So I started getting real obsessed with tacos a few summers ago. Fish tacos, chicken tacos, cauliflower tacos, mushroom tacos. If you can put it in a taco, I’m down.
These street corn chicken tacos were my latest and greatest creation back in 2021 and were on repeat in our house for months. We’ve made them time and time again since then because we love how flavorful and filling they are! Plus, they’re super easy to customize with what you have on hand, grill or bake the ingredients, and so much more. Truly the best weeknight dinner for the family!
The base starts with my fabulous homemade sazon chicken thighs, then there’s a zesty street corn avocado salsa that’s topped off with my incredible jalapeño cashew sauce. Talk about an explosion of flavors!
Ingredients in street corn chicken tacos
These grilled chicken tacos are packed with flavor thanks to my homemade sazon seasoning, an easy avocado street corn salsa and a seriously addicting jalapeño lime cashew sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:
- For the chicken: we’re using my sazon grilled chicken thighs in these amazing tacos.
- For the corn: you’ll need 2 ears of fresh corn, olive oil, cumin and chili powder to get that delicious street corn flavor.
- For the salsa: we’re mixing together avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, red onion, salt & pepper. You’ll also add your grilled corn to complete this salsa.
- For sauce: my jalapeño lime cashew sauce is made with soaked, raw cashews, jalapeño, lime juice, garlic, onion powder, salt & pepper all blended together. Creamy GOODNESS.
- For serving: pile them high onto corn tortillas (or your favorite tortillas) with extra jalapeño and cilantro.
What is street corn?
Mexican street corn is typically grilled corn coated or tossed with mayo, sour cream, cheese, chili powder and lime juice. In this recipe, we’re adding in some cumin and tossing it with creamy avocado, cilantro and red onion to create a street corn-inspired salsa to go in the tacos. YUM.
The jalapeño lime cashew sauce also acts as the mayo, sour cream & cheese to keep these healthy street corn chicken tacos dairy free.
Customize your street corn chicken tacos
These delicious grilled street corn chicken tacos are perfect for customizing to your taste & dietary preferences.
- Keep them gluten free: just make sure to use gluten free corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. You can also try using grain free tortillas, if you prefer. We love the Siete brand.
- Go lower carb: looking to reduce the carbs a bit? Serve all of the toppings over a bed of mixed greens, in lettuce cups, or even over cauliflower rice for an easy burrito bowl!
- Swap your sauce: if you’re nut free, try this avocado lime sauce instead.
- Make them plant-based: keep these tacos vegan or vegetarian by swapping the chicken for tofu! Marinate your tofu in the same sazon seasoning and grill it using this method or cook it over the stovetop.
How to grill chicken thighs for tacos
- Preheat your grill to medium-high and lightly oil the grates.
- Cook your chicken thighs for 6-8 minutes on one side.
- Flip, and cook your chicken on the other side for 6-8 minutes more. When the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F your chicken is done.
Looking for more tips & tricks for grilling chicken? Check out our guide on how to grill the perfect chicken, and get perfectly grilled vegetables (like corn)!
Looking to bake them instead?
If you don’t have a grill you can easily bake these chicken thighs!
- After marinating them, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake your chicken thighs for about 25-30 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165.
You can also roast the corn roast on a sheet pan lined with foil for 25 minutes at 375 – 400 degrees F. Don’t forget to get all of our tips for baking chicken here!
Easily prep these tacos ahead of time
You can easily save time and prep a few of the street corn chicken taco components 1-2 days ahead of time! Here’s what I’d recommend:
- Prep the sauce. Reminder that you do not need to soak the cashews for 2 full hours — simply boil water and let them soak in the hot water for about 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can make the entire jalapeño cashew lime sauce the day before and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it! You’ll just want to give it a good stir before using it.
- Marinate your chicken. You can also marinate your chicken for up to 24 hours before grilling it! This will not only save you time but it will also give the chicken extra flavor. Coat the chicken in all of those spices and store it in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.
Once you’ve prepped the sauce and chicken, you’ll just have to grill the chicken with the corn, assemble your tacos, and enjoy!
How to char tortillas
Your corn tortillas will be extra delicious with a little charring on them!
- Turn on your stovetop burner to the lowest setting.
- Place one tortilla on the burner and let it heat up for about 45 seconds – checking frequently to make sure it’s not burning.
- Once it has the desired char, carefully flip the tortilla with tongs and char on the other side.
- The tortilla might puff up a bit once you flip, which is okay!
- Cover your tortillas with a dishtowel as you finish them so that they stay warm.
More grilling recipes you’ll love
- Seriously Good Sweet Potato Cheddar BBQ Chicken Burgers
- Spicy Ranch Chopped Chicken Cabbage Salad
- Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto + Goat Cheese
- Blackened Salmon Tacos with Forbidden Rice & Mango Guacamole
- How to Grill Pizza that’s Crispy, Chewy and Ready in only 15 Minutes
Get all of our delicious grilling recipes here!
I hope you love these crazy good street corn chicken tacos! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. You can also share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. Enjoy, xo!
Crazy Good Street Corn Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- For the sazon chicken:
- 1 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon cayenne (only if you like a little heat)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the grilled corn:
- 2 ears of corn, washed
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- For the salsa:
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup finely diced cilantro
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 lime, juiced
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
- For the jalapeno lime cashew sauce:
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ⅓ cup water, plus more to thin if necessary
- 1 medium jalapeno, seeded
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For serving:
- 8 soft corn tortillas
- Extra thinly sliced jalapenos
- Extra cilantro
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in 2 cups of warm water for at least 2 hours; otherwise I've found that you can easily speed up the process by adding the raw cashews to a pot with water and placing over high heat. Bring water to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat; let the cashews sit for about 30 minutes in the hot water, then drain.
- Once the cashews have finished soaking you'll be ready to make the sauce: add drained cashews, fresh water, jalapeno, garlic, fresh lime juice, salt, onion powder and black pepper to a blender. Blend on high until sauce comes together. If you want a bit of a thinner sauce, add 1-2 tablespoons more water. Set aside.
- While your cashews are soaking, you can marinate your chicken: in a large bowl add chicken, olive oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper. Toss together to coat the chicken and allow it to marinate for 30 minutes-1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Next prepare your corn: drizzle corn with olive oil and rub with chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper.
- Now it’s time to grill both the chicken and the corn: preheat grill to 400 degrees F. Place the corn and chicken directly on the grill. Turn corn occasionally until charred and cooked for about 15-20 minutes. Grill chicken thighs for 6-8 minutes per side or until fully cooked and the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm, then chop into bite sized pieces.
- Allow corn to cool a bit before cutting it off the cob and placing corn into a medium bowl along with following ingredients for the salsa: diced or sliced avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, red onion, lime and salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to combine.
- Char your tortillas if you’d like, then top each with a spoonful of the jalapeno cashew lime sauce, chicken, street corn mixture, extra jalapenos and an extra drizzle of cashew lime sauce on top. Enjoy! Serves 4; 2 street corn chicken tacos each.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on August 25, 2020, republished on July 21, 2021, and republished on June 5th, 2024.
The name doesn’t lie. These are crazy good! The sauce is the show stopper. So yummy and easy. I prefer to make these than go out for tacos. Yummy
One of my favs for summer! Glad you love them!
Amazing flavor in this recipe! Just the right amount of heat for us. I did leave out the cayenne pepper. Here in Indiana, the corn harvest is in full swing, so this was the perfect way to use up some of the fresh harvest. We will definitely make this one on repeat. Can’t wait to make it for guests.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
One of the best things I’ve ever eaten and made! Better than restaurants!
So happy to hear that!
Have made the street tacos twice and they were sooo good! Love this and many other of your recipes!
The best! So glad you loved them!
These tacos were absolutely sensational!! Definitely a repeat dinner in our house!
So glad they were a hit!
I was so happy to come home to my husband making this tacos last night. I had printed out the recipe to make this week. But he treated me!Run don’t walk the store to get your ingredients to make these! Better than any Mexican food – even high end restaurants. SO GOOD! The once thing is there are lots of steps. But do not let that discourage you from making them!
This recipe is amazing!! 10/10
So happy you loved it!
These are amazing! They are a family favorite. Have you ever tried to Cooke the chicken in a crockpot?
So happy to hear that! I haven’t yet, but I’ll have to give it a try!
I rarely leave comments, but this recipe is outstanding! It’s a bit labor intensive with the marinating, sauce and salsa, but well worth it! It can easily be prepared in advance for entertaining. Anticipating leftovers, I didn’t add the avocado to the salsa. I plan to add fresh when assembling. Can’t wait to try it with shrimp!
So happy you loved them! And great idea to prep a few steps ahead of time – perfect dinner. Shrimp would be delicious, too!
The best tacos!!! It seems like a lot of components looking at the recipe but still so easy to put together. Great grilled or baked!
Our favs! So glad you loved them!
I made these last night and absolutely loved them. Instead of the sazon chicken seasoning in the recipe, I just used my own taco blend seasoning (I don’t care for tumeric and didn’t have coriander) and then grilled on the stove top (air fryer works too!). I also used the other AK jalapeño cashew sauce that used lemon instead of lime, but that was because I’d made it before and didn’t quite read through this carefully. The main draw of this recipe was the corn salsa. Overall, this is such a simple dish that you can modify in a million ways and it will still be amazing, and you’ll feel good about the variety of ingredients and nutrients you’re getting!
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂 so glad you loved these!
Just made these for dinner! They are DELICIOUS!! Added some peach slices, and didn’t have any cashews so made the cilantro Greek yogurt sauce from the salmon tacos
Recipe! All your tacos are my husband and mines favorite recipes!
Love that!! Great idea to add peaches and that sauce 🙂
Ive made these several times. Usually just make the chicken portion of the recipe. I have a tomatillo ranch that I buy that works great as the sauce with the corn. So tasty!
These were delicious! I would definitely prep the sauce the day before to save time. We also marinated the chicken overnight. So delicious – the chicken was so flavorful. The jalapeno cashew sauce (we subbed greek yogurt for cashews) was so creamy and delcious. It was the perfect sauce for the slightly spicy chicken (we used red pepper chili flakes). The grilled corn in the tacos added a crisp refreshing bite to the tacos. This is definitely a new summer favorite!
So glad you loved it! One of our all-time favs, too 🙂
Family favorite recipe. If I don’t have corn on the cob, I use frozen corn and add the spices to it. I always use chicken breasts cut into thin pieces. I add an additional 1T olive oil to the marinate to help spread around easier. We skip the salsa and just add avocado on top. This recipe is so easy and tastes so good. We make it on the grill, on the griddle, on the stove. Absolutely recommend.
These tacos are unreal!!! I never write reviews, but it would be flat out wrong of me to keep coming back to make these and not telling everyone just how incredible they are!
Ahh this is so great – glad you gave these a try and they turned out amazing for you!
I just made these tacos again and I’m pretty sure these are the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. I’m so glad that this time around I made the jalapeño lime cashew sauce and marinated the chicken the night before so that all I had to do today was season the corn and cook it with the chicken so I could make the salsa. All of the flavors complement each other so well. Normally I make this in the oven, but I got to try it out with the grill when I made these for my mom when I was home for my sister’s wedding, and she loved them!
WOO! This is the best, I am so glad these tacos are a hit, Hillary!
I made these with shrimp instead of chicken and they came out AMAZING! I’d eat that jalapeño like cashew sauce with a spoon. Thanks!
Oooh I love that idea! SO happy you enjoyed it!
I absolutely loved this. It tastes like nothing else I’ve ever had! Delicious!!♥️
Amazing!! So glad to hear they came out delicious!
Our absolute favorite chicken taco recipe! This one was an instant regular in our dinner rotation.
Yes, it does take a little foresight to soak the cashews and marinate the chicken, but once it’s time to start cooking, this all comes together quickly and it’s oh-so-delicious! I usually double the recipe so that we have leftovers for easy lunches. I’ve charred frozen corn in a skillet with the spices and it was really just as good as grilled. The corn salsa is so good that my toddler likes to eat it as a salad! Thanks again for another winner.
One of our fav summer recipes, too! Great idea to char the corn. Feel free to marinate the chicken a day early to help cut down on prep time!
These have become a regular in our rotation. Yes, it does require a little foresight to soak the cashews and marinate, but once thise
Absolutely delish. The family loved them. Also served with a mango/habanero salsa in addition to corn salsa. Thanks,
Yay! I am so excited to hear that you and your whole family are loving this recipe!
These are by far the BEST street tacos I’ve ever had. The blend of spices is absolutely delicious and the salsa is to die for. We don’t make the sauce because of nut allergies, but it’s awesome even without it. You will not be disappointed!
WOO this makes me so happy to hear. Glad they turned out great and you’re loving this recipe ❤️
Craving street corn so hard, and this was a great way to make them! I used tofu, and ended up not making the salsa but added those ingredients in top. So delicious! This used a lot of spices, but cooking with them in different steps wasn’t as time consuming as I thought. Yum’
Love the flavors of street corn so much! Glad you enjoyed with the tofu 🙂
Wow! Made these last night and they were absolutely incredible! My husband and all 3 kids were raving over them! The jalapeño sauce was perfection! Not spicy at all which I was relieved about bc my kids can’t handle much spice. I did leave the jalapeño out of the salsa bc I knew fresh jalapeño would be too much for my kids. I double the recipe and only had enough meat left for one taco with a family of 5, so safe to say they ate more tacos than they have ever eaten! I found you fairly recently and just want to thank you for what you do! Have used quite a few of your recipes as breakfast staples in a house full of kids who have different opinions at breakfast! Your recipes are amazing!
Woohooo! So happy to hear you guys loved them! Such a great summer meal.
And thank you SO much, I’m glad that you’re here! 🥰
Delicious is not a strong enough word to describe how AMAZING these are! Made them for Fathers Day dinner. Hubby was very impressed. I didn’t make the jalapeño cashew cream, we used sour cream and a few dashes of Cholula. Another superb recipe, Monique! You’re becoming a first name celebrity at our house. I tell my husband when I’m making a Monique recipe 😊 for dinner.
AWW! I am SO glad you are both loving my recipe. This one is ALWAYS a hit. Thank you for your review, I appreciate it ❤️
I don’t have a grill but the oven/stovetop alternates did the trick. Followed the recipe 100% except I added crumbled Feta on the top since I didn’t have any Cotija. Honestly, the best tacos we’ve ever eaten and that includes from restaurants. Bravo!
OMG yum! SO glad you are loving this recipe and it turns out great for you 🙂
I have to be honest, I haven’t made these tacos yet. But I’m sitting here looking at the photo and ingredients and my mouth is watering in between sips of morning coffee. You know those recipes where the photos look so good you can almost taste the food? Can’t wait to make this next week. Love your recipes!
Oh this is so kinds of you! I hope you love this recipe, they are literally SO good 😊
Unbelievable flavor! What a great, tender, best chicken soft taco I ever had! Added some of my favorite pickled veggies! Excellent!!!
This is my favorite AK recipe! The chicken is so flavorful but the cashew sauce puts it over the top. My husband and I love it and so does my 2 year old!
I literally am obsessed with these and make them almost every week. The only thing I did different was marinated the chicken in Tajin seasoning with olive oil, rather than using the seasonings. I also add a bit of feta or cojita cheese on top. So freaking good. Thank you!!
Love this! So glad you are loving this recipe 🙂
This 5 stars is not only for the chicken (which is amazing) but FOR THE CORN SALSA. I tried this recipe about 2 months ago. Since then I have made it once a week but I double the salsa recipe because we end up eating it as a snack with chips the rest of the week. I am shook by how good it is every time I eat it. Our household protip is we use 2 jalapenos and leave the membrane and seeds from 1. It’s so good. Thank you for blessing us with this.
AHH this is amazing, Kayla! I’m SO glad you and your family are loving this recipe. Appreciate your comment ❤️
These tacos are delicious! I was skeptical about the cashew lime sauce, but it is to die for. The corn avocado salsa is so flavorful and compliments the chicken so well.
I’m SO happy you loved them!! Thank you!
These are SO good! Even my dairy-loving husband loved them. They are flavorful and easy to make. The cashew cream sauce is my favorite part!
Absolutely insane! So much flavor and not difficult to make. My wife wants them everyday now.
Haha YESSS I’m so happy you both loved them!!
These were great! The corn salsa I could just eat with a spoon
Omg SAME haha! So happy you loved them!
Late to the July #AKdinner party because time slipped away with a new baby, but made these tacos yesterday – so good! I added zucchini to the corn and made everything in a skillet. Easy and delicious, thank you for the recipe!
Haha I feel that! SO happy you got the chance to try them. Great idea to use a skillet + add zucchini, too!
These Travis are amazing!!! Made them last night and two or three times after dinner my husband mentioned how much he liked them. Winning!!! Made as written, served with a green salad. (Wanted to serve with a watermelon salad but someone ate it all!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Sooooooo good. This is the 5th recipe I’ve tried from this site and it was another hit. My husband and I both loved it and instantly saved it to make again and again. Another win. I have yet to be disappointed by your recipes.
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
So good! My whole family loved these tacos! I used Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn & it turned out perfect but I can’t wait to actually grill fresh corn next time. #AKDinnerParty
Amazing! Glad it was a hit!
Made this recipe as written for my meal prep this week–will make it again. The chicken seasoning is a game changer! Easy to make recipe–broiled the corn and panned the chicken thighs using my cast iron as I prepared the sauce and salsa.
Absolutely! So glad you enjoyed!
I made these today and followed the recipe exactly. These were super good!! The chicken is perfect and the salsa is summery, great for this summer heatwave. My tortillas fell apart so I will end up eating this as a bowl which is fine by me. I’m glad this was the #AKDinnerParty recipe this month as I would have never made this without that push as the ingredient list seemed too long for me. However this didn’t take as long as I feared, and I’d make again!
Once you get going it’s easier to make than you think! So glad you gave them a try!
Made these for dinner tonight and they turned out so good! I skipped the sauce, as we were limited on time for dinner prep. Will definitely make these again and have to try the cashew cream! Another great Ambitious Kitchen recipe! #AKDinnerParty
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
These tacos are amazing! I made them for a quick weeknight dinner and the chicken is just so flavorful and the toppings complement the chicken perfectly. I made some modifications (mostly due to not having a grill): I cooked the chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet on the stove and used thawed frozen corn. #AKDinnerParty
Perfect! These ones are great for customizing 🙂 Glad you loved them!
AMAZING!! The salsa and the cashew sauce are sooooo good and pair perfectly with the chicken! Will definitely keep making! Thank you for your awesome recipes! I’ve gotten my husband hooked too! #AKDinnerParty
The perfect combo! So glad you both loved these!
WOW! This recipe was insanely delicious. It felt like restaurant quality…at home. Loved, loved the flavor of the chicken and the sauce was to die for.
#AKDinnerParty