Mexican Street Corn Chicken
This one takes the flavours of Mexican street corn — charred corn, lime, feta, a bit of heat — and turns them into a proper meal prep. Smoky spiced chicken thighs, a creamy corn and jalapeño salad, and coriander lime rice underneath it all.
Everything’s timed around the chicken, since it’s the slowest part. Rice goes on once the chicken hits the oven, corn gets charred while the rice rests, and the salad comes together while the chicken finishes under the grill. Thirty-five minutes start to finish.
The corn salad keeps its char and crunch better added cold, so build it fresh after everything else is done and let the chicken and rice do the reheating on their own.
Mexican Street Corn Chicken
CHICKEN · MEAL PREP · MEDIUM
Real Char, No Grill Required
Canned corn usually just gets warmed through, but drying it properly and hitting it in a hot, dry pan gets you the same blistered char you'd get off a barbecue — no outdoor grill needed.
The salad skips mayo for Greek yogurt and feta instead, so it's creamy without being heavy, and the lime and jalapeño keep it sharp rather than rich.
Three components, one timeline. The chicken bakes while the rice cooks, the corn chars while the rice rests, and the salad comes together while the chicken finishes under the grill — nothing sits around waiting.
Mexican Street Corn Chicken Meal Prep
Ingredients
Chicken
- 15 ml Olive Oil
- 1 kg Chicken Thighs Boneless & Skinless
- 12 g Smoked Paprika
- 8 g Ground Cumin
- 8 g Garlic Powder
- 8 g Onion Powder
- 2 g Dried Oregano
- 3 g Chilli Powder or Flakes Optional
- Salt & Pepper
Charred Corn Salad
- 400 g Sweet Corn Kernels Drained
- 1 Red Onion Diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (Capsicum) Diced
- 1 Jalapeño Diced
- 200 g Plain Greek Yogurt
- 75 g Feta Cheese Crumbled
- 1 Bunch Coriander (Cilantro) Chopped
- 1 Lime Juiced
Coriander Lime Rice
- 300 g Basmati Rice Washed
- 600 ml Cold Water
- 1 Lime Juiced
- Coriander (Cilantro) Chopped
- Salt To Taste
Method
- Combine the chicken with the salt, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and chilli powder (if using), then mix through the olive oil until evenly coated. Lay onto a lined sheet pan and bake at 200°C (390°F) for 16 minutes. This is the slowest part of the recipe, so get it in first and build everything else around it.
- While the chicken bakes, rinse the basmati rice under cold water until it runs mostly clear. Add it to a saucepan with the water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce to low and cook for 12 minutes — this times out almost exactly with the chicken. Remove from the heat and rest, covered, for 4 minutes, then stir through the coriander and lime juice.
- While the rice rests, pat the drained corn dry with paper towel — canned corn holds extra moisture, and wet corn will steam instead of char. Heat a large dry pan over high heat with no oil, add the corn and let it sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until properly charred and blistered. Toss and repeat until evenly charred, then remove from the heat.
- Once the chicken's 16 minutes are up, switch the oven to grill/broil and cook for a further 5-6 minutes, until charred at the edges and cooked through to an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). While it's under the grill, combine the charred corn, red onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, Greek yogurt, feta, coriander and lime juice in a large bowl and mix until creamy and well combined.
- Rest the chicken for 5 minutes, then slice or chop. Divide the rice between 5 containers, top with the chicken and a generous scoop of the street corn salad.
