Make this Street Corn Grilled Chicken in under an hour with a flavorful marinade and simple street corn salsa. It's a healthy dinner recipe, perfect for busy weeknights and summer grilling!
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Why You'll Love This Street Corn Grilled Chicken
- Healthy dinner recipe! With a simple marinade and fresh grilled corn, this street corn grilled chicken is a healthy recipe that's still packed with flavor. Your whole family is sure to love it!
- Made in under an hour! With minimal prep time and a fairly quick cook time, you can have dinner on the table in under an hour. Serve with Strawberry Cucumber Salad, Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts, or Coconut Lime Rice for a complete meal!
- Moist and juicy chicken! The cilantro lime marinade makes the chicken extra tender and flavorful. It's the best pairing for the corn salsa.
- Perfect for summer! Summer corn is highlighted in this delicious recipe. Using your BBQ grill is also a great way to cook dinner with minimal dishes and cleanup.
Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Fresh Corn on the Cob: I love using fresh corn on the cob to obtain the freshest flavor and char from the grill. In a pinch, you can use canned corn, just skip the grilling, drain it, and add it directly to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Jalapeño: Adds a subtle spiciness without making the dish too spicy. You can omit it or use less if you're afraid it might be too spicy for you.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise or Mexican crema are traditionally added on top of Mexican Street Corn to hold the rest of the ingredients on top. In this recipe, it's just added to make a creamy sauce for the salsa.
- Boneless Chicken Breasts: Boneless chicken breasts are great for this recipe because they absorb the flavors of the marinade and become perfectly moist and juicy.
- Mexican Crema: Mexican crema is a creamy, slightly tangy condiment that's similar to sour cream. It's not as thick as sour cream and has a milder flavor, perfect for drizzling over top.
⭐️ See recipe card below for descriptions and quantities of each ingredient. Then, watch this brief tutorial on Instagram!
Instructions
- Step 1: To marinate the chicken: Add chicken to a large bowl. Top with olive oil, fresh lime juice, agave, chopped cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Mix until the chicken is fully coated. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 2: While the chicken marinates, make the sauce for the street corn salsa by adding jalapeño, green onions, garlic, mayonnaise, olive oil, zest and juice of lime, smoked paprika, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Step 3: Preheat your grill to 425 degrees F. Brush olive oil over the corn cobs.
- Step 4: Add marinated chicken to one side of the grill and the corn to the other side. Cook, untouched with the grill closed, for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side, another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- Step 5: Allow corn to cool for a few minutes, then carefully cut it off the cob. Add corn to the bowl with the mayonnaise sauce.
- Step 6: Add chopped cilantro and cotija cheese to the corn mixture. Gently toss to combine.
- Step 7: To serve, place grilled chicken on a large platter. Spoon corn salsa over top. Garnish with additional cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and a drizzle of Mexican crema.
⭐️ Tip: The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavor it can absorb. Make sure to marinate it for at least 30 minutes, but you can also marinate it longer, up to overnight for maximum flavor.
Substitutions and Alterations
- Corn on the Cob - I highly recommend using corn on the cob and grilling it, but in a pinch, you can use drained canned corn or fire roasted corn instead. Just skip the grilling and add it directly to your bowl with the other ingredients.
- Cotija - Cotija is an aged cheese from cow's milk. It's soft and crumbly, similar to feta cheese. You can find it near the refrigerated Mexican foods or cheese aisle in your grocery store, but if you can't find it, you can use queso fresco or feta instead.
- Mexican Crema - Use a little bit of sour cream or plain greek yogurt instead of the Mexican crema.
How to Store Street Corn Grilled Chicken
To store: Store street corn grilled chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
To freeze: Freezing the street corn salsa is not recommended. However, you can grill up the cilantro lime chicken and freeze it for up to 6 months, then make the corn salsa just before serving.
To reheat: Allow grilled chicken to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Then, preheat your oven or grill to 350 degrees F and heat the chicken for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Top with street corn salsa before serving.
Top tip!
Any extra street corn salsa can be served on the side with tortilla chips for dipping. You can also serve the salsa as a salad topped with the grilled chicken instead.
Recipe FAQs
Nope! The corn can go directly onto the grill with minimal prep. It'll cook and lightly char while on the grill.
Street corn, also known as elote or esquites (when cut off the cob), has many flavor profiles. It's a combination of sweet, savory, smoky, salty, creamy, and slightly tart.
Related Recipes
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Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Leave a comment with a rating at the bottom of this page!
Street Corn Grilled Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied into 6 pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 tablespoon agave
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Street Corn Salsa
- 4 corn cobs, husk and silk removed
- 1 jalapeño, diced small
- 1 green onion, green parts only, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing corn
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese
For Topping
- Additional crumbled cotija cheese
- Fresh cilantro
- Mexican crema
Instructions
- To marinate the chicken: Add chicken to a large bowl. Top with olive oil, fresh lime juice, agave, chopped cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Mix until the chicken is fully coated. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
- While the chicken marinates, make the sauce for the street corn salsa by adding jalapeño, green onions, garlic, mayonnaise, olive oil, zest and juice of lime, smoked paprika, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Preheat your grill to 425 degrees F. Brush olive oil over the corn cobs.
- Add marinated chicken to one side of the grill and the corn to the other side. Cook, untouched with the grill closed, for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side, another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- Allow corn to cool for a few minutes, then carefully cut it off the cob. Add corn to the bowl with the mayonnaise sauce.
- Add chopped cilantro and cotija cheese to the corn mixture. Gently toss to combine.
- To serve, place grilled chicken on a large platter. Spoon corn salsa over top. Garnish with additional cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and a drizzle of Mexican crema.
Notes
- The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavor it can absorb. Make sure to marinate it for at least 30 minutes, but you can also marinate it longer, up to overnight for maximum flavor.
- For a quicker recipe, you can use drained plain canned corn or fire roasted corn and skip the grilling. Just add corn directly to the sauce and stir to coat.
Nutrition
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