Our super easy Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowl is the perfect summer night dinner all in one bowl! Made with real, simple ingredients, like grilled chicken, flavorful Mexican street corn, & fresh cilantro on a fluffy rice base. Perfect for enjoying on the backyard patio with a skinny margarita in hand!
The Best Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bowl
Several times a summer our family loves making a big batch of Mexican Street Corn Salad! It is the perfect summer side dish that goes with just about everything. Those light & refreshing flavors are out of this world! Typically, we make a double batch so that we have plenty of leftovers to make Mexican Street Corn Burgers, Steak Tacos, and these chicken rice bowls. It’s a great way to make one recipe that can be used in so many different ways! Top them any way you want for the bowl of your dreams!
Looking for another rice bowl recipe? You have to try our Chili Lime Shrimp Rice Bowl or our Summer Salmon Rice Bowl!
What You Will Need
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts – we love using chicken breasts for this easy recipe, but you could also use chicken thighs, if you prefer.
- chicken marinade – feel free to pick-up your favorite store-bought marinade from the grocery store or take 5 minutes and make our easy homemade chicken marinade – so good!
- fresh corn on the cob – this is a summer staple every year! You could also warm up frozen corn, but it just doesn’t have the same flavor.
- mayo – the creaminess that brings the whole Mexican street corn salad together!
- feta cheese & cotija cheese – a perfect cheese combination, but feel free to use dairy-free feta cheese if that’s more your thing.
- cilantro – a fresh herb that always has a light & refreshing flavor.
- fresh lime juice – a little bit of acidity to really amplify all the flavors.
- garlic – everything is always better with some garlic in the mix.
- chili powder, paprika, kosher salt, & ground black pepper – simple seasonings that are classic flavors for any homemade Mexican street corn salad.
- red onion – great for some mild onion flavor.
- cooked rice – feel free to use any of your favorite rice varieties, like jasmine rice, basmati rice, brown rice, quinoa, etc.
- black beans – one of our toppings and if you are looking for some added flavor you can try our seasoned black beans.
- other optional toppings: cherry tomatoes, sliced jalapeno, lime wedges, sour cream, & avocado.
How To Make Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowls
The first step to making this easy recipe is to marinate the chicken breasts in a shallow dish for about 15 minutes (or up to an hour).
Then place your marinated chicken on the hot grates of a preheated grill to cook over direct heat for 4-6 minutes each side. Then move to indirect heat and let them finish cooking for 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the chicken reaches 160 degrees F.
While the chicken is cooking you can start gathering the fresh ingredients to make the Mexican Street Corn Salad.
Since the grill is already hot, it’s the perfect time to cook the eats of corn. First, rub down each ear of corn with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and then cook directly on the grill for 10-12 minutes. For best results, make sure you turn them occasionally.
Now, carefully cut the corn kernels off of the cob and mix them in a large bowl with the other street corn salad ingredients.
When all of the rice bowl components are ready, you can assemble them. Place some cooked rice on the bottom and top with chicken, street corn, and any other toppings you want!
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram account for some behind-the-scenes action! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowl
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Description
Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowl – a delicious, flavorful summer rice bowl with marinated chicken and street corn salad!
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken:
- 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 batch chicken marinade
Mexican Street Corn Salad:
- 2 cups grilled corn (approx. 3–4 cobs of corn)
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1–2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Other Rice Bowl Options + Toppings (build your own):
- 4 cups rice of your choice, cooked
- black beans
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- jalapeño slices
- lime wedges
- additional fresh cilantro leaves
- sour cream
- 1–2 avocado, sliced
Instructions
Grilled Chicken:
- Combine Chicken Marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken breasts in a shallow baking dish or other glass container. Pour marinade over top and ensure they are fully coated. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes (or up to an hour).
- Heat grill to medium heat (approximately 400/450 degrees F).
- Remove chicken from marinade (let excess drip off) and place chicken on direct heat (direct flame) and cook at medium heat for 4-6 minutes per side.
- Move chicken away from the direct heat (direct flame) so that it is cooking on indirect heat (maintaining the same grill temp) and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes (you don’t need to flip during this part because the chicken will cook as if it is in an oven) or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reads 160 degrees F on your meat thermometer.
- Remove from grill and let rest at least 5 minutes so the juices can redistribute (the chicken will continue to cook during this time and the internal temp will continue to rise up to 10 additional degrees). Chicken is safe to eat when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F (at thickest part of the breast).
- Cut into slices or cubes.
Street Corn Salad:
- Heat grill to 450 degrees F. Place clean, shucked ears of sweet corn on a plate or baking sheet. Very lightly drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands to massage oil into each ear of corn. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
- Grill on direct, high heat for a total of 10-12 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes with grill tongs. Remove when corn is slightly charred. Let cool slightly and then use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels of corn.
- Combine corn, mayo, feta, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper red onions and cotija cheese in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Taste and add additional lime juice, chili powder, feta or any other ingredient, as desired.
Build Your Bowl:
- Between four bowls divide your rice, chicken and street corn salad.
- Top with additional fresh cilantro, jalapeño slices and any of the other topping options you want!
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Dairy-Free: you can easily use a dairy-free feta in place of the reg. feta and cotija cheese.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 625
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 457.3 mg
- Fat: 22.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 69.4 g
- Protein: 35.6 g
- Cholesterol: 106.3 mg
Laura Thomason says
This recipe turned out amazing! I prepped everything in the morning, including marinating the chicken, so I would only need to cook the rice and the chicken after work. I did add fresh cilantro and lime to the rice after cooking, but the rest of recipe was yours. This will be a go to meal in the future!
Bryn says
The street corn salad was very good. The chicken just tasted like soy sauce, which didn’t seem to match the rest of the flavors. I did marinate it for a couple hours. Overall, very good.
Kelli Prater says
Hi! Making this tonight! Is this a cold or warm dish? Thanks!
Erin says
Hi Kelli! I normally serve it warm, but if you make the street corn salad ahead and add that on cold, that works too!
Kim says
I made this a couple of weeks ago and everyone loved it! I’m making it again, but would like to make the street corn salad ahead of time. Should I keep all ingredients separate then mix prior to eating, or can I ombine everything, refrigerate then serve the following day?
Erin says
Hi Kim! You can make the street corn salad the day before and it should be just fine – glad you enjoyed this one!
Kim says
Thank you!
Erin says
Of course!
Laura A Thomason says
I stored everything separate so everyone could make their own bowl.
Briana Priester says
This recipe is absolutely delicious, even my selective 5yo loved it! We’ll be adding it to our favorites rotation.
We added a chopped jalapeño to a frozen bag of corn and gave it a tiny char in the cast iron since we don’t have a grill.
Bridget Montag says
Love that idea and glad that everyone loved it! Thanks Briana!
Emily says
This was excellent! I have a hard time finding recipes that my family of 5 all like, and this was a hit with everyone. I will definitely be adding this to our normal rotation!
Bridget Montag says
So glad that everyone liked it! Thank you for your review!
Cheryl says
Made this few minutes ago. This street corn is so tasty! We’re always looking for new side dishes to serve friends and this will certainly be in the rotation! Thank you so much.
Bridget Montag says
So glad that you liked it! Thanks for leaving a review, Cheryl!
Jeanine Nelson says
Very good and didn’t raise my sugar levels this is a keeper
Bridget Montag says
Glad you liked it Jeanine! Thank you for leaving a review.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
Melanie says
This was an easy and very delicious meal! My family LOVED it. The street corn salad made this meal perfect! It was so good we will be adding it to our list of favorites.
Robin Giese says
Third time I have made this recipe! Today, I am only making the Mexican corn portion as a side dish for Father’s Day. Absolutely love it! Perfect flavorings, and next time I make the bowl, I will put Grilled shrimp in it. Thanks again.
Carolynn Strom says
Perfect summer meal with family!
Erin says
Yay!! So happy to hear that, Carolynn! Thanks so much taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!
Jennifer Cornett says
Where do you find the cotija cheese? Looked at two of my local groceries and didn’t find it so used feta instead.
Delish!
Erin says
Hi Jennifer! I find it at my local grocery store, but a lot of times Target actually has it! Feta is a great substitute though!
Mariah says
Can you eat this cold? I’m hoping to bring for lunch but don’t have access to a microwave. I also live in an apartment and don’t have access to a grill! Would canned corn work?
Erin says
Hi Mariah! You can definitely eat this cold if you want to or if you are just having it as leftovers. And yes, canned corn definitely works in a pinch!
Suann says
I air fry my corn instead of grilling it!
Erin says
Love that idea!
Robin Giese says
Aldi carries it- Queso Fresco
Stacey K says
Incredible recipe. I will be making these tomorrow.
Hannah says
Hi
I made this last night and it was delicious! Just one question though about the leftovers……we have a little bit of the corn mixture left which I put in the fridge. Do I warm that back up when I make another bowl from the leftovers? Or do I just eat it cold. I wasn’t sure about earning it up since there is mayo in the mixture…….but when I originally mixed it together the corn was warm……so I don’t know.
Erin says
Hi Hannah! So glad you enjoyed these – yeah, I usually just eat any leftover corn salad cold and don’t warm it up – hope that helps!