Stovetop Creamy Street Corn Chicken
Published 1/22/2024
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This creamy street corn chicken is made in one pot on the stovetop in under an hour. You’ll love the dry rub chicken thighs, and corn, peppers and onions tossed in a creamy cotija sauce and then topped in a fresh jalapeño slaw.
I’m all about easy dinner recipes in this season of life with a toddler and a baby at home, and this stovetop creamy street corn chicken has definitely become a go-to weeknight meal in our house. I love that it all can be made in one pan on the stovetop, and that I can jazz up mine and my husbands plates by topping this dish with our amazing jalapeño slaw while keeping my toddlers plate mild yet still super flavorful.
Plus, we know how much you all love street corn salad and how our chili recipe is your game-day go-to, so this creamy street corn chicken is just a perfect one-pot addition 😀
What’s In This Creamy Street Corn Chicken
This dish is made up of 3 components: the chicken, the creamy cotija street corn filling and topped with a delicious jalapeño slaw:
Chicken: we’re seasoning boneless skinless chicken thighs with a flavorful combination of paprika, cumin and sea salt.
Street corn cotija filling: Saute onion, corn, bell pepper, and garlic and then make it creamy with help from milk and cotija cheese. Don’t forget a squeeze of lime juice!
Jalapeño topping: Don’t skip this fresh topping! It’s made from cilantro, more corn, onion, jalapeño, avocado, cotija and oil, vinegar and a dash of salt.
Our Fav
Deep Skillet
Use this skillet for your favorite one pot meals or other stove top recipes.
Easy Ingredient Swaps
Chicken: We’ve tested this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs as well as breasts. Bone-in chicken thighs will work, too, but they will need a longer time to sear and cook.
Milk: A dairy-free, unsweetened milk will work in place of dairy milk. Make sure the milk isn’t flavored at all as even an unsweetened vanilla flavored milk would be off putting.
Jalapeño: Want to eliminate the heat in this recipe? Feel free to substitute the sliced jalapeño for a more mild pepper like green chiles.
Cotija: Crumbled queso fresco is a delicious alternative to the crumbled cotija in the topping. You’ll want to salt to taste when using queso fresco as it’s a much more mild and less salty cheese.
Check it Out!
One-Pot Series
Our One-Pot Series features wholesome main meals made completely in one pot. They’re made with minimal ingredients and little effort but will get you big flavor and a delicious meal!
Top Tips
Avoid placing the chicken thighs on the pan cold: This may cause the chicken to stick to the hot pan.
Season the chicken thighs well: Generously rubbing the seasoning into the chicken will give you more flavor and a better crust on your finished dish.
Make sure you have a large enough pan: We used a 5 qt. pan for this dish to ensure there was enough space for all the ingredients without boiling over.
Chicken internal temperature
According to the USDA, the safe cooking temperature for poultry is 165ºF.
Let rest: Remember that after cooking chicken let it rest for 5 minutes so that the internal temperature can continue to rise around 5ºF.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat for 10 minutes or in the microwave for 60 seconds.
How to Serve this Dish
Drizzle with sour cream or a dollop of guacamole for extra creaminess or serve on top of our cilantro lime rice with tortilla chips for crunch.
We highly suggest pairing with a cold lager or a zesty margarita to complete the meal. Cheers!
Stovetop Creamy Street Corn Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Other Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil, separated
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ½ medium white onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, separated
- 10 oz. frozen corn
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
- 1.5 cups 2% or whole milk
- ⅓ cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Street Corn Topping
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ small red onion, minced
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese
- ¼ cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 jalapeño, stemmed and sliced into rounds
- 1.5 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Mix the paprika, cumin, and salt in a small bowl and mix. Season the chicken with the spices. Be sure to massage the spices into the whole chicken thigh. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. When the oil is hot, transfer the chicken to the skillet. Sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes on one side until brown. Flip and cook for an additional 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the additional avocado oil. Add onion and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the corn and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the bell pepper, flour, and remaining salt and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Saute for 1 minute.
- Turn the heat to medium. Slowly add the milk to the skillet stirring consistently until you have added all the milk. The mixture should thicken within the first minute.
- Add the cotija to the sauce and stir until the cheese is melted. Be sure the ingredients are not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and submerge it in the sauce. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. Stir the sauce every few minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, add all the street corn topping ingredients to a bowl and mix. Set aside.
- Remove the skillet and stir in the fresh lime juice when the chicken is cooked. Top with the cilantro mixture and serve over white rice with tortilla chips.
Tips & Notes
- Bone-in chicken thighs will work, too. They will need a longer time to sear and cook.
- A dairy-free, unsweetened milk will work in place of dairy milk.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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1/4 cup corn? Is that correct? The picture looks like way more than 1/4 cup and it wouldn’t be much of a street corn dish…
I re-read the recipe and see that 1/4 is for the topping but you also use 10 oz in the pan.