One Pan Creamy Corn and Blackened Chicken dinner is easy and delicious! The creamy corn is sweet and perfect with the blackened chicken.
Does your family thank you for making dinner? Making dinner is often a thankless job. But everyone will scream THANK YOU for this one! This Creamy Corn and Blackened Chicken skillet dinner is easy to make and scrumptious to eat. The creamy corn is rich, creamy, savory, slightly sweet, and slightly smokey. The blackened chicken is coated with warm spices like chili powder and paprika, and that bring huge flavor, but not a lot of heat. It finishes with a delicious salty bite from cotija cheese. Best part is that it all cooks in one large pan – truly a perfect dinner!
CORN SEASON!
You can of course find flash frozen fresh corn throughout the year. But if you are mad for fresh corn on the cob like me, than July through September are your months! If you are in warmer or coastal locations, then you will start to see beautiful and tender Sweet Corn in the stores in early July. For all other areas, you will see it in abundance during August through September.
When you see it on sale and in season, GO BUY IT UP! You can follow my instructions for removing the fresh kernels from the cob and then flash freeze it yourself. Lay the fresh corn on a sheet pan and place in the freezer. When it’s frozen, transfer it to a freezer bag and label it with the date. It will last for up to 6 months. YAY!!
A couple other favorite recipes using corn are:
- Golden Creamy Corn Soup
- Chipotle Meatballs with Mexican Corn Cream Sauce
- Easy Cottage Pie with Chorizo
- Mexican Pasta Salad with Tomatoes & Corn
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EQUIPMENT NEEDED
You need a large skillet/frying pan for making the veggies and curry sauce. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.
Mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.
PREP-AHEAD FOR YOUR CREAMY CORN & BLACKENED CHICKEN
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)
Make Spice mixture and separate 1 teaspoon for the sauce later.
Cut chicken breasts into 4-6 pieces each and rub the spice mix all over.
Removing Corn from the Cob
First, remove the husks and any remaining corn silk. Then rinse the corn and gently cut off the kernels using a sharp knife.
After the kernels have been removed, use the back of the knife to press and scrape down the ear to remove any of the remaining kernel and the ‘cream’ that is left behind.
Can I use frozen corn?
Yes, you can use frozen corn. You will probably need to get about 30-40 ounces. You could also use canned corn, but I prefer fresh or frozen. If you use canned, be sure to drain and rinse it. If you use frozen, add it to the pan frozen since it thaws very quickly. You may need to cook any excess water from the frozen package off in the pan.
Using Jalapeno
I love the flavor and the heat that the jalapeno peppers brings to the creamy corn. However, if you are not a fan of spice, then you can either leave it out altogether or go very light with it. First, cut the jalapeno in half lengthwise. Then using a spoon, carefully scrape out the seeds and discard them. The seeds have most of the heat. Then thinly slice the pepper and finally thinly dice. You can start by adding a teaspoon and working your way up. If you love the spice, add the entire diced pepper!
COOK YOUR CREAMY CORN & BLACKENED CHICKEN
Preheat a large frying pan or skillet on high heat. Add the olive oil and then the seasoned chicken and cook for 5 minutes on the first side to get it really blackened. Then flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes until cooked through. Then transfer the chicken and it’s juices to a plate/bowl.
To the same pan, add another teaspoon of olive oil, along with the garlic, red pepper, and jalapeno. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the peppers start to glisten.
Then add the corn. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add the broth and the remaining seasoning mix, then let it come up to a simmer.
While that is cooking, make the slurry be whisking the cornstarch into the cold milk. Whisk the slurry into the corn and continue to stir as it starts to thicken.
Add the chicken back and sprinkle the crumbled cheese on top.
What is Cotija Cheese? Can I use something else?
Cotija is a cow’s milk hard cheese that’s deliciously salty. It originated in Mexico, in the town of Cotija, Michoacán. Ideally, you want to crumble it up on top so if you can find it in a block form or already crumbled, that is best. Sometimes it may be grated, which is okay, but I prefer chunks of salty bites. If you cannot find Cotija, you can substitute with Feta cheese, which has a similar texture and salty bite.
Can I make this ahead and freeze or reheat?
Yes and no. Corn freezes well fresh, but can be mushy if frozen in this cream sauce. I recommend freezing the corn separate from the sauce; however, for best results. You can make the sauce with the peppers and freeze it. Then thaw the sauce, cook the corn directly from the freezer, and add the sauce. The chicken can coated with the spices and frozen raw or cooked and then frozen. If raw, thaw it in the fridge 24 hours in advance and then sear it in the pan as per the instructions. If frozen cooked, thaw in the fridge overnight or in the oven 350F degrees for 20 minutes or until center is warmed through.
ENJOY! 😍 Carrie
Want more ideas to round out the menu? Check out these amazing Weekend Potluck menus with tons of ideas!
One Pan Creamy Corn and Blackened Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast skinless, boneless
- 2 teaspoon Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
Other Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn
- 1 Bell Red Pepper
- ½-1 Jalapeno pepper
- 1 cup Chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- ½ cup Milk
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup cotija cheese (or feta)
- Cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
- Make Spice mixture in a small bowl with the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and salt. You will be saving 1 teaspoon for the sauce and the rest for the chicken.
- Cut chicken breasts into 4-6 pieces each and rub the spice mix all over, saving 1 teaspoon for the sauce later.
- Clean the corn. Remove the husks and any remaining corn silk. Then rinse the corn and gently cut off the kernels using a sharp knife. After the kernels have been removed, use the back of the knife to press and scrape down the ear to remove any of the remaining kernel and the 'cream' that is left behind.
- Dice the jalapeno and the red pepper
Cook
- Preheat a large frying pan or skillet on high heat. Add the olive oil and then the seasoned chicken and cook for 5 minutes on the first side to get it really blackened. Then flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes until cooked through. Then transfer the chicken and it's juices to a plate/bowl.
- To the same pan, add another teaspoon of olive oil, along with the garlic, red pepper, and jalapeno. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the peppers start to glisten and then add the corn. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add the broth and the remaining teaspoon of seasoning mix. Bring to a simmer.
- While that is cooking, make the slurry be whisking the cornstarch into the cold milk. Whisk the slurry into the corn and continue to stir as it starts to thicken.
- Add the chicken back and sprinkle the crumbled cheese on top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and enjoy!
Chef Mimi says
What an enticing dish! I love everything about it. I just learned a trick from a Melissa Clark cookbook. I now microwave corn on the cob, with the husk, which cooks the corn, but also allows you to practically remove the husk and silk in one piece. It’s incredible. I microwave 4 cobs for 8 minutes. It’s magical!
Carrie Tyler says
Oh my goodness, Mimi, that sounds like such an incredible trick!!! I just bought some more corn on the cob and I’m definitely going to try that later!!! Thank you so much for sharing – and thanks to Melissa Clark!!!!
Linger A Little, Kristy says
Everything about this dish makes me happy. I’ve never added chicken to a creamy corn recipe. But now that’s definitely on my to-do list, especially with the blackened seasoning. I love that you used fresh corn. It’s extra work I know, but it would make this dish so fresh and tasty. Thanks, Carrie, for sharing.
Lane says
I’m step 2 of cooking instructions it mentions BROTH but the kind or amount not mentioned in ingredient list. Also in narrative prior to recipe it mentions cumin but it is not in ingredients either. Not very complete recipe!!!
Carrie Tyler says
Hi Lane, Thank you so much for pointing that out! I originally had cumin, but then eliminated it. You can certainly add a teaspoon of it. As for the broth, ugh, not sure where that disappeared to, but I added it back and it is 1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth).
Thank you again for helping me.
Carrie
Melissa Torres says
Really liked the fresh sweet corn and blackened seasoning together. The cotija cheese and cilantro sealed in those Mexican flavors with it. The only reason for a 4 star instead of 5 is for some reason, mine was more like soup, it didn’t thicken well. We ended up serving it over rice to help serve it. I’d make it again but with less liquid. (I did double the recipe, so I would double the meat, but not all the broth and milk for the next round).
Mimi Rippee says
My husband would absolutely love this dinner! So would I, it’s just that his meals are mostly way heavier than mine. Printing!