Mexican Street Corn Chicken Skillet
🌽🫑🧀 is a one skillet recipe that's loaded with big flavor from charred corn, tender chicken, peppers, onions and a creamy lime-chili sauce! Easy enough for busy weeknights, ready in 30 minutes, and inspired by the Mexican street corn I fell in love with while living in Mexico.
Servings: 5
Calories: 454cal
Equipment
- large skillet (use stainless steel if you don't have cast iron)
Ingredients
Sauce
- ½ cup sour cream lite ok as long as it's not runny (Greek yogurt may be substitued)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed (from about 1-2 limes)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste (add more if you want more heat)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½-1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½-1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder optional (smoked paprika lends a lot of smokiness but if you want additional, add chipotle powder too)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 to 1½ pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breast (alternatively dice the chicken into 1-inch pieces; boneless chicken thighs may be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Vegetables
- 3 cups corn (fresh corn shaved from the ear is ideal; or use frozen corn that's fully thawed and drained; lastly canned corn that's well drained may be used)
- 1 medium yellow onion diced small
- 1 poblano pepper diced small
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
Finish and Toppings, optional:
- ¼ –½ cup water if needed to loosen the sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime zest from about 1-2 limes that you use below for serving
- ½ cup cotija cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely minced
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion or pickled red onions
- lime wedges for serving (use the limes that you zested)
Instructions
- Sauce: To a small bowl, add all the sauce ingredients, whisk to combine, taste and check for flavor balance, and make any necessary adjustments based on your preferences; set aside.
- Chicken: To a large skillet, add the oil, chicken, evenly sprinkle with salt, pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cook over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, flip, cook on the second side for about 3 minutes, or until done which is 165F degrees as measured by a thermometer.
- Chicken Tips - Make sure the chicken is thinly sliced. Thicker breasts will take longer to cook through.If you prefer, you can dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the skillet; it'll cook slightly faster. Stir and flip intermittently to ensure even cooking.When the chicken is done, remove, and set it aside on a cutting board; don't wipe out the skillet.If you're using previously cooked leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, you can add it to the skillet with a bit of oil, season it as desired, and cook it for just a couple minute to warm it through; then remove and set it aside.
- Skillet Tips - Cast iron is ideal here, or use stainless steel; nonstick isn't preferred because you ultimately want to develop a char on the corn and that's harder in
- Corn: Add the corn in a single layer. Let it cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes at a time. Then stir occasionally, and cook until charred and lightly blistered, about 5-7 minutes. Charring the corn separately allows it to develop caramelization and smoky depth rather than steaming with the other vegetables. Remove and set aside when it's charred to your liking.
- Slice: While the corn is charring, dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces if you prefer it mixed into the corn; or keep intact based on personal preference.
- Vegetables: Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, poblano, and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 4–5 minutes; stir frequently.
- In the final minute of cooking, evenly sprinkle the garlic, and cook for 1 minute; stir constantly so it doesn't burn.
- Combine: Add the charred corn into the skillet with the other vegetables and stir to combine.
- Add Sauce: Reduce the heat to low. Add about two-thirds of the sauce and gently stir to coat and warm it, but do not let it simmer or bubble. Set the other one-third aside. Sauce Heat Tips - The sauce is added and warmed over low heat to maintain a smooth, creamy consistency without causing it to separate (or break) which can happen if you heat dairy proteins too high so take it easy and keep the keep low!
- Cooked Chicken: Add the cooked chicken in. Optionally, slice or dice it before adding if desired.
- Water, optional: Add water a tablespoon at a time, as needed, to loosen the sauce to your desired consistency if it's thicker than desired, stirring continuously as you add water.
- Toppings: Turn the heat off and evenly and optionally sprinkle with the lime zest, cotija, cilantro, red onions or pickled red onions, as desired.
- Drizzle the remaining 1/3 of the sauce you set aside earlier in Step 9.
- Serving: Serve with lime wedges or as desired.
Notes
Storage: Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave making sure not to overheat because you don't want the sauce to separate. I've never frozen this recipe because dairy-based or cream-sauces can be temperamental when frozen and then thawed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 454cal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 1358mg | Potassium: 881mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1249IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 2mg
