Go Back

Slow Cooker Street Corn Chicken

Slow Cooker Street Corn Chicken makes tender shredded chicken in a creamy elote-style sauce with corn, green chiles, and onions. Cook low for 5–6 hours, then finish with sour cream and mayonnaise for a rich, spoonable texture.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breasts
  • 1.5 lb chicken breasts (raw)
Corn kernels
  • 2 cup corn kernels
Green chiles
  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
Chicken broth
  • 1 cup chicken broth
Cream cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
Sour cream
  • 0.5 cup sour cream (added at end)
Mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise (added at end)
Cumin
  • 1 tsp cumin
Chili powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
  • 1 Salt and pepper to taste
Cotija cheese
  • 1 cotija cheese
Cilantro
  • 1 cilantro
Lime wedges
  • 1 lime wedges
Rice or tortillas
  • 1 rice or tortillas

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the chicken
  1. Place the raw chicken breasts in the slow cooker, then add corn kernels, diced green chiles, diced onion, minced garlic, chicken broth, cubed cream cheese, cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Keep the lid on as the mixture starts to heat and thicken.
  2. Cook on Low for 5–6 hours, or High for 3 hours, until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls apart. You should see the cream cheese fully melted into a creamy sauce around the chicken.
Shred and finish the sauce
  1. Shred the chicken directly in the sauce by stirring until the meat is evenly distributed and coated. Fold through the corn so it clings to the chicken.
  2. Stir in the sour cream and mayonnaise, then cook on High for 15 minutes to help the flavors blend. The sauce should turn smooth and creamy with a slight sheen.
Season and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve the chicken over rice or in tortillas. Keep the sauce warm so it stays spoonable.
  2. Top each serving with cotija cheese, a pinch of chili powder, cilantro, and lime wedges. Finish with lime juice to brighten the creamy, smoky corn flavor.

Notes

Pro tip: shred the chicken after the slow cooker time while everything is hot so it breaks up into juicy strands and stays coated. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3–4 days; reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop. Freezing is not recommended because the dairy can break when thawed and reheated. For a lower-fat option, use reduced-fat cream cheese and sour cream while keeping the same method and cooking times.