Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowl (Print)
Grilled chicken and charred corn over fluffy rice with tangy crema and fresh toppings.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 tsp chili powder
04 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
05 - ½ tsp ground cumin
06 - ½ tsp garlic powder
07 - ½ tsp salt
08 - ¼ tsp black pepper
09 - Juice of 1 lime
→ Rice
10 - 1 cup long-grain white rice
11 - 2 cups water
12 - ½ tsp salt
→ Street Corn
13 - 2 cups corn kernels fresh or frozen
14 - 1 tbsp olive oil
15 - ½ tsp smoked paprika
16 - ¼ tsp chili powder
17 - ¼ tsp salt
→ Crema
18 - ½ cup sour cream
19 - 2 tbsp mayonnaise
20 - 1 tbsp lime juice
21 - 1 tsp hot sauce optional
22 - ¼ tsp salt
→ Toppings
23 - ⅓ cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese
24 - ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
25 - 1 small jalapeño thinly sliced optional
26 - Lime wedges
# How To Make:
01 - Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear. Combine rice, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam covered 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
02 - Whisk together olive oil, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lime juice in a bowl. Add chicken breasts and coat evenly. Let marinate at least 10 minutes.
03 - Heat grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Grill chicken 5 to 7 minutes per side until cooked through and juices run clear. Rest 5 minutes, then slice against the grain.
04 - Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn kernels and sauté 3 to 5 minutes until slightly charred. Stir in smoked paprika, chili powder, and salt. Remove from heat.
05 - Whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, hot sauce if using, and salt until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning to taste.
06 - Divide rice among four bowls. Top each with sliced chicken, street corn, drizzle of crema, crumbled cheese, cilantro, jalapeño slices if desired, and a lime wedge. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Everything cooks in about 30 minutes but tastes like it came from a restaurant that cares deeply about flavor layers
- The street corn crema is the kind of sauce you will want to put on everything, not just this bowl
- Each bite hits you with tender chicken, sweet charred corn, creamy tang, and that perfect cotija saltiness
02 -
- I once forgot to let the chicken rest before slicing and all those juices ran right out onto the cutting board
- Letting the rice steam covered off the heat is the difference between fluffy grains and a gummy mess
03 -
- Pat the chicken completely dry before marinating so the spices actually cling instead of sliding off
- Let the crema sit in the fridge for an hour so the flavors can marry and thicken up nicely