeno (Vitamin C, Vitamin B6)

Due to their capsaicin, jalapenos may help promote weight loss and boost metabolism. This is true for other types of chili peppers as well. Capsaicin may also help fight cancer and naturally reduce pain.

Garlic (Beneficial Sulfur Compounds, Manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Selenium)

Garlic has been used in homeopathic remedies for thousands of years and is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol and some types of cancer. Eating garlic may also help prevent colds and other minor illnesses.

Scientists believe these substantial health benefits may stem primarily from garlic's sulfur compounds such as allicin, diallyl disulfide and sallyl cysteine.

Olive Oil (Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Monounsaturated Fats, Antioxidants)

Due to the type of fat it contains, olive oil may reduce inflammation. It also reduces the risk of Alzheimer's, stroke and heart disease. Make sure to get high quality extra virgin olive oil, as it retains more antioxidants and nutrients.

Lime (Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium, Vitamin B6)

The combination of vitamin C and antioxidants make limes great for your immune system. Vitamin C is also highly beneficial for your skin, with anti-aging effects. Limes are also good for your heart, beneficial for preventing kidney stones and may even help prevent certain types of cancer.

Cilantro (Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium, Manganese)

Cilantro supports the health of your brain, possibly reducing the risk of Parkinsons and Alztheimers disease as well as anxiety. In addition, one of cilantro's biggest benefits is its prevention of blood sugar spikes. Finally, cilantro has antimicrobial elements and thus may help prevent food poisoning. It's worth noting that many studies on cilantro use cilantro extract, rather than the leaves.

I want more meal prep sauce recipes!

A good repertoire of meal prep sauces can really take your meals to the next level. These sauces are easy recipes you can throw together in your weekly meal prep to enjoy on a variety of meals throughout the week.

FAQ – Everything You Want to Know about this Jalapeño Sauce Recipe

What is jalapeño sauce made of?

In addition to jalapeños of course, this jalapeño sauce recipe calls for garlic, olive oil, vinegar, cilantro, lime and salt.

What can I do with a lot of jalapeños?

You can either pickle your extra jalapeños or freeze them to use later. Or, make a big batch of jalapeño sauce and give it away as gifts!

What can I do with jalapeño sauce?

Jalapeno sauce is so versatile. Drizzle it on grilled chicken, add it to your grain and veggie bowls or spread it on your burgers. So many ways to enjoy this sauce!