If you’re on the hunt for a midweek dinner that’s brimming with lively flavours without veering from your healthy eating ambitions, you’ve come to the right place. A meal that can feel like a real treat while still being packed with wholesome ingredients? We’ve got just the thing. Let us share a dish that channels the festive, smoky, and zesty essence of Mexican street food directly into your home: our Healthy Street Corn Chicken Bowl.

This dish is more than just dinner; it’s a delightful culinary experience. We bring together succulent grilled chicken and a fantastic street corn salad—a beautiful blend of charred sweetcorn, a creamy yet light dressing, a kick of lime, and a scattering of salty cheese. Piled onto a nutritious base, it creates a perfectly balanced, vibrant, and utterly satisfying meal. Let’s get started and craft a new favourite for everyone to enjoy.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A Flavour Explosion: The blend of smoky chicken, sweet charred corn, a creamy, zesty sauce, and fresh coriander is truly memorable. Each mouthful delivers a perfect harmony of textures and flavours.
• Perfect for Meal Prep: We love that the different elements can be made ahead of time. You can cook the chicken and grain, and prepare the dressing in advance. When you’re ready for dinner, simply assemble the bowl for a quick and delicious meal.
• Nutrient-Packed and Balanced: This bowl is a true nutritional champion. It delivers lean protein from the chicken, fibre from the corn and your chosen grain, and beneficial fats, all while being mindful of calories. It’s solid proof that nutritious food can also be exceptionally tasty.
• Fantastically Versatile: Don’t have any quinoa? Feel free to use brown rice or even cauliflower rice. If you want to add more vegetables, black beans or diced avocado are wonderful additions. We have designed this recipe so it can be easily adapted to whatever you have on hand.
• Ready in Under 40 Minutes: We know life can get quite busy. This recipe has been created to be both quick and efficient, which makes it a fantastic choice for those hectic weeknights when you fancy something special but don’t have hours to spend cooking.

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts (about 500g), sliced into strips or cubed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 400g sweetcorn (canned and drained, or 2-3 fresh cobs)
• 1 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp plain Greek yoghurt
• 50g feta cheese or cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• A large handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• Juice of 2 limes
• Chilli powder (to taste)
• 200g quinoa or brown rice, cooked

How to Make the Perfect Healthy Street Corn Chicken Bowl

Putting this gorgeous bowl together is simpler than it looks. We have broken the process down into three straightforward stages: getting the chicken ready, creating the famous corn salad, and assembling everything for the final result.

Step 1: Prepare and Grill the Chicken

The key to an amazing chicken bowl is, naturally, amazing chicken. A straightforward marinade works wonders, infusing the meat with smoky, zesty notes that perfectly complement the corn salad. For further ideas on making delicious chicken meals, have a look at our collection of Healthy Chicken Recipes.

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the chicken pieces with the olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, chilli powder, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Stir well until the chicken is completely coated. To get the best flavour, allow it to marinate for a minimum of 20 minutes.
2. Warm up a griddle pan or a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.
3. Place the chicken onto the hot pan in one layer, working in batches if necessary. Cook for about 4-6 minutes on each side, until it is cooked all the way through and has some lovely charred spots.
4. After it’s cooked, take the chicken out of the pan and let it rest for a few moments before slicing, if you cooked the breasts whole.

Step 2: Create the Vibrant Mexican Street Corn Salad

This salad is the true star of the show. The crucial step is charring the corn, as this draws out a wonderful sweetness and smoky flavour that is simply essential. It is this element that elevates the entire dish from simple to sensational.

1. When using fresh cobs, you can grill them straight on the griddle pan until they are charred in places. For tinned corn, drain it thoroughly and pat dry. Heat a dry, non-stick frying pan over a high heat and tip in the corn. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring now and then, until some of the kernels turn toasted and blackened.
2. As the corn cools down a little, you can make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk the light mayonnaise with the Greek yoghurt, lime juice, and chilli powder.
3. Tip the charred corn, crumbled feta, diced red onion, and chopped coriander into the dressing. Mix gently so that everything is coated. Taste it and add a little salt if you think it needs it.

Step 3: Assemble Your Elote Chicken Bowl

It’s time for the enjoyable part – assembling your creation! Layering all the elements makes for a visually stunning and delicious Grilled chicken bowl that is a true pleasure to eat.

1. Share your cooked quinoa or brown rice between two bowls to form the base of your meal.
2. Arrange the grilled chicken over the base, followed by a generous spoonful of the Mexican street corn salad.
3. Decorate with any optional toppings you like, such as fresh avocado slices for added creaminess, a few jalapeño slices for heat, or an extra lime wedge for squeezing over.
4. Serve straight away and savour the amazing flavours!

Customisation and Variations

One of the greatest advantages of bowl-based meals is their customisability. Feel free to adjust this recipe to match your personal tastes or to make use of ingredients you already have. It serves as a brilliant template for a Healthy grain bowl.

• Switch Up the Base: Although we are fond of quinoa, this bowl is also delicious with brown rice, freekeh, couscous, or even on a bed of crisp lettuce for a lighter, salad-style option.
• Boost the Veggies: Don’t hesitate to add more colour and nutrients. Sautéed bell peppers, black beans, or roasted sweet potatoes are all excellent additions.
• Protein Swaps: This recipe is just as tasty with grilled prawns, lean steak, or even crispy tofu if you’d prefer a vegetarian alternative. The marinade complements all of them beautifully.
• Explore Other Bowl Ideas: If you’re a fan of this style of eating, you will adore our Sticky Chicken Rice Bowls, which provide a totally different yet equally delicious flavour experience.

A Closer Look at the Star: Elote

So, what is Elote, the dish that inspired our corn salad? Elote is a much-loved street food in Mexico, featuring a whole grilled corn on the cob that is lavishly coated in a mix of mayonnaise, crema, chilli powder, and cotija cheese, and finished with a squeeze of lime juice. It’s an explosion of flavour! Our recipe takes this classic and reassembles it as a fresh, simple salad, preserving all that wonderful taste in a way that’s ideal for an Elote chicken bowl.

Nutrition and Health Benefits

We are firm believers in food that is not only delicious but also contributes to your well-being. This recipe is a superb illustration of a well-rounded meal. Chicken offers high-quality lean protein, which is vital for muscle maintenance and helps you feel fuller for longer. Quinoa supplies complex carbohydrates for steady energy release, as well as all nine essential amino acids. The corn brings fibre and antioxidants to the dish. By incorporating Greek yoghurt into our dressing, we have boosted the protein and reduced the fat without losing any creaminess. As noted by the British Heart Foundation, a balanced diet filled with vegetables, protein, and wholegrains is fundamental for good heart health.

FAQ

Conclusion

And there we have it – a meal that is vibrant, wholesome, and so full of flavour that you might forget how healthy it is. This dish is proof that you can savour the exciting tastes of street food in a balanced and nourishing manner. It is ideal for a speedy weeknight dinner, a nutritious lunch, or even for delighting guests with its gorgeous colours and wonderful taste.

So, why wait? Gather your ingredients and prepare to make a meal that is sure to impress everyone. We are quite certain this will become a staple in your collection of recipes. Please remember to leave us a comment below to let us know how your Healthy Street Corn Chicken Bowl Recipe went!

Recipe Card

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts (about 500g), sliced or cubed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Juice of 2 limes, divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 400g sweetcorn (canned and drained, or kernels from 2-3 cobs)
• 1 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp plain Greek yoghurt
• 50g feta or cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• A large handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• Chilli powder, to taste
• 200g quinoa or brown rice, cooked, for serving

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine chicken with olive oil, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, juice of 1 lime, salt, and pepper. Marinate for at least 20 minutes.
2. Heat a griddle or non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 4-6 minutes per side until cooked through and charred. Let rest before slicing.
3. While chicken cooks, char the corn. Heat a dry, non-stick pan over high heat and cook corn for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until some kernels are blackened.
4. In a separate large bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the light mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, juice of the remaining lime, and chilli powder.
5. Add the charred corn, crumbled feta, diced red onion, and chopped coriander to the dressing. Stir gently to combine.
6. To assemble, divide the cooked quinoa or rice among four bowls. Top with the grilled chicken and a generous serving of the street corn salad.

Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 435,
Carbs: 32 g,
Protein: 42 g,
Fat: 15 g