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Street Corn Chicken Tacos

Street corn chicken tacos with juicy spiced chicken and charred corn in a creamy chili-lime dressing. Warm tortillas overflow with elote-style street corn, cotija crumbles, and a tajin-lime finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting 5 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken thighs
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
Taco seasoning
  • 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
Tortillas
  • 8 small corn or flour tortillas Warm before assembling.
Corn kernels
  • 2 cup corn kernels Char in a dry skillet until blistered.
Creamy street corn dressing
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Cheese
  • 0.5 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Serving toppings
  • 0.25 Tajin Dust to taste on top.
  • 0.25 fresh cilantro Sprinkle over tacos.
  • 0.25 lime wedges Serve alongside for squeezing.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the spiced chicken
  1. Season the boneless skinless chicken thighs with taco seasoning, then heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the thighs to the skillet and cook 5-6 minutes per side until cooked through to 165°F, turning once for even browning.
  3. Transfer the chicken to a plate, rest 5 minutes, then slice or shred for filling.
Char the corn
  1. Char the corn kernels in a dry cast iron skillet over high heat for 4-5 minutes until blistered.
  2. Set the charred corn kernels aside while you mix the dressing.
Make the street corn mixture
  1. Stir together mayonnaise, Mexican crema or sour cream, lime juice, and chili powder until smooth.
  2. Fold the charred corn kernels into the chili-lime dressing to coat evenly.
Warm tortillas and assemble
  1. Warm the small corn or flour tortillas in a dry skillet or over an open flame until pliable.
  2. Fill each tortilla with sliced chicken and a generous spoonful of the street corn mixture.
  3. Top with crumbled cotija, dust with Tajin, and finish with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Notes

For maximum char flavor, let the skillet fully preheat before blistering the corn, and dry the corn kernels so they sear instead of steam. Store assembled tacos covered in the refrigerator up to 2 days, but keep tortillas separate if possible for best texture. Freeze chicken and street corn mixture separately up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge and reheat, then warm tortillas fresh. For a lower-fat option, swap mayonnaise and Mexican crema/sour cream for light versions and use reduced-fat cotija.