30-Minute Creamy Street Corn Skillet Chicken Recipe
This creamy street corn skillet chicken recipe will quickly become a family favorite and the best part is that it comes together in about 30 minutes. Seasoned chicken breast is sauteed to perfection and then a simple creamy pan sauce comes together with loads of corn, red bell pepper, Cotija cheese, and fresh herbs. Nestle the chicken back into the creamy sauce for a one-pan dinner your whole family will love!
Easy Street Corn Chicken Recipe
If you love street corn, you’re going to love love LOVE this one pan skillet chicken dinner! It’s got all your favorite elote flavors combined in a creamy pan sauce with sauteed chicken breast. It’s high protein, loaded with veggies, and pairs perfectly with rice or pasta.
Ingredients for Creamy Skillet Chicken
- Chicken: I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. I recommend slicing them in half so that they cook through more quickly. You could also use chicken thighs, but keep in mind that you’ll need to cook them for quite a bit longer.
- Spices: Chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder are my favorites for adding tons of flavor to the chicken breasts. Chicken taco seasoning would work well also.
- Onion, Bell Pepper, Jalapeno, and Garlic: The combination of yellow onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and fresh garlic adds so much flavor to the creamy corn sauce. You could also use green, orange, or yellow bell pepper instead of red. Substitute the jalapeno with a poblano pepper if you like.
- Corn: I like to use a mixture of fire-roasted corn and canned corn. I find that if I use all fire-roasted corn it turns the sauce a dark brown/gray color which still tastes delicious but the presentation isn’t quite as beautiful.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is what gives the sauce it’s creamy texture. I don’t recommend substituting with half and half or whole milk as the consistency of the sauce will be much thinner.
- Cotija (or Feta Cheese): Cotija is a delicious, crumbly, salty cheese. If you can’t find it, feta works well in it’s place.
- Fresh Lime: Fresh lime zest and juice are the key to getting that classic elote flavor. Don’t skip them!!
- Green Onion & Cilantro: Freshly sliced onion and chopped cilantro is going to add a delicious, bright finish to this chicken dish.
How to Make Street Corn Skillet Chicken
Coat chicken with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Saute chicken on each side for about 3-5 minutes.
Saute bell pepper, onion, and corn for about 6 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook for another 2 minutes.
Stir in heavy cream and crumbled Cotija cheese until the cheese melts and becomes smooth and creamy.
Stir in zest and juice of 1 lime. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken back into the pan and cook for another minute or so until the chicken is warmed through.
Garnish with green onion and cilantro. Enjoy!
Make-Ahead Instructions
- This easy chicken skillet is the perfect make-ahead meal! I love to prep it over the weekend and then warm it up throughout the week for easy lunches or quick dinners. Serve with rice for a complete meal!
- You can prep the ingredients ahead of time and then just throw it together when you’re ready to eat.
- Or you can prep the entire thing ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container or divide it up into individual portions and it will stay fresh in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Storing Leftover Chicken
- Store leftover corn cream sauce and chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
What To Do With Leftovers
My favorite part about this recipe is that the leftovers are perfect for:
- sheet pan nachos
- cheesy chicken quesadillas
- chicken enchiladas
- crispy mini chicken tacos
- chicken enchilada casserole
- baked sheet pan quesadillas
Try these street corn recipes next!
Freezing Street Corn Chicken
- This chicken skillet is a great freezer meal!
- Make as directed then transfer to a freezer-safe container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating Skillet Chicken
- Reheat street corn chicken in a skillet over medium heat.
- The sauce will thicken a bit as it sits, so plan to add a splash of heavy cream to loosen it up.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
Variations
This recipe is super versatile. Feel free to add:
- black beans
- pinto beans
- diced green chilies
- green bell pepper
- poblano pepper
- a couple pinches of cayenne pepper
More easy chicken recipes!
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Creamy Street Corn Chicken Skillet
This creamy street corn skillet chicken recipe will quickly become a family favorite and the best part is that it comes together in about 30 minutes and all in one pan!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American/Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 3–4 cups corn
- 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, petite diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup crumbled Cotija (or feta cheese) + more for garnish
- zest of 1 lime
- juice of 1/2 lime
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- sliced green onion, fresh chopped cilantro, and sliced jalapeno for garnish
Instructions
- Thinly sliced chicken breasts in half lengthwise, creating 4 thinner pieces of chicken. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Toss chicken in the seasoning mixture until coated on all sides.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook on each side for about 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Cook in batches if needed. Set chicken aside.
- Without wiping out the pan, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add diced bell pepper, diced onion, and corn, along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for about 6 minutes. Use the juices from the veggies to help scrape all those yummy brown bits off the bottom of the pan!
- Add minced garlic and petite diced jalapeno along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream and crumbled Cotija cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally until the cheese melts and becomes smooth and creamy.
- Stir in zest and juice of 1 lime. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken back into the pan and cook for another minute or so until the chicken is warmed through.
- Garnish with green onion and cilantro and enjoy!
- If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!
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This recipe just plain rocks!!! My husband is from the Midwest and could eat corn every day of the week. The only difference, I used bone in thighs, all I had and it worked out great. A keeper for sure, thank you!!!
I’m so glad to hear that this worked with bone-in chicken thighs, Catherine!! Thank you for sharing as I haven’t tried this recipe with them yet. 🙂 I too could eat corn every day of the week – especially fresh corn right off the cob!