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This post is all about how to make my Fried Chicken Street Corn Tacos with bacon and a creamy jalapeño lime ranch. These fried chicken tacos are dripping in flavors that will overwhelm you! Not only is the chicken perfectly seasoned and crunchy, the street corn is crunchy and so addictive. Then you add the creamy, spicy, tangy sauce on top – you’ll be in an absolute heaven!
Smoky, crunchy, tangy, sweet – these tacos are ALL the things! Crispy tender chicken, tangy sweet street corn, spicy creamy sauce, smoky bacon and it’s all wrapped in a pan-fried flour tortilla shell.
These addictively delicious fried chicken tacos start with crunchy, country-fried chicken tenders. I marinade the tenders in pickle juice and buttermilk to ensure they are super tender with a subtle tangy pickle flavor.
This post is all about fried chicken tacos topped with street corn and jalapeño-lime ranch, an absolute fan favorite!
Street Corn Fried Chicken Tacos
This street corn salad is one of the best you’ll ever make – crunchy sweet corn that’s blackened on the stove or grill, scallions, lime zest, a little fresh garlic are just some of the ingredients that make this salad so full of flavor!
One of my favorite elements of this fried chicken taco is the jalapeno lime ranch. This is a sauce that I reuse again and again in my recipes because it’s so flavorful and addictive. This is my copycat version of Chuy’s famous creamy jalapeno. Considering this is what Chuy’s is best known for, it’s no wonder why this sauce works so well on these tacos, or just to enjoy with tortilla chips.
Sometimes you come across a recipe that you HAVE to make. You can’t stop thinking about it, like it almost makes you drool and you can taste it just by looking at photos. I recently made a cheesy brisket version of this taco, Brisket Street Corn tacos but I couldn’t stop thinking about how good this would be with fried chicken instead.
Key ingredients needed:
In this fried chicken tacos recipe, we will be incorporating Street Corn Salad as a topping as well as my Chuy’s Creamy Jalapeno copycat recipe.
Seasonings: cayenne powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dry ranch seasoning, salt, and pepper
Dairy/meat: buttermilk or milk, sour cream, cojita cheese, chicken tenders, bacon
Sauces/Condiments: olive oil, peanut/vegetable oil, mayo, pickled jalapenos, pickle juice,
Produce: Limes, cilantro, scallions, corn on the cob, garlic
My Favorite Tools for these Fried Chicken Tacos
These are some of my favorite tools to make my absolute favorite taco right now – this fried chicken taco.
Metal Tongs – these are an extension of my hands in almost every recipe
Pyrex Mixing Bowls – for mixing up my sauces, corn, and toppings
What if I don’t have time to make the fried chicken?
If you’re looking for a shortcut way to enjoy these tacos, I highly recommend grabbing a to-go order of your favorite chicken tenders from a nearby restaurant. Ideally, you can visit a chicken joint like Slim Chickens, Raising Cane’s, or Gus’, but some chain restaurants also offer good tenders. Longhorn and Red Robin have some of my favorites.
Looking for other popular recipes?
Brisket Street Corn Tacos with Jalapeno Lime Ranch
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Crispy Honey Chicken from PF Changs Copycat Recipe
Roasted Salmon with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce over Mashed Potatoes
Better Than Olive Garden Chicken Scampi Copycat Recipe
The Best General Tso’s Chicken
Did you love this recipe? Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback. Don’t forget to tag me on IG with any photos; @BadBatchBaking and use #BadBatchBaking
Fried Chicken Street Corn Taco with Jalapeno Lime Ranch
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. chicken tenders
- Bacon, cooked crisp and diced 1 strip per taco
- 8 Flour tortillas
- 1 cup prepared Chuy's creamy jalapeno copycat recipe
- 2 cups prepared Street Corn Salad
- lime wedges for serving
Chicken Tender Marinade
- 1 cup pickle juice
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
Chicken Coating
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying chicken and for pan-frying shells
Instructions
Frying Chicken
- Add pickle juice and buttermilk into a medium bowl. Submerge chicken then cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but it’s best if you can let it sit overnight to truly get the flavor of pickle juice.
- Once ready to fry the chicken, put the flour mixture in a medium-sized bowl: flour, cornstarch and seasonings. In a seperate medium bowl, add buttermilk and hot sauce into stir until combined. Add a few tablespoons of the buttermilk into the flour and stir to create crumbs that will stick to the chicken.
- Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or deep fryer. Preheat to 350°F.
- Taking the chicken pieces one at a time, pat them dry from marinade. Place in the flour mixture, then dunk into the buttermilk/hot sauce. Then back into flour mixture, make sure the chicken is well coated. Shake off any excess.
- Set the chicken aside and let it sit for a few minutes until the coating starts to look a little pasty. Use seperate hands for wet and dry handling to prevent flour caking on your fingers.
- Carefully add chicken strips to the fry oil a few at a time. Don't add more than three or four pieces at at time. You will need to fry in batches so you do not overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees, turning every few minutes.
Assemble
- Add a few tablespoons of neutral oil to a skillet over medium low heat. Add tortillas 1-2 at a time and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes or until they are golden brown but still pliable. Place pan-fried shells on a few layers of paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Assemble the taco by adding one chicken tender, a scoop of the street corn salad, and a drizzle of the creamy jalapeno sauce. Serve with lime wedges.
My daughter begs me to make these! So delicious
Absolutely phenomenal. The next day, the leftover chicken crisped up nicely in the air fryer and we enjoyed them again.
Do you recommend sweet or dill pickle juice for the marinade?? making these for Valentine’s Day!
Dill for sure 🙂
Thank you for the fantastic recipe! Husband and I loved them, they had excellent flavor. I was short on time so I used the frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe’s and let it thaw. I also only had Trader Joe’s hot and sweet jalepenos so I used those and instead of that juice I used juice from a jar of Peperoncinis. I’m sure it’s better the original way but I had to make it work. They were so good! So much flavor. I made homemade flour tortillas to go with them. 10/10 highly recommend these tacos. All the flavors were so beautifully balanced!
I LOVE that feedback. Thanks so much girl!!
I have made these twice already and tonight I am making just the street corn salad to go with some enchiladas I am serving tomorrow. My family is still talking about the chicken “pickle” tacos. This recipe is outstanding and will be made regularly.
This was out of this world amazing, one of the best tacos I’ve ever had. Is definitely a keeper!
Thank you so much JoAnne!! I just published a new recipe for a fried chicken big mac taco – it’s also amazing!!
Tasted great
Whole family loved it!
I don’t think I’ve ever left a review for a recipe. And after making & eating this, I truly have no words… there were a lot of expletives said during and after every bite. Just truly incredible. Wow!
Emily, this means so much to me! Thank you for sharing your feedback 🙂
Definitely goes into my recipe collection! I even made all the ingredients the night of, including marinating the chicken while assembling the ranch and corn salsa…. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT MUST TRY ❕❕❕ thank you for sharing
Off the charts fantastic. Made them for a part and they were gone in a flash! They do take time to pull together but well worth it. Thanks for a great recipe.