I was scrolling my Instagram feed (check me out @homemadeonaweeknight) and some how ended up down a rabbit hole of Elote creations that had me drooling. While I could certainly just make elote as a side for with some tacos or something, I wanted to try use the flavor profiles and turn it into it’s own meal. That resulted in this Elote Chicken & Rice and it was such a win!

Elote is a Mexican street food. It usually is a grilled corn on the cob topped with mayonnaise, spices and crumbly cojita cheese. People have taken it to a whole new level recently, and you can get so many different flavorful and creative combinations – seriously dusted with hot Cheetos! For this recipe, I pulled in some of our favorites and went with a queso fresco, Tajin, jalapeno and cilantro. It all came together so well. If you haven’t used Tajin before, you are going to love it. It is a great combination of chili powder, lime and salt.
You all know how much I love a one pot meal – and this one is no slouch. Cooking the rice with the cilantro and jalapeno gives it so much great flavor. I like to leave the queso fresco in a larger crumbles so that it creates these little pockets of cheese throughout the dish. And since my family loves cheese so much I went ahead and added a second cheese – Mexican Blended cheese, which is usually a combination of Monterey Jack cheese and Cheddar cheese.
Not gonna lie – this dish has a kick to it. You can cut the spice a little by removing the ribs and seeds from the minced jalapenos before chopping them up. You can also not put the sliced jalapenos on top of a portion for something that doesn’t want the heat. I would suggest warming up some tortillas and serving them along side this great meal.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Elote Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 8 Chicken Thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 tbsp Tajin
- 2 Whole Jalapenos one minced, one sliced – divided
- ½ Small Yellow Onion minced
- 3 cups Long Grain Rice
- 2 15oz cans Sweet Corn
- 1 cup Cilantro chopped
- 8 oz Queso Fresco crumbled
- 2 cups Mexican Blend Cheeses shredded
- 1 qt Chicken Broth
Instructions
- Add oil to large saute pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with Tajin. Once oil is hot, add chicken. Cook on each side for 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
- Add rice, onion, and minced jalapenos to pan. Saute for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add corn (with juices), half of cilantro, half of queso fresco, half of mexican blended cheese, and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Cover pan with lid and cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Remove lid and sprinkle with remaining cheese and slices of jalapenos. Recover with lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Serve 1-2 pieces of chicken with a portion of corn and rice mixtures. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
Estelle Forrest’s self-published first cookbook – Homemade on a Weeknight: A Family Cookbook – was created after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
Estelle self-published a second cookbook – Burgers on a Weeknight – recently. It has over 60 delicious burger creations! You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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Looks and sounds great. A one pot meal. Thanks for sharing at Love Your Creativity. I am happy to feature your Elote Chicken at Love Your Creativity.