Street Corn Bowls With Chicken & Sweet Potato
Mexican-inspired street corn bowls have roasted chicken, tender sweet potatoes, smoky charred corn, and a creamy yet tangy chili lime sauce. Like elote, it has sweet, smoky, creamy, salty, and spicy flavors.
Looking for more recipes with corn? Try my creamy corn pasta, southwest bbq chicken flatbread pizza, or avocado corn and black bean salad.
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Sweet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Seasonings – smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Creamy chili lime sauce – mayo (or greek yogurt), lime zest, lime juice, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and cayenne pepper.
- Corn – fresh or frozen.
- Shallot
- Jalape̱o Рoptional.
How to Make Chicken Street Corn Bowls: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Roast chicken and sweet potatoes. Once seasoned, the chicken and sweet potatoes cook in the oven for nearly the same amount of time, making it mostly hands off.
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until smooth.
- Cook corn. Saute the corn kernels with their seasonings in a hot skillet until charred in some spots. Add the shallot and jalapeno if using in the last minute.
- Assemble. Assemble the bowls with the chicken, sweet potato, corn, and a drizzle of sauce over the top. Garnish with crumbled feta or cilantro if desired.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this Mexican street corn bowl recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No chicken thighs? – you can also use boneless skinless chicken breast but you’ll only need to cook them for 20-25 minutes. It’s best to use a meat thermometer to check for internal doneness.
- No shallot? – use half of a small yellow or red onion.
- Make it plant based – use extra firm tofu in place of the chicken, but cut the tofu into cubes so there’s more surface area for the seasoning to get on.
- Add-ins Рcooked white rice to bulk it up, more saut̩ed or fresh vegetables, leafy greens, etc.
- Variations – make my Mexican street corn pasta salad.
Helpful Tips
- If using frozen corn, you’ll need a 16 ounce bag. There’s no need to thaw, it’ll just go directly in the hot skillet.
- If using fresh corn, you’ll need 4 ears of corn.
- When sautéing the corn, you can deglaze the pan by adding a little water to scrape up the flavorful bits (called fond) stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
- The chicken is done when the internal temperature has reached 165ºF.
More Mexican-Inspired Bowls
Did you try these street corn bowls? If so, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Street Corn Bowls With Chicken & Sweet Potato
Mexican-inspired street corn bowls have roasted chicken, tender sweet potatoes, smoky charred corn, and a creamy yet tangy chili lime sauce. Like elote, it has sweet, smoky, creamy, salty, and spicy flavors.
Ingredients
Chicken & Sweet Potatoes
- 1.25 – 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon EACH smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder
- 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt reduce to ½ teaspoon if using anything else
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds orange flesh sweet potatoes peeled (optional) and cut into 1-inch cubes
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Creamy Chili Lime Sauce
- â…” cup mayo or greek yogurt
- zest of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon american chili powder or ancho chili powder both of these are mild
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt reduce to ¼ teaspoon if using any other kind
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Corn
- 3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels don't thaw if using frozen
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt reduce to ¼ teaspoon if using any other kind
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 small or 1 large shallot diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, diced omit if sensitive to spice
For Serving (optional)
- dairy free feta crumbles or cotija cheese if not dairy free
- roughly chopped cilantro
- cooked white rice or another add-in
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
- Prep chicken. Place the chicken thighs in a medium bowl then drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top along with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toss well until the chicken is evenly coated then transfer to an oven safe skillet or baking dish.
- Prep sweet potatoes. Add the cubed sweet potato to a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to combine then spread into an even layer.
- Roast. Place the sweet potatoes and chicken in the oven. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes. Cook the sweet potatoes for 30-35 minutes stirring them half way through.
- Make the sauce. Combine mayo, lime zest, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and cayenne pepper in a bowl until combined. Season to taste with more salt if needed. Set aside.
- Season and sauté corn. Heat a large skillet over medium-medium high heat with olive oil. Once hot, add the corn kernels, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the corn has a nice char and is evenly browned. Add the diced shallot and jalapeno (if using) in the last minute of cooking. Remove from the pan.
- Assemble. Assemble the bowls by adding a layer of roasted sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, charred corn, and a drizzle of sauce over the top. Garnish with crumbled feta or cilantro if desired.
Notes
If using fresh corn, you’ll need 4 ears of corn.
If using frozen corn, you’ll need one 16 oz bag.
See the blog post for more helpful tips and a make it your way section with ideas for substitutions & variations to use what you already have on hand.