Published 1/22/2024 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.
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. Deep Skillet 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.
Top Tips
Avoid placing the chicken thighs on the pan cold: This may cause the chicken to stick to the hot pan. One-Pot Series 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.
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. Let rest: Remember that after cooking chicken let it rest for 5 minutes so that the internal temperature can continue to rise around 5ºF.
Chicken Thigh Recipes
Looking for more ways to cook chicken thighs? Here are our top tutorials for every cooking method.
Stovetop Chicken Thighs Dutch Oven Chicken Thighs Cast Iron Chicken Thighs Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Grilled Chicken Thighs Baked Chicken Thighs Instant Pot Chicken Thighs Sous Vide Chicken Thighs Smoked Chicken Thighs
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!
