Mexican Street Corn Black Bean Chicken Bake - this recipe is inspired by classic Mexican street food, Elote (or Mexican corn on the cob). Chicken breasts are topped with Chili powder, corn kernels, black beans, and Cotija cheese. Then, everything is baked in the oven for about 25 minutes. Amazing, delicious, gluten-free dish! Tastes just like Mexican Street Corn, but it's made as a chicken bake!
This Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bake has become one of my favorite ways to cook chicken. The combination of the salty Cotija cheese and sweet corn together with the spicy Chili powder tastes so good! Imagine all of this goodness over baked chicken, and you'll be in love, just like me!
What is Mexican Street Corn?
Mexican Street Corn is usually grilled and covered with butter, mayonnaise, Cotija cheese, and cayenne pepper. It is also called Mexican corn on the cob (Elote).
What kind of chicken to use?
I use thinly sliced skinless, boneless chicken breasts in this recipe. If you bought large chicken breasts, you can slice each large chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thin chicken breasts.
What kind of cheese do you put on Mexican Street Corn?
To make authentic Mexican Street Corn, you have to use Cotija cheese. Cotija cheese is a hard milk cheese that is very salty, with a strong flavor. It's a pretty firm cheese and is perfect for grating over corn. If for some reason you can't find Cotija cheese, use Feta cheese instead.
What is similar to Cotija cheese?
When I was researching how to make Mexican street corn, pretty much all recipes required Cotija cheese. So, I went ahead and bought it. It's so tasty! But you know what? It's very similar in flavor to Feta cheese. So, really, I could've used Feta cheese in this recipe, too. Which I will do if I ever can't find Cotija cheese.
Ingredients you'll need for Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bake
- Chicken Breasts. Use thinly sliced skinless, boneless chicken breasts. If you bought large chicken breasts, you can slice each large chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thin chicken breasts.
- Chili Powder
- Corn Kernels
- Black Beans
- Cotija Cheese
- Green Onions
How to make Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bake
Preheat oven to 375 F. Add chicken breasts to the baking dish:
Season the chicken with salt and chili powder:
Top the chicken with corn kernels:
Then, top the chicken with black beans:
Finally, add Cotija cheese on top:
Bake at 375 F in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through. Remove from the oven. Top with chopped green onions. Your Mexican Street Corn Black Bean Chicken bake is ready!
Other recipes you might like
If you enjoyed this Mexican Street Corn Chicken Bake, you might like these recipes:
Mexican Street Corn Black Bean Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts thinly sliced, skinless boneless
- salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 8 oz corn drained (half of 15 oz can)
- 15 oz black beans from the can (washed and drained
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 4 oz cotija cheese crumbled (or use Feta cheese)
- 3 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Add chicken breasts to the medium casserole dish. Note: Make sure to use thinly sliced chicken breasts. If you bought large chicken breasts, you can slice each large chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thin chicken breasts.
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt and chili powder.
- Top the chicken with corn kernels and black beans.
- Sprinkle with more chili powder. Top with crumbled Cotija cheese.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Remove from heat. Top with chopped green onions.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I use the old fashioned pounder to flatten the chicken. So 20 minutes works. If you just slice it in half it will take longer. Also depends on what you use-glass,cast iron,or dutch oven
Added a can of rotel tomatoes & chiles, used a lot more seasoning (garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne). Topped with cilantro, lime, hot sauce, and plain Greek yogurt after cooking in addition to the green onion. Also bumped the oven up to 400 degrees. Next time might add minced garlic & a salsa.
That is not enough time for the chicken to cook. Chicken was still raw
The last step of the instructions says:
"Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Remove from heat. Top with chopped green onions."
That means that it might take longer for the chicken to cook. It depends on your oven, whether you preheated it, the thickness of the chicken breasts, etc.
Julia states on the page that she uses thin sliced chicken breasts so that time sounds quite appropriate.
I would have loved this if my thinly sliced chicken breast had cooked all the way. Especially considering I followed every step to this recipe. Next time I will try raising the temperature and cooking a bit longer, then sprinkling the cotija cheese or folding it in along with the scallions.
Yes, please check the chicken and return it to the oven to bake longer if it’s still undercooked. Baking times may vary slightly since ovens can differ.
I followed every step to this recipe yet my chicken is still raw. I do not feel this is accurate. I would rather cook at 400 for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly, then fold in the cotija cheese.
Love it! Easy, healthy. I added some purple onion and diced cherry tomatoes because I had them on hand. I only used 2 chicken breasts and sliced the, thin. I made the ratio of topping to chicken greater. Big hit at my household. I will definitely make it again.
So happy you made this and loved it, Anne!
Had a go at this tonight. We are travelling in a caravan so I put it in a foil tray and cooked it in the Webber. We can’t get the cheese in the recipe but I used Parmesan instead because that’s what I had.
I will make it again but will try a different cheese - maybe something a bit more melty like Colby or mozzerella. I might also slow cook it next time so I can have pulled chicken leftovers.
You can also use feta cheese - it would work great instead of Cotija!
Hi! This looks amazing! Will try to make asap. Can I use frozen corn instead of canned? And what would you serve on the side as a carb?
Yes, you can definitely use frozen corn, just thaw it first and get rid off any excess moisture. I recommend this side dish:
https://juliasalbum.com/cilantro-lime-black-bean-rice/
Hi! Is this 4 chicken breasts, sliced thing , which would be like 8 thin breasts or just 4 thin sliced chicken breasts so 4 servings in total? Thank you!
Hi Marla, this is 4 thinly sliced chicken breasts (so 2 regular chicken breasts sliced each sliced in 2). I hope that clarifies it!
I have made the Mexican Street Corn Black Bean Chicken Bake for the first time. It will become one of my go-to recipes: very easy and quick to make, very healthy, very/very tasty. I used feta as I didn’t know where to find Cotija cheese. We all loved it! Thank you, Julia.
Eva, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your review!! 🙂
Do I eat this warm or cold?
Hi Johanna, you can serve it warm or at room temperature.
I made this recipe, my whole family loved, it was delicious! Definitely added to my favorites.
Natalie, I am so glad it's one of your favorites now! 🙂
A Delicious, easy dish to make.
Thank you for your review, Lori, and the 5-star rating! ❤️