This may be your new favorite summer taco! Chicken thighs get rubbed with spices and tomato paste to create a super flavorful seasoning/crust for grilling. Throw the corn on the grill with the chicken and while that grills, whip up the cilantro feta lime sauce. Don’t skip the pickled red onions!
Ingredient highlight
Corn! Is rich in B vitamins, vitamins C + E, folic acid, and magnesium. Yellow corn has high levels of lutein, a carotenoid important for eye and heart health. Don’t remove the husk until you’re ready to cook so the kernels stay fresh and don’t dry out.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs*
- 2 ears corn, shucked (about 2 cups corn kernels)
- 1 bunch scallions, green parts thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup), divided (save white parts for breakfast bowl)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ½ jalapeno, seeds removed, chopped (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped (optional)
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 4-8 corn or flour tortillas
- Pickled red onions (see recipe)
For the Cilantro Feta Lime Sauce:**
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro
- ½ cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese***
- ½ jalapeno, seeds removed (optional)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds + more for topping
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- *Don’t have a grill? Bake your chicken in the oven at 400F for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Cook your corn in a skillet – add 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat, then add corn and cook until charred slightly, about 5 minutes.
- **Double this sauce to use on Breakfast Bowls!
- ***To make vegan, skip the feta and use ½ cup total sunflower seeds + ¼ tsp more kosher salt + 3-4 more tbsp water. Blend until smooth, adding water as needed.
Instructions
- In a medium or large bowl, mix together the spices and salt. Add the olive oil and tomato paste and stir into a thick paste. Add the chicken and use your hands to massage the marinade thoroughly into each thigh. Marinate chicken overnight or for at least 1 hour (it would also be just fine grilled right away, but marinating is always nice!).
- Fire up your grill on high for at least 15 minutes to heat up.
- Add chicken and corn to the grill. Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes, or until charred, then flip, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through. Grill the corn for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Cut kernels off the cob and add to a medium bowl along with ¼ cup scallions, lime, jalapeno (if using), garlic (if using), and salt. Toss to combine.
- Chop up the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the sauce by adding all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Warm your tortillas (on an open flame is best!). Add chicken and corn and top with the sauce, pickled onions, remaining scallions and sunflower seeds.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Pickle red onions
- Marinate chicken
- Make cilantro feta lime sauce
- Shuck corn
- Prep scallions and jalapeno
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, grill up some portobello mushrooms in place of the chicken. Rub them with the same spice rub and throw them on the grill.
- To make vegan, use mushrooms as described above and use sunflower seeds in place of feta cheese (see note under recipe).
- The recipe uses chicken thighs and corn, but you could mix it up with a different protein and/or veggie on the grill.
- If you don’t have a grill, see the note under the recipe for instructions.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Grilled chicken: up to 4 days in the fridge
- Corn salad: up to 4 days in the fridge
- Cilantro Feta Lime Sauce: up to 6 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
- Pickled red onions: up to 2 weeks in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Use leftover grilled chicken and/or corn in salads and bowls.
- Turn the sauce into a salad dressing and make a taco salad! Just stir in some water to thin it out a bit.
- If the sauce gets too thick in the fridge, stir in some water to thin it out.
Servings 4 People Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs*
- 2 ears corn, shucked (about 2 cups corn kernels)
- 1 bunch scallions, green parts thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup), divided (save white parts for breakfast bowl)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ½ jalapeno, seeds removed, chopped (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped (optional)
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 4-8 corn or flour tortillas
- Pickled red onions (see recipe)
For the Cilantro Feta Lime Sauce:**
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro
- ½ cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese***
- ½ jalapeno, seeds removed (optional)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds + more for topping
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- *Don’t have a grill? Bake your chicken in the oven at 400F for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Cook your corn in a skillet - add 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat, then add corn and cook until charred slightly, about 5 minutes.
- **Double this sauce to use on Breakfast Bowls!
- ***To make vegan, skip the feta and use ½ cup total sunflower seeds + ¼ tsp more kosher salt + 3-4 more tbsp water. Blend until smooth, adding water as needed.
Instructions
- In a medium or large bowl, mix together the spices and salt. Add the olive oil and tomato paste and stir into a thick paste. Add the chicken and use your hands to massage the marinade thoroughly into each thigh. Marinate chicken overnight or for at least 1 hour (it would also be just fine grilled right away, but marinating is always nice!).
- Fire up your grill on high for at least 15 minutes to heat up.
- Add chicken and corn to the grill. Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes, or until charred, then flip, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through. Grill the corn for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Cut kernels off the cob and add to a medium bowl along with ¼ cup scallions, lime, jalapeno (if using), garlic (if using), and salt. Toss to combine.
- Chop up the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the sauce by adding all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Warm your tortillas (on an open flame is best!). Add chicken and corn and top with the sauce, pickled onions, remaining scallions and sunflower seeds.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Pickle red onions
- Marinate chicken
- Make cilantro feta lime sauce
- Shuck corn
- Prep scallions and jalapeno
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, grill up some portobello mushrooms in place of the chicken. Rub them with the same spice rub and throw them on the grill.
- To make vegan, use mushrooms as described above and use sunflower seeds in place of feta cheese (see note under recipe).
- The recipe uses chicken thighs and corn, but you could mix it up with a different protein and/or veggie on the grill.
- If you don’t have a grill, see the note under the recipe for instructions.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Grilled chicken: up to 4 days in the fridge
- Corn salad: up to 4 days in the fridge
- Cilantro Feta Lime Sauce: up to 6 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
- Pickled red onions: up to 2 weeks in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Use leftover grilled chicken and/or corn in salads and bowls.
- Turn the sauce into a salad dressing and make a taco salad! Just stir in some water to thin it out a bit.
- If the sauce gets too thick in the fridge, stir in some water to thin it out.
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