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These Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowls feature juicy blackened chicken atop a bed of rice with sweet and tangy street corn and a drizzle of creamy jalapeño dressing. Quick and easy to assemble, they’re perfect for meal prep!
Love chicken rice bowls? Try these Greek Chicken Bowls next for a fresh and flavorful Mediterranean-inspired meal.
Behind These Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowls
I am obsessed with these street corn chicken rice bowls. They combine a few things I already LOVE, like my Chuy’s creamy jalapeño sauce and street corn salad, and add them to a bowl of blackened chicken and rice. Add a few Tex-Mex toppings, and you have the most flavorful rice bowl in existence. (In fact, I loved the Chuy’s + street corn combo so much that I added it to my brisket tacos and fried chicken tacos!)
Every bite of these street corn chicken rice bowls delivers on flavor and texture. Think juicy blackened chicken, crunchy charred corn, salty cotija cheese, creamy dressing, perfectly ripe avocado, smoky heat from the jalapeño peppers, and fresh lime. It’s packed with bold ingredients that work so well together.
This rice bowls recipe is made for easy meal prep, perfect if you’re looking for delicious make-ahead lunches for the week. I include my full meal prep instructions below, but basically, assemble the bowls and keep the dressing on the side. So easy!
Tips from My Kitchen
Here are a few general suggestions for making these Mexican elote-inspired chicken rice bowls.
Prep elements ahead. Both the creamy jalapeño sauce and street corn salad taste better after they’ve had time to chill in the fridge. I like to make both of these the night before I prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Try different seasonings. I love my blackened seasoning on pretty much everything, but if it’s not your favorite, season the chicken as desired. Taco seasoning would also add good flavor.
Cook in batches. Depending on the size of the pan, you may want to cook the chicken in a few batches so each side gets a nice blackened texture.
Experiment with toppings. Chicken rice bowls are so great for experimenting and using what you have on hand. Try a vinaigrette instead of the creamy jalapeño sauce or add more veggies like pickled onions, jalapeños, tomatoes, zucchini, or broccoli. Use what you have in the fridge!
Swap the protein. Instead of chicken, you can easily top these rice bowls with steak, shrimp, or salmon. Try my steak mashed potato bowls with street corn for another easy variation.
Ingredients You’ll Need & Why
Here’s an overview of everything that goes into these street corn chicken rice bowls. It’s a short list, packed with incredible flavor!
Chicken – I use chicken breasts or tenderloins cut into chunks.
Blackened Seasoning – My homemade seasoning blend consists of paprika, onion and garlic powder, chili powder, thyme, oregano, brown sugar, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
Rice – I love jasmine rice, but you can also use brown rice, quinoa, or a chickpea rice like Banza.
Creamy jalapeño sauce – I used my popular Chuy’s copycat recipe for the lime-cilantro jalapeño sauce. It’s addictively delicious and as good as a dip as it is on these street corn chicken bowls.
Street corn salad – I used my street corn salad as the street corn element in these bowls. It’s made with a blend of charred corn, lime zest and juice, jalapeños, cilantro, all tossed with a little mayo, chili powder, and cotija cheese. You can also use my street corn chicken salad as a shortcut for these bowls. It comes with chicken already included!
Avocado – Diced avocado adds a nice contrast to the crunchy street corn and spicier flavors in the bowl.
Lime – I like to serve these with lime wedges for squeezing over the rice and chicken to add an extra pop of bright flavor.
How to Make Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowls
These bowls are one of my favorite lunches because they’re so easy to make and assemble.
Prepare the Corn and Sauce
Make the street corn salad and creamy jalapeño sauce, per the instructions on their recipe pages. This is great to do a day or two ahead. They’ll stay fresh covered in the fridge.
Cook the Rice & Chicken
Cook two cups of rice according to the package instructions.
Meanwhile, drizzle the chicken with olive oil. Season generously with blackened seasoning.
Heat two tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, until it reaches an internal temp of 165ºF.
Assemble the Bowls
Add a cup of rice to each bowl. Top with street corn salad, a scoop of chicken, a drizzle of creamy jalapeño sauce, diced avocado, and a lime wedge. Sprinkle your bowls with Tajín seasoning if desired.
Meal Prepping These Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowls
To meal-prep these street corn chicken bowls, I cook and prepare each element ahead of time: Blackened chicken, rice, street corn, and the creamy jalapeño sauce.
After the chicken and rice cool, I build the bowls in meal prep containers and simply keep the creamy jalapeño sauce in condiment cups to drizzle on top later. If you want the chicken and rice warm, you can also keep the street corn salad and diced avocado on the side to add after reheating the rice and chicken.
How to Store Leftovers
Fridge: Elements of the street corn chicken rice bowls should be stored separately, unless you’re assembling the bowls for meal prep. Everything except for the avocado should stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Honestly, these taste so yummy straight from the fridge that reheating is optional. But you can assemble the chicken and rice, pop it in the microwave, and then add the remaining toppings.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
If you loved the flavors in this chicken rice bowls recipe, try my Fried Chicken Street Corn Tacos, this Guacamole Chicken Salad, or this smoky BBQ Chicken & Rice next! For another easy chicken dinner or appetizer, make these Blackened Chicken Alfredo Sliders, Bang Bang Chicken, or a Chicken Chopped Sandwich.
Have you tried these Street Corn Chicken and Rice Bowls? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought! Leave a comment below with your questions or feedback. Your reviews help other readers in the Bad Batch Baking community decide what to make next.
Be sure to tag me @BadBatchBaking on social media using #badbatchbaking so I can see your creations!
Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into 2" chunks
- 2 tablespoons blackened seasoning
- 2 cups dry jasmine rice or your preferred rice
- 1 cup prepared homemade Chuy's creamy jalapeño dip
- 3 cups prepared Street Corn Salad
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 lime sliced into wedges
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Optional: Tajín seasoning
Instructions
- Prepare the street corn and creamy jalapeño sauce. I like to do this a day or two ahead of time.
- Cook two cups of rice according to the package instructions. Let the rice cook while you prepare the chicken.
- Drizzle the chicken chunks with one tablespoon of olive oil and season liberally with blackened Cajun seasoning.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of oil, or enough to coat the pan. Add the chicken and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
- To build the bowls, add 1 cup of rice into a bowl. Top with 2/3 cup of street corn, add a scoop of the chicken, and top with a drizzle of creamy jalapeño sauce, diced avocado, and a lime wedge. If desired, sprinkle the bowls with Tajín seasoning.
Notes
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2-3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper to taste
So easy and really good. Def better if you can get fresh, sweet corn.
Perfect quick lunch. I’ve already made it twice.
Could I swap the chicken for shrimp? Trying to mix things up a bit
Absolutely. You can use your favorite protein: shrimp, salmon, beef, etc.
The best version of these bowls I’ve tried so far.
I made this for lunch prep this week and it actually made me excited to eat leftovers which says a lot.
Amazing! I cooked the chicken and corn on my Blackstone griddle and otherwise followed the instructions and it was SO delicious! Can’t wait to make it again.
Absolutely obsessed with this recipe!! It’s made meal prep a breeze! A very tasty recipe full of flavor and color!!
Hey Heather – I am SO happy to hear that 🙂
One of our favorite meals to make on Monday for the week ahead! It’s tangy, smoky, sweet and the perfect balanced meal that’s also meal prep friendly.