street corn chicken salad
Ready in just 20 minutes (even faster if you use rotisserie chicken), this street corn chicken salad makes the best meal prep lunch or quick dinner. Enjoy it as is, with tortilla chips, or use it to make an elevated quesadilla. It's creamy, delicious, and packed with all the classic flavors of a classic Elote salad, but with a bit of added protein from chicken and Greek yogurt.
Servings: 6
Calories: 449kcal
Ingredients
Baked Chicken (can just use rotisseri)
- 2 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder & onion powder each
- 1.25 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
The Rest
- 12 oz frozen corn (fire roasted preferred) or use fresh grilled corn
- ¼ red onion diced
- ½ cup Greek yogurt plain, non-fat
- 2 tablespoon mayo
- ¼ teaspoon salt & pepper each
- ½ cup cotija cheese
- 1 jalapeno pepper deseeded and diced
- 1 lime
- 1 handful cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Make the chicken: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pat the 2 lbs chicken thighs dry. In a small bowl, mix together the 3 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder & onion powder (each), 1.25 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon coconut sugar. Place the chicken on a sheet tray and rub with the spice mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165.
- Make the corn: Spread the 12 oz frozen corn on a sheet tray and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Use your hands or a spoon to mix it well to coat evenly. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or in the air fryer for 5-10 minutes.If using grilled corn, you can just skip this step.
- Mix: In a large bowl, combine the ¼ red onion, ½ cup Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoon mayo, ½ cup cotija cheese, 1 jalapeno pepper (diced), ¼ teaspoon salt & pepper, the juice from 1 lime, and the 1 handful cilantro. When the chicken is done cooking, dice it small and mix it with everything else.
- Enjoy this salad on it's own, in a wrap or quesadilla, or with tortilla chips.
Video
Notes
Storage: This salad will last for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. It's best enjoyed cold! I don't recommend freezing it.
Chicken Options
In testing this salad, I made it with 3 different types of chicken so I'll go over each one briefly. But, really, this recipe is very forgiving, so you can just use leftovers or whatever you have!
- Seasoned dry rub chicken thighs: These were tied with my favorite because thighs are hard to overcook, and the rub is just so yummy! I like to make 3 or 4 pounds of this chicken and use it throughout the week for various recipes.
- Rotisserie chicken: This was easy and convenient but not as flavorful.
- Grilled chicken: My other favorite because who doesn't love juicy grilled chicken breast?!
Nutrition
Calories: 449kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 1285mg | Potassium: 637mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 581IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg