My favorite part about the last hurrah of summer is when tomato and corn season finally collide. We’re a little behind everyone else seasonally here, which means local corn just showed up last week!
So to celebrate, I took the now classic Mexican Street Corn, and turned it into an absolutely loaded dinner salad. Picture perfectly spiced grilled chipotle chicken over a bed of greens topped with loads of street corn salad.
Then add in juicy ripe tomatoes, creamy avocado, crumbled Cojita cheese, and it’s all topped off with a fresh and zesty cilantro dressing. Now that’s what I call an end of summer celebration!
The key with the corn is to get a bit of charring going on on the grill. You can char the corn on the stove top, but I find the grill to be much more convenient.
After the corn has cooled enough to handle, you cut the kernels from the cob. A sharp knife really helps with this, but be careful not to cut too deep into the cob because you’ll end up with some tough bits in your salad. My preferred method is to cut where the kernels come away from the cob easily, then using the back side of the knife, I scrape it against the cob to get any extra off.
The cilantro dressing comes together quickly in the blender, but it is one part of this recipe I like to make fresh for the best flavor. You can prep the corn salad ahead, and then lightly rewarm it to room temperature in a pan on the stove. And of course the chicken is marinaded ahead as well, which makes this salad easier when it’s time to make it.
We don’t eat a lot of corn, it’s one of those ‘on occasion’ things for us. But we definitely like to celebrate it when it’s in season. If you can’t have corn at all, you might try making a fresh salsa/pico with tomatoes instead. Or try my Peach Salsa from my Caribbean Jerk Chicken recipe, or my Mango Salsa as a replacement.
Little side note: I hope you won’t be deterred by the list of ingredients in this recipe which is admittedly longer than my usual. Lots of the ingredients overlap, and it’s still really easy to make!
PrintChipotle Chicken Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Description
This Chipotle Chicken Mexican Street Corn Salad is a celebration of summer corn at it’s peak!
Ingredients
Chipotle Chicken:
1 Teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 Teaspoon onion powder/granules
1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon coconut aminos
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
Mexican Street Corn Salad:
4–5 ears of shucked fresh corn, yielding about 2 cups kernels
1 Tablespoon minced jalapeno
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup crumbled Cojita cheese, see notes
1/4 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt, or to your taste
1/2 Teaspoon chili powder
1/4 Teaspoon ground cumin
Salad Ingredients:
12 cups chopped and washed romaine
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 ripe avocado, diced
Optional: thinly sliced jalapeno
Extra crumbled Cojita cheese if desired
Cilantro Dressing:
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup avocado oil
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt, or to your taste
Instructions
For the chipotle chicken, combine the chipotle chili powder, onion powder, cumin, and coconut aminos until combined. Add the chicken thighs/breasts and turn to coat them completely. Place a lid on the container, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but overnight is more flavorful.
When you’re ready to make the salad, preheat the grill over medium high heat until a temperature between 400-450ºF is reached. Place the ears of corn on the grill and turn every couple of minutes as the sides begin to char. You’re looking for a nice dark brown, almost but not black color to be appearing on some of the kernels before you rotate the ear of corn. This whole process takes about 6-8 minutes.
When the corn is done, remove the ears from the grill, and set them aside to cool a bit. Meanwhile turn the grill down to medium to maintain a temperature of around 350ºF. Grill the chicken, 6-8 minutes per side for your averaged sized chicken thighs, and around 8-12 minutes per side for chicken breasts, (chicken always varies in cooking time because they’re never the same size).
While the chicken grills, add all the ingredients for the street corn salad into a bowl, except for the corn. When the grilled corn is cool enough to handle, stand 1 ear at a time on the cutting board on the flat end. Use a sharp knife to cut the kernels away from the cob, being careful not to cut too deeply into the cob which is tough. Add the kernels to the salad. Mix to combine, taste test and adjust the salt as necessary, and set it aside.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the grill and set it aside while you finish making the salad.
In a large serving bowl, add in the romaine, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and optional jalapeno and Cojita cheese.
To make the cilantro dressing add the cilantro, garlic, and lime juice to the blender. Blend starting on low and working up to speeds 3-4 on a Vitamix. When the mixture is still chunky, start adding in the avocado oil in a thin steady stream with the blender running. Keep blending until all the oil has been added, and the dressing is emulsified. Add sea salt to taste, and blend again just to combine.
When the chicken has cooled a bit, cut it into strips or bite sized pieces, and add it to the serving bowl. From here you can serve it all separately, or add the street corn salad and cilantro dressing to the serving bowl, and toss before serving.
Notes
I use feta cheese in place of the Mexican Cojita when it’s not available. It’s a different flavor, but it works well here.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 20
LOVE LOVE LOVE tomatoes + corn! Thanks for the super recipe. Also appreciate the tip re feta to use instead of cotija if not available. I need to search the markets in town to find as I’ve not found yet at grocers.. YUM!!
Me too, it’s my favorite combo during the late summer season!
I really think I could eat this every day! So simple, beautiful, and healthy! And all those wonderful south-of-the-border flavors I love so much!! Thanks for another heavenly recipe!
Thank you, and I sure hope you get to enjoy it sometime!
This sounds delicious! And your food photography skills are really great!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!