Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bowls
Made with seasoned chicken, creamy esquites, rice, and your favorite toppings, these Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bowls come together in just 30 minutes for an easy, flavorful meal.
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Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bowls are loaded with flavorful ingredients like creamy, salty Mexican street corn, spiced chicken, rice, and a variety of toppings.
They’re easily customizable, making them a family favorite!
To make these bowls, just cook the seasoned chicken, set it aside, then cook corn in the same pan the chicken was in. Combine the esquites ingredients, and put the bowls together.
Rice can be made while everything else is cooking and it can all be ready in only 30 minutes!
We like to serve our bowls with avocado, hot sauce, and chopped cilantro, but sometimes we add beans, salsa, or pickled jalapenos!
Ingredients needed (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Chicken breasts or thighs
- Corn (frozen or fresh)
- Mayo
- Sour Cream
- Cotija cheese
- Olive oil
- Lime juice
- Seasonings – chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt & pepper
- For bowls: rice, avocado/guacamole, cilantro, salsa
📍The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
After you cook the chicken, transfer it to a plate, then cook the corn in the same pan. Then, combine the cooked corn with the esquites ingredients.
How to serve Street Corn Chicken Bowls
These bowls are highly customizable with your favorite toppings. Some of our favorites are:
- The Best Mexican Rice, white or brown rice, or Habanero Garlic Rice
- Smoky Slow Cooker Mexican Black Beans
- Salsa verde or habanero salsa
- Avocado, guacamole, or avocado pico de gallo
- Pickled Jalapenos & Onions
💡Tips & Tricks
- Chicken: Feel free to use chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe.
- Heat level: If you like spicy food, cayenne pepper is a great addition to the chicken seasonings.
- Corn: Fresh or frozen corn work great. Depending on the season, this recipe could be made with either. I have not tested the esquites with canned corn.
Looking for more Mexican recipes? Here are some favorites:
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Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bowls
Equipment
- large skillet
- sauce pan with lid (if making rice)
- 2 Mixing bowls
Ingredients
Chicken ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoon avocado or olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Esquites ingredients
- 2 cups corn kernels frozen or freshly cut off the cob
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- For bowls: cooked rice, avocado or guacamole, hot sauce, salsa, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, cilantro
Instructions
- If serving rice in these bowls, make rice first (if needed, rice recipes are in the notes below). Add chicken, 1 tablespoon of oil, and spices (chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt & pepper) to a mixing bowl. Stir to incorporate all the spices and make sure they are evenly distributed.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the seasoned chicken. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked. Transfer chicken to a plate and return skillet to stove.
- Add the corn to the pan the chicken cooked in. If needed, add a tablespoon or two of water and scrape up the seasonings on the bottom of the pan. Cook corn for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Make the esquites by adding the rest of the esquites ingredients to the corn (mayo, sour cream, cotija cheese, lime juice, chili powder, and salt), and stir to combine.
- Make bowls by adding rice, chicken, esquites, and your favorite toppings to the bowls. Garnish with cilantro if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Chicken and rice can be frozen, but esquites may separate when reheated.
- Savory Chicken Rice
- Habanero Garlic Rice
- The Best Mexican Rice
- Links to salsa, beans, hot sauce, pickled jalapenos, and more are in the post.
- Cotija cheese can be found in different parts of the grocery store, depending on the store. Sometimes it’s in the gourmet cheese section where wedges of Parmesan are, sometimes it’s in the refrigerated Latin section with crema, and sometimes it’s in the regular cheese section with packages of sliced, shredded, or blocks of cheese.
An easy, 30-minute meal the whole family loves! These bowls are a favorite at our house!