This spin on the viral esquites bowls tops sheet pan Mexican chicken and roasted sweet potato rounds with a low fat street corn salad and healthy drizzle of honey. The flavors are an amazing combination of sweet, spicy, tangy, and salty. And each serving has 30g protein and 7g fiber with only 405 calories.
Customization Ideas
I’m not always so fast to jump on food trends, but this one is right up my alley. My first attempt combined taco beef and zucchini instead of sweet potatoes to save a few carbs. (That might be worth taking a look at if you’re looking for an even lower calorie version.)
But this recipe sticks closer to the original trend with sweet potatoes and chicken. The flexibility to customize might be what I love most about this concept. You can swap chicken for ground beef or other mince, sweet potatoes for zucchini or butternut squash, and adjust the types of peppers and seasonings you put in the corn salad or even the proteins. How fun is that?
Protein Options
If you’re not a fan of chicken thighs, you can totally use chicken breast. My air fried bbq chicken breast calls for a similar olive oil and seasoning combo before air frying at 375ºF for 14-16 minutes. To stick to the sheet pan method in this recipe, I’d cook for the recommended 15-20 minutes at 450ºF but check on the chicken early with a food thermometer to avoid overcooking.
You can also swap the air fried or baked chicken for pulled chicken. I recently published a super easy pulled Mexican chicken recipe that calls for three ingredients and a Dutch oven. The chicken is slowly cooked in the oven, shredded, then broiled to get it super crispy. Slow cooked Mexican beef would also be a great option.
Sweet Potato Round Supremacy (+ Alternatives)
It took me way too long to start roasting sweet potatoes in rounds. They made their first appearance on my blog for my turkey sausage bowls, and I can’t stop making them. The potatoes get so caramelized and crispy on the bottom while keeping a jammy sweet potato center. So good!
That said, if you prefer to go with diced potatoes, that works fine. You can also use butternut squash zig zags from Trader Joe’s or another low carb option like carrots, radishes, or non-tubers like cauliflower. I actually think cauliflower goes great with the flavors here.
It’s Corn!
The recipe calls for frozen fire roasted corn. Because why bust out the grill if you don’t have to? A drained can of roasted corn should get you close to the two cups in the recipe. If you do have the grill going, fresh grilled corn and peppers make amazing street corn salad in my experience.
For the purposes of street corn bowls like these, I like to make the esquites not-so-creamy with just a bit of nonfat Greek yogurt (instead of mayo) and crumbled cotija cheese. I find this keeps the potatoes crispy and the bowls from becoming a congealed mess.
Tips for Serving and Storing Leftovers
My recipe calls for serving with a drizzle of honey, true to the trend. And I think it’s a vital component of the dish. So don’t forget to add it! A little extra crumbled cotija or queso fresco and a squeeze of lime are both worthy additions as well.
As for leftovers, I recommend storing all three components separately. The potatoes are best reheated in an air fryer or oven to re-crisp them, the chicken is reheated chicken no matter how you do it, and the street corn salad is best served chilled.
That should cover it. If you find these chicken bowls to be a-maize-ing, drop a recipe review or let me know about it on my Instagram. I always appreciate the feedback!
Street Corn Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds Chicken Thighs boneless skinless
- 1 Tablespoon (16g) Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons Ground Chipotle Chili Powder or smoked paprika for milder version
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Oregano
For the Sweet Potatoes
- 2 pounds Sweet Potatoes cut into ½" rounds (preferably long and skinny potatoes)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons (24g) Olive Oil
- 1-2 pinches Kosher Salt for seasoning after roasting
For the Street Corn Salad
- 2 cups (280g) Frozen Fire Roasted Corn or drained canned corn
- 2 small Jalapeño Peppers seeded and diced
- 2 handfuls Cilantro chopped
- 3-4 Green Onions thinly sliced
- 2 Limes juiced
- ½ cup (113g) Nonfat Greek Yogurt
- ½ cup (60g) Crumbled Cotija Cheese
- 1 teaspoon Trader Joe's Everything but the Elote Seasoning or chili lime, Tajin, etc.
For Serving
- Honey, Lime Wedges, Fresh Cilantro, Cotija
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450ºF. Position one rack in the middle and one rack on the bottom of the oven. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Toss the chicken thighs with the tablespoon of olive oil and spices. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the sweet potatoes and corn salad.
- Add the sliced sweet potatoes to one sheet pan and drizzle the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top. Toss the potatoes together until evenly coated in the oil then spread in an even layer on the pan. Bake on the bottom rack for 20 minutes.
- Next, add the frozen corn to a large bowl and microwave for 2 minutes to gently thaw. Add the remaining street corn ingredients to the bowl and mix everything together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- After the sweet potatoes have been in the oven for 20 minutes, add the chicken thighs to the other sheet pan. Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are nicely caramelized on the bottoms and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165ºF. (I prefer chicken thighs at 175ºF to 180ºF.)
- Sprinkle salt over the roasted sweet potatoes. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving with the roasted potatoes and corn salad. Serve with extra crumbled cotija, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and a drizzle of honey.
