Inspired by the flavors of Mexican elotes, here's a recipe for a summer corn salad. This salad is crunchy, tender, citrusy, and quite satisfying. It comes together super quickly and is naturally light, super refreshing, and perfect for warmer weather. And, this chicken and corn salad is topped with the piece de resistance: jalapeño ranch!
Continuing the theme of Mexican-inspired recipes lately, here's a hearty summer corn salad that riff off of the flavors of elotes. Grilled corn and grilled chicken combine with tangy jalapeno ranch and is seasoned with Tajin to make a really yummy summer dinner.
how to make a chicken and corn salad
The full recipe for this summer corn salad with jalapeño ranch dressing is below, but here's the gist of it.
To make this salad, you will pan-sear chicken thighs skin side down, so they get really crispy.
Next, you will cook corn kernels in the same pan, just until they are slightly less crunchy.
You'll top your chopped salad greens (romaine, or arugula, or cress, whatever you like) with the seared chicken and corn, and maybe some extra lime or tajin, perhaps some sliced avocado, and the jalapeño ranch dressing.
recipe for homemade jalapeño ranch dressing
Traditional ranch dressing is mayonnaise + dried herbs.
In this recipe, I add Greek yogurt and fresh jalapeño to spice things up. I like to make a homemade ranch with 1 cup of Greek yogurt, ½ cup of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of dried parsley and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and about 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh jalapeño. I then add apple cider vinegar to taste, which usually is about ¼ cup.
This recipe will yield more jalapeño ranch than you need for the salad, so save it for lunch later in the week!
If you like this recipe, check out all of my salad recipes!
Summer Corn Salad with Grilled Chicken and Jalapeño Ranch
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs bone in and skin on ideally, but boneless/skinless is okay too
- 4 cups chopped romaine
- 2 ears of corn, kernals cut off
Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon fresh jalapeno, chopped finely
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat a skillet on high heat and spray a bit of cooking spray on the skillet. Debone the chicken thighs and salt the skin side. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken thighs skin side down onto the skillet and don't touch them. Let them cook for 8-10 minutes, until really crispy. Flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Once done, set aside to rest.
- If you haven't already, cut your corn kernels off the cob. Turn the heat down to medium-low-- your skillet is already pretty hot, and we don't need to burn the corn. Place the corn into the pan to brown the kernels a bit. Once browned and slightly tender, set aside.
- Make the jalapeno ranch: combine all ingredients in a jar and stir.
- To assemble the salad, plate your chopped romaine and top with chicken and corn. Drizzle the jalapeno ranch on top.
- Optional toppings: avocado, tomato, cotija; serve with lime wedges. Season with some sprinklings of Tajin.
[…] 2. summer corn salad from The Herb and Spoon […]