These Mexican Street Corn Tacos with Cajun Chicken use the best end of summer produce for a spectacular twist on taco night!
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How to make this recipe
- While BBQ is prehearing, soak corn cobs in water.
- Marinate chicken for 10 minutes and add to grill.
- Prepare veggies and toppings.
- Brush corn with olive oil and grill. Let corn cool after cooking and toss with sour cream, feta, lime juice, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- Brush corn tortillas with olive oil then grill for 2-3 min.
- Add chicken, bell peppers, street corn and red onion to tortillas.
- Garnish with toppings of your choice. Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Corn tortillas – flour tortillas can also be used.
- Red pepper – use any colour of bell pepper that you prefer.
- Green pepper – use any colour of bell pepper that you prefer.
- Tomatoes – use fresh, seeded and diced tomatoes. Roma tomatoes will be best for this recipe but you can use whichever you have on hand.
- Red onion – yellow or white onion can be used to substitute the red onion.
Cajun Chicken
- Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs can be used for this recipe. Any ground meat can also be used.
- Olive oil – substitute olive oil with any neutral oil such as grapeseed oil, canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Chili powder – paprika, cayenne or crushed chili flakes are great alternatives to chili powder.
- Lime juice – use fresh or bottled lime juice. Lemon juice can also be used in a pinch.
- Paprika – cajun spice, crushed chili flakes, chili powder or chipotle powder can substitute paprika.
- Cumin – ground coriander, curry powder or garam masala can also be used in place of cumin.
- Garlic powder – onion powder, garlic salt or fresh garlic can be used to replace garlic powder.
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Street Corn
- Corn on the cob – corn on the cob is best since it will be barbecued. Use any variation that you please.
- Olive oil – any neutral oil or butter can be used to replace olive oil.
- Sour cream – a protein-packed alternative to sour cream would be plain and unsweetened Greek yogurt. For an authentic street corn taste, use mayo.
- Crumbled feta – use cotija cheese for a more authentic street corn experience
- Lime juice – use fresh or bottled lime juice. Lemon juice can also be used in a pinch.
- Chili powder – taco seasoning, paprika or cayenne pepper can be used in place of chili powder
- Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic is recommended. Use garlic powder in a punch.
- Cilantro (to garnish)
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Garnishes – use as many or as little as you please and feel free to swap out for other desired garnishes.
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Jalapeno
- Salsa
- Sour cream
What is Mexican Street Corn made from?
Mexican street corn, also known as elote, is a summer staple! It's essentially corn on the cob that has been barbecued or grilled and then slathered with a combination of tangy and creamy flavours! It is traditionally served as corn on the cob by street vendors as a snack or in restaurants as a side dish but it is also eaten as corn kernels.
Whether it's served on the cob or as kernels, to the corn, make your elote by adding mayonnaise (I'm using sour cream), cotija cheese, lime juice and a variety of spices to kick up the flavour!
What makes these tacos a street taco?
Street tacos are different from the popular “taco night” taco. It has grilled meats served on a soft corn tortilla and is topped with fresh veggies (ex: onions and tomatoes, not lettuce). Street tacos are a smaller serving so they make the perfect snack between meals or the perfect accompaniment to cocktail hour.
Storing and reheating
I suggest storing the chicken separate from the tortillas, corn and toppings so you can reheat it separately. When you're ready to enjoy the dish, sprinkle a bit of water over the chicken to prevent it from drying out, then reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. While it is heating, warm up your corn tortilla and then assemble your tacos fresh from there.
Freezing the chicken
If you have leftover chicken, freeze it for later! You can either freeze the extra chicken raw or cooked. Place the room temperature cooked chicken in an airtight container and store for up to four months. When ready to enjoy, thaw it overnight in the fridge and then microwave it or reheat it in the oven.
If you are freezing raw chicken, you can freeze it as is or marinated for the next time you create this dish! Freeze marinated chicken in a freezer bag or an airtight container . When you're ready to enjoy the chicken, move from the freezer to the fridge overnight and then follow cooking instructions in the recipe card!
More taco recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls for storing the leftovers
- I get all chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen
- Get these metal taco holders for easy assembly – they can be used to heat tacos into the oven too!
Mexican Street Corn Tacos with Cajun Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1/2 red pepper diced
- 1/2 green pepper diced
- 2 tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1/2 small red onion diced
Cajun Chicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Street Corn
- 4 cobs of corn cooked and cut off cob
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Garnishes
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Jalapeno
- Salsa
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat BBQ to med-high heat and soak corn cobs for 15 minutes in a bowl of water.
- Marinate chicken in olive oil and seasonings for 10 min. Add to grill once preheated and cook for 20 min until chicken is fully cooked.
- Meanwhile, prepare other veggies and toppings. Brush corn with olive oil and grill for 10-12 min. Remove and let cool, then cut all the corn off the cob and place into a large bowl. Toss with sour ceam, feta, lime juice, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- Brush corn tortillas with olive oil then grill for 2-3 min.
- Add chicken, bell peppers, street corn and red onion to tortillas in that order. Garnish with toppings of your choice and enjoy!
Nutrition
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