If you love the bold, creamy, tangy flavors of Mexican street corn (elote), you’re going to love it even more in bowl form. These Mexican Street Corn Bowls are easy to make, super customizable, and packed with satisfying texture and flavor. Perfect as a light lunch, side dish, or build-your-own dinner, they’re naturally gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free and paleo with a few simple swaps.
Whether you're meal prepping for the week or pulling together a quick dinner, this bowl delivers all the street corn flavor in a nutritious, fork-friendly way.
Ingredients
- Chicken
- Greek Yogurt
- Limes
- Salt
- Garlic Cloves
- Rice
- Avocado Oil
- Corn
- Red Onion
- Cilantro
- Mayonnaise
- Sour Cream
- Cotija Cheese
- Chipotle Powder
I like to use my Whole30 Mayo for this recipe! It's got all clean ingredients and no seed oils!
Swaps and Substitutions
- Corn: Use frozen roasted corn for extra flavor or swap for grilled fresh corn when in season.
- Protein: Try some turkey or steak.
- High Protein: Instead of sour cream use ricotta or cottage cheese.
- Dairy-free: Use just paleo mayo (or homemade one) for the sauce base without any sour cream and skip the cheese or use a dairy-free alternative.
- Low-carb: Swap rice for cauliflower rice or chopped romaine to turn it into a salad-style bowl.
- Spice level: Adjust the amount of chipotle powder or add a diced jalapeno based on your heat preference.
- Base: Use roasted potatoes instead of the rice.
- Cooking Method: You don't have to air fry the chicken-fry you can also bake or sauté it if that's what you prefer!
How to Make
- Marinate the chicken: assemble the marinade and the chicken and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the food.
- Prepare the rice: use your preferred method!
- Cook the corn: Preheat oil in a skillet over medium and add the corn and chipotle. Sauté until it’s slightly charred, then set aside.
- Make the dressing: Combine the mayo, sour cream, lime juice, chipotle powder, and salt.
- Cook the chicken: Air fry the chicken on 390F for 4 minutes, flip, then air fry an additional 4 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165F!
- Mix the street corn topping: Once the chicken and corn are warm and NOT hot, combine them with half of the dressing.
- Assemble: Start with rice, then top each bowl with the street corn mixture, a sprinkle of cheese, and your additional toppings. Serve with the sauce and enjoy!
Additional Toppings
Here's some ideas to take these bowls up a notch:
- Green Onions
- Chopped Bacon
- Pickled Cactus
- More Cilantro
- Sliced Avocado
Top Tip
Pick at least one of the additional toppings! All of them make it fabulous but at least doing one will kick things up.
Storage and Reheating
Store each component (base, chicken, and street corn mixture) separately in airtight containers.
Reheat the bowls in the microwave or on an oven safe dish at 350F until heated through. Only heat the chicken, rice, and corn, then assemble the toppings after heating.
These bowls also work well served cold for an easy meal-prep lunch.
Mexican Street Corn Bowls
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Dry Rice cooked according to package directions
For the chicken
- 1.5 lbs. Chicken breast
- ¼ cup Greek Yogurt
- Lime juiced
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 3 Garlic Cloves diced
For the corn
- 1 tsp. Avocado Oil
- 1 16 oz. Corn
- ¼ tsp. Chipotle Powder
For the dressing
- ½ cup Mayo
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ½ tsp. Chipotle Powder split
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 1 Lime juiced
Toppings and Mix-ins
- ½ bunch Cilantro chopped
- 1 Red Onion chopped
- 1 Red Pepper sliced
- Cotija Cheese for topping
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Chop the raw chicken into bite sized pieces and add to the mixture. Let it sit while you prepare the rest of the food.
- Prepare the rice using your preferred method on the package.
- For the corn, heat a teaspoon of oil a skillet over medium and add the corn and chipotle powder. Sauté until it’s slightly charred, about 10 minutes stirring frequently, then set aside.
- Next is the dressing! Combine the mayo, sour cream, lime juice, chipotle powder, and salt.
- Mix the street corn topping: In a bowl, combine corn, half of the dressing, red onion, jalapeño (if using), and cilantro.
- After everything is ready, it's time to cook the chicken! Air fry the chicken on 390F for 4 minutes, flip, then air fry an additional 4 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165F!
- Prepare veggies, other toppings, or bacon while it cooks.
- Once the corn and chicken are warm and NOT hot, combine them with about ½-3/4 of the dressing and stir to combine.
- Finally it's time to assemble: start with rice and greens, then top each bowl with the street corn mixture, your toppings and cheese, and a final dollop of the dressing. Enjoy!
More Mexican Inspired Recipes
- Mexican Taco Pasta
- Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Gluten Free Chicken Fajitas
- Fried Chicken Tacos
Did you try this recipe? Let me know in the comments and rating below how it turned out!
Leave a Reply