Creamy Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad
If you love the flavors of Elote, this chicken Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad is totally going to be part of your lunch rotation. It’s creamy, tangy, a little smoky, and full of texture thanks to crisp veggies, juicy chicken, and corn in every bite. The Greek yogurt and mayo combo keeps things light yet satisfying, while lime, cumin, and chili powder bring that signature elote energy. Quick to toss together, easy to prep ahead, and definitely not your average chicken salad.
A little smoky, a little creamy, very much lunch…
Okay so, I’ve been making this Mexican street corn chicken salad quite a bit lately (just too good to keep to my own kitchen). It’s basically my oh-so-popular elote dip….but turned chicken salad. A little creamy, a little smoky, and just… so good. You can use whatever corn you’ve got (I’ve tested it with canned, frozen, grilled fresh…it all works beautifully), but if you can find fire-roasted, do it! Total flavor boost. If you can’t, it’ll still be so good delicious. Pinky promise.
It all started when I made that edamame chicken salad a few weeks ago and realized how much I love having a veggie-loaded, hearty lunch that serves up the protein and veggies and is ready to go. I took that creamy elote dip for flavor inspo, used a lightened up mix of Greek yogurt and mayo that makes for the perfect creamy base, added cooked chicken and landed on this recipe. Its perfect for eating straight from the bowl with a spoon or scooping up with tortilla chips (okay, the elite way to eat this, IMO)
Oh, and feel free to make it with rotisserie chicken if that’s your vibe or cook your own (I just do mine in the slow cooker). It keeps for days (about 4) in the fridge and its been making sure I have a solid, veggie-loaded lunch to grab in the thick of a busy day.
Let’s make this together. Just you and me…
Creamy Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Creamy Lime Dressing:
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise , or additional yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest, about 1 small lime
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Chicken Corn Salad
- 3 cups cooked and diced chicken breast, about ¾ of a pound after cooking or 3 small chicken breasts. I like to make my own this way.
- 2½ cups fire roasted corn kernels, I've tested this with both canned and frozen. Both work great. You can also use regular frozen corn, but it will be missing that smokey flavor.
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced small
- ½ medium red onion, diced small
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed if you don't want this to be spicy and then finely diced
- ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro
- ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese, can sub feta
Instructions
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Add all the salad ingredients to the large bowl with the whisked dressing. Toss everything together to combine
- Taste the salad and add additional salt and black pepper as needed.
- Serve the salad or refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
- The salad is great as is, but you can also serve it inside a pita or wrap or scoop it up with tortilla chips.
Notes
- Corn: Instead of frozen corn, you can use fresh corn that’s either been steamed or grilled then cut off the cobb. You will need 4 ears of corn.
- To make this dairy-free, you can omit the cheese in the salad and use dairy-free yogurt or all mayo in the dressing.
- If you’d like to add extra veggies, diced cucumber, additional bell pepper, and chopped spinach would work well in the salad. If you are planning on eating the salad that day, diced tomatoes, and avocado would also be great.
This recipe was so easy and delicious. Swapped chili powder for ancho chili powder because its what I had — added a nice smokey flavor that complimented the fire roasted corn. Used Blackstone griddled chicken with Kinders Garlic seasoning which literally could not have been any easier.
Passed the ultimate test: 2 year old and 3.5 year loved it, asked for seconds. Bonus is that they could help make the dressing and prep the veggies. Added tomatoes and served with tortilla chips (because Friday, right?). But will be adding this to the monthly rotation as it’s awesome meal prep, absolutely delicious, and can be customized based on what my little people are eating any given week.
Hi it’s me again, made this recipe again tonight and I liked it even more if that’s even possible. It’s just so freaking amazing. So, thank you. I am so grateful for you! Added lime tortilla chips, served up with a chipotle ranch bagged salad. Have we talked about how awesome this recipe is on the budget, too? OK – I’M DONE OBSESSING. Maybe. HA.
Eliza, this was such a lovely comment to start my day with!! I’m delighted that you are as obsessed with it as I am!
Excellent recipe! Loved it for a light dinner at the pool with chips 🙂
Yay! That sounds like the perfect summer dinner! so glad you loved it! Chips with this one are always a win in my book.
I’ve never taken the time to review a recipe online before, but had to stop and do so for this dish! I made it twice in one week and we devoured it both times-my husband, 6 and 8 year old all loved it and I’ve shared the recipe with friends already! It’s simple, quick, fresh and delicious.
I also look forward to making this as an additional side/meal to bring to families with new babies, life changes, etc. I always like to bring a hot meal for them to eat that night and then something to have in the fridge for later, and this chicken salad is perfect for that!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! I’m so glad this salad was a hit for your whole crew (those 6 and 8-year-old approvals are gold 💛).
And I love how you’re thinking of it as a fridge-friendly gift for new parents or anyone going through a life shift…. that’s exactly the kind of heart-forward, nourishing food I hope my recipes can be. So grateful it’s finding a home in your kitchen and beyond!
This was so delicious. I had most of the ingredients in the house, so it was a quick assembly. I only had two cobs of fresh corn, so cut the recipe in half. Perfect amount for lunch with tortilla chips for us two seniors, plus half of it for lunch tomorrow. I am a freezer meal prepper and had poached a whole chicken, deboned it, and divided it into bags, so it was the perfect amount. Jalapeños in the freezer, too, but I cut back on the amount. No cilantro, ever, in this house, so I added spinach and tomatoes. Finally, no cojita cheese, so used mozzarella I had shredded, in the freezer of course. Great recipe. Over lunch we talked about who we can serve it to. A keeper!
Yay!!! So glad it was such a hit, Barb!💚💚
Such an easy and delicious salad! I made it with a can of black beans and served the chopped chicken on the side due to family preferences and it was a hit! Will definitely be making this recipe often. Thank you!
Hi just wanted to say that it’s cotija cheese not cojita! Lol
Whoops! I appreciate that! Thank you!