5 from 11 votes

Corn tortillas are loaded with flavorful shredded chicken, a charred corn salsa, and topped with a hearty drizzle of avocado cilantro lime sauce and crumbled cotija cheese. They're Mexican street corn turned into tacos!

Three mexican street corn tacos on a white platter

One of my favorite food sayings is: “It's okay if you fall apart sometimes. Tacos fall apart, and we still love them”.

In that sense, I relate strongly to tacos – but really, don't we all?

There probably isn't a kind of taco that I would say no to, but these Mexican street corn chicken tacos are at the top of my list.

Why these corn tortilla chicken tacos are my favorite

We're using corn tortillas, which are always my preferred choice over flour tortillas
The shredded chicken is juicy and flavorful with a little bit of heat, not in a “omg that's so spicy” kind of way. You could always amp up the heat with more spice!
Corn is my favorite vegetable, so I load my salsa up with it (along with avocado, cilantro and scallions). If you think I'm exaggerating, I even make corn ice cream. So… yeah.
For some extra avocado flavor, I make my own sauce to drizzle on top with avocado, cilantro and lime
And to top it all off, I like to top them off with a hearty spoonful of cotija cheese (my favorite cheese)

Overhead shot of a corn tortilla filled with colorful meats and veggies

How to make the avocado cilantro lime sauce

If you have a blender, this sauce is super easy to make. Just toss all the ingredients in together, and puree! Aside from peeling the avocado and garlic, you don't need to do any other kind of prep.

You'll need:

avocado
cilantro
sour cream, mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
olive oil
garlic, peeled
lime juice
salt and pepper

This sauce is great on these tacos, but also makes a great salad dressing or dip for veggies! Store it in a jar in the fridge to save it for other dishes.

Shredding chicken breasts using meat claws

How to make shredded chicken

Don't be intimidated by the idea of making your own shredded chicken! My favorite method is to simply roast chicken breasts in the oven and then shred them with meat claws.

Take a look at this post about how to make shredded chicken for in-depth instructions and step-by-step photos.

After you've prepared your shredded chicken, you're going to cook it with onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, freshly squeezed lime juice, and lime zest.

They'll be infused with just enough flavor and spice, and it's easy to customize to your own flavor preferences – add a little more of your favorite spices if you want some extra heat!

Four photo collage showing the process of cooking shredded chicken

How to make homemade taco seasoning

To save yourself a step in the future, you could mix your spices together and keep them stored in an airtight container to use on meat for the next tacos you make! Because we all know there are going to be more tacos.

You'll just want to make a couple of adjustments so that it's shelf stable for a while. This will make enough for an extra batch of this recipe:

1 tablespoon onion powder (instead of chopped)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (instead of minced)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon paprika

How to make avocado corn salsa

The first step is to saute the corn in a pan until you get a nice char.
If you have access to a grill, go this route: coat the corn in oil, salt pepper, and chili powder and grill it on the cob until it's charred and then removing the kernels from the cob tastes amazing. There's just nothing like grilled corn.
In a bowl, combine the charred corn, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, scallions and lime juice and toss or stir to combine.

If you already have guacamole in the fridge, you could take a shortcut! Add your charred corn, cilantro and scallions to your guacamole and you're all set.

Four photo collage showing the process of making fresh avocado corn salsa

Assembling your tacos

Now for the best part – you know, aside from actually eating them. I love a good DIY food because I get to customize every aspect of what I'm going to shove in my face.

You don't have to stack your ingredients in this order, but my personal preference – from bottom to top – is:

Warmed corn tortilla
Pile of shredded chicken
A hearty spoonful of avocado salsa
A handful of crumbled cotija cheese
Big drizzle of avocado cilantro lime sauce

Important question: Do you build each taco one at a time as you're eating your way through the stack, or do you build them all upfront so you can ensure they all have an even quantity of fillings?

I'm sure it won't surprise you that I fall into the camp of the latter. My husband is a one-at-a-time type, and that feels like proof that marriage is full of making compromises.

I kid, I kid – but it does stress me out a bit, because what if he gets to his last taco and he has a tiny amount of chicken? Or what if there's entirely too much salsa left?

These are the things that give me anxiety that I am acutely aware are not actually real problems.

Four photo collage showing the process of assembling mexican street corn tacos

Variations

Mexican Street Corn Nachos: If you don't have tortillas, or you just want to try something different, I highly recommend using the fillings and toppings on a sheet pan of nacho chips and broiling them for a few minutes. So, so good.
Mexican Street Corn Dip: I liked this idea so much it's got its own post!
Mexican Street Corn Salad: Swap the tortillas for some greens and make a big salad out of it.
Grilled chicken: If you'd prefer to use grilled chicken strips instead of shredded chicken, more power to you. You can use all the same juices and spices as a marinade before grilling.

Now go make yourself some tacos and remember that even if they fall apart – you love them!

Three mexican street corn tacos on a white platter with limes and cilantro

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