Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad - Chelsea's Messy Apron (2024)

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This Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad is the perfect mash-up of two of the all-time best recipes — Mexican Street Corn (Elote) and Chicken Salad! Tender chicken, smoky, charred corn, creamy avocado, and crisp peppers get tossed in a chili-lime dressing and slathered on bread — doesn’t get much better than this!

Love chicken salad? Try our other tasty variations like these:Honey Mustard Chicken Salad Sandwiches,Pesto Chicken Salad, or Curry Chicken Salad.

Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad

I love Mexican Street Corn flavors! Whether it’s in this pasta salad, Loaded Sweet Potatoes, or Chicken Corn Chowder, I can’t get enough. Today, i’m bringing those flavors into a chicken salad. I’ll never say no to a chicken salad sandwich, especially when it satisfies my street corn cravings!

This Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad is bursting with flavor and contrasting textures, from crispy corn to creamy avocados. The chili-lime dressing, made with spices, fresh lime juice, and mayo, perfectly complements the smoky charred corn.

And don’t worry about needing fresh sweet corn for this salad – we’ve got plenty of options so you can enjoy it any time of year!

Let’s talk corn

There are several different options for preparing the corn for Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad.

• Frozen Corn: Heat a large skillet on medium-high for 3-4 minutes. Add frozen corn in a single layer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned. Once charred, let it cool before adding to the salad.
• Fresh Corn: Grill corn on the cob until lightly charred. Peel back husks, remove silk, rub with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill at 400-450°F, rotating every 3-4 minutes for about 12 minutes. Once grilled, cut off the cob and let cool before adding to the salad.
• Roasted Canned Corn: Use 3 cups of drained roasted canned corn. Look for it near regular canned corn in the store.
• Regular Canned Corn: Heat a skillet on medium-high for 3-4 minutes. Drain canned corn, add to the skillet in a single layer, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned. Once charred, let it cool before adding to the salad.

Other Ingredients In This Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad

• Chicken: Use pre-cooked and seasoned chicken, like rotisserie chicken from the store. Or try our grilled chicken recipe (our top pick!), and save some for this salad.
• Avocado: A ripe avocado is key—it gives great texture and flavor. Check if it’s ripe by gently pressing it (like touching your nose).
• Fresh herbs: Cilantro and green onions add awesome flavors and a hint of citrus. If you’re not into cilantro, just use more green onions.
• Jalapeño: Wear gloves to avoid getting spicy jalapeño on your hands. Remove the ribs and seeds before dicing. If you want less spice, skip the jalapeños. Or add more for extra kick!
• Red bell pepper: It adds sweetness, crunch, and color. You can swap it for orange or yellow pepper if you like.

Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad Dressing Tips

The best part is you don’t need to make the dressing in a separate bowl — simply add it all on top of the salad ingredients and mix it in. Below are a few quick tips:

• I love Hellman’s/Best Foods® mayonnaisefor its rich flavor that isn’t too sweet.
• The dressing has a hint of spiciness. To make it milder, use less Sriracha/hot sauce and consider McCormick® seasonings which are mild. Note: reducing spice might lessen the salad’s overall flavor.
• Want more heat? Add 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
• For the dressing, you’ll need lime juice and zest. If you use citrus often, having a good citrusjuicer andmini grater is really handy!

Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad Serving Suggestions

• Croissants: My favorite way to enjoy this salad is on buttery croissant rolls. Just add lettuce, pile on the chicken salad, and enjoy!
• Toasted Bread: Another tasty option is to spread this salad on toasted slices of whole wheat bread.
• Tostada: Kids love to eat this salad on a crispy tostada shell. Spread some guacamole on the shell, then load it up with the Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad.
• With Chips: Serve this salad in a big bowl with a side of corn chips for a delicious crunch.
• Cheese Topping: No matter how you serve it, don’t forget to add a sprinkle of cheese on top. For an authentic Mexican Street Corn flavor, try Cotija cheese, usually found near specialty cheeses in the grocery store.

More Easy Rotisserie Chicken Recipes

• Rotisserie Chicken Stir-Frywith frozen stir-fry veggies
• Chicken Shawarma Wrapswith the best Tzatzikisauce
• Rotisserie Chicken Recipesthree comfort-food inspired dinners made with one chicken
• Coconut Chicken and Rice with a tasty cilantro sauce
• Rotisserie Chicken Tacoswith the best seasoning blend!

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Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad

5 from 7 votes

- Review this recipe

This Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad is a mash-up of two all-time best recipes -- Mexican Street Corn (Elote) and Chicken Salad! Tender chicken, smoky, charred corn, creamy avocado, and crisp peppers get tossed in a chili-lime dressing and slathered on bread -- doesn't get much better than this!

Print Recipe

Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad

See Also

Best Chicken Bake Recipe

5 from 7 votes

- Review this recipe

Print Recipe

This Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad is a mash-up of two all-time best recipes -- Mexican Street Corn (Elote) and Chicken Salad! Tender chicken, smoky, charred corn, creamy avocado, and crisp peppers get tossed in a chili-lime dressing and slathered on bread -- doesn't get much better than this!

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Chelsea Lords

Calories 288kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $8.94

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 cups frozen corn (Note 1)
• ▢ 3 cups diced rotisserie chicken
• ▢ 1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
• ▢ 1/4 cup each: finely chopped cilantro, green onions (Note 2)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeño, optional
• ▢ 1 large ripe avocado, diced (Note 3)

Dressing

• ▢ 1/2 cup full-fat mayo (Note 4)
• ▢ 1-2 large juicy limes (Note 5)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon each: chili powder, paprika
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Sriracha or hot sauce
• ▢ Salt & Pepper
• ▢ For serving: croissants or sandwich bread & lettuce OR chips/tostada shells, Cotija cheese (Note 6)

US - Metric

Instructions

• CORN:See Note 1.

• CHICKEN SALAD: Add all the salad ingredients and all the dressing ingredients to a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.) Gently stir until well combined and serve immediately.

• SERVING: See Note 6. However you chose to serve this chicken salad, we like adding a sprinkle of cotija right on top of the chicken salad!

• STORAGE: Without the avocado, this salad stores really nicely in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you'd like to store leftovers, store salad and avocado separately. Or simply omit the avocado.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Corn: Several different options for corn preparation:

• Use frozen corn and here's how to prepare it:Heat a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until very hot. Place corn in a single layer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once in between or until browned. Avoid stirring too often as this will keep the corn from getting a good roast. Once nicely charred, remove from skillet onto a plate to let cool before adding to the salad.
• Grill fresh corn on the cob until lightly charred all over. To grill corn: Peel back husks and remove the silk. Rub vegetable or olive oil on all sides of the corn and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place on heated grill (400-450 degrees F) and rotate every 3-4 minutes or until charred and corn is easily pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes total. (This also works on a grill pan!) Once grilled, cut off the cob and set corn on a plate to let cool before adding to the salad.
• Buypre-roasted canned corn (near regular canned corn in the grocery store) and use 3 cups of that (thoroughly drained).
• Buyregular canned corn and roast it for a few minutes on the stovetop. Heat a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until very hot. Drain corn and place in a single layer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once in between or until browned. Avoid stirring too often as this will keep the corn from getting a good roast. Once nicely charred, remove from skillet onto a plate to let cool before adding to the salad.

Note 2: Cilantro and green onions: If you aren't a fan of one or the other of these herbs, just leave them out -- no changes necessary. For each measurement, measure the 1/4 cup after chopping/thinly slicing.

Note 3: Avocado: A ripe avocado adds such a nice creaminess so ensure the avocado is ripe before preparing this salad. Add the avocado in last to keep it from browning/changing texture.

Note 4: Mayo: The mayo makes a big difference -- get a good quality, full-fat mayo. We love Hellman's/Best Foods the best in this recipe.

Note 5: Lime: We'll need 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice + 1/4 teaspoon lime zest.

Note 6: Serving suggestions: Several different options for enjoying this salad:

• On croissants: My personal favorite way to serve this salad is on big, buttery croissant rolls. Add in some lettuce, pile on the chicken salad, and devour!
• On toasted bread: Another way we've enjoyed this salad is on toasted slices of hearty whole wheat bread.
• Piled on a Tostada: My boys' favorite way to eat this salad is on a tostada shell. Slather some guacamole right on top of the tostada then top with loads of the Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad. Purchase Tostada Shells or make your own by following the recipe here: Bean Tostadas
• With chips: Another favorite way we've eaten this salad is with corn chips. Serve the salad in a big bowl with a bag of chips and go to town!

Note 7: Calories only include the filling, calories of the bread will vary.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.4g | Protein: 12.9g | Fat: 23.3g | Cholesterol: 55.6mg | Sodium: 99.6mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7.7g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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