Name: Sheet Pan Chicken Tacos with Summer Corn Salsa
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ((approx .5-.75 lb each)); 2 teaspoon chili powder; ¾ teaspoon cumin; ¾ teaspoon garlic powder; ¾ teaspoon paprika ((smoked, if you have it)); ½ teaspoon onion powder; ¼ teaspoon dried oregano; ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper; ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 3 ears corn on the cob ((husked and strings removed)); 3 tablespoon butter ((softened)); 8 cherry tomatoes ((chopped)); 1 scallion ((thinly sliced)); 1 jalapeno ((minced, seeds & ribs removed)); ¼ cup red onion ((minced)); 1 clove garlic ((minced or microplaned)); ½ teaspoon fresh cilantro ((minced)); 2 tablespoon lime juice ((juice of one medium lime)); taco shells or tortillas of your choice; 1 large avocado ((thinly sliced)); ¼ cup cotija ((crumbled)); quick pickled red onions* ((for topping)); sour cream or greek yogurt lime sauce*; hot sauce ((optional))

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links

Summer is just around the corner and you know what that means: PEAK CORN SEASON. Which means taco week gets upgraded with juicy shredded chicken and a side of summer corn salsa, which cook together on a sheet pan for easy clean up.

Sure, you can get corn year-round, but there's something special about corn when it's in season. It's bright and sweet, and the kernels pop and burst in your mouth.

a close up of a bowl of corn salsa on a wooden table. the edge of a small sheet pan with corn tacos on it is cropped out but slightly visible behind it.

Summer corn brings back memories of the stand at the Baltimore Farmer's Market with a truck bed filled with corn so sweet and juicy you could eat it raw off the cob.

It reminds me of summers at Pierce Camp Birchmont, where color week always ended with a beach BBQ; Bobby, the waterfront director would dunk ears of corn in melted butter, husks pushed back to protect his hands, before roasting them over a fire pit and passing them out to campers.

three corn tacos in a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. they're topped with slices of red onion. a small bowl of corn salsa is visible behind the sheet pan.

So when it comes to making the perfect summer corn salsa, how do you choose: raw or grilled?

I refuse to even consider the question; This summer corn salsa brings you the best of both worlds by using two or three ears of buttery, oven-roasted corn and one ear of fresh sweet corn.

The end result is a savory corn salsa with just a hint of sweetness, complete with bright cherry tomatoes, scallions and red onions for bite, a squeeze of lime juice for acidity, and a bit of thinly sliced fresh cilantro that ties it all together.

a close up of three buttery ears of roasted corn flecked with salt and pepper and a few dark spots from the oven

But what to do if you don't have access to a grill or a fire pit for your corn? You use your oven, of course.

And while you've probably seen people wrap corn in foil to do this — I've found you can actually skip that step. Just rub the corn in softened butter, sprinkle on some salt, pepper, and a pinch of taco seasonings, and roast it for 30 minutes, rotating a few times as it cooks.

And since you're getting out a sheet pan anyway you might as well use the other half of it to make the chicken for your tacos at the same time. Right? Right!

Simply pat dry two ~1 lb chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper, then pat on a dry rub of taco seasonings and cook them right alongside the corn. No fuss, no mess, just great easy tacos with a summer corn salsa.

a close up of 3 tacos in a parchment lined sheet pan with a small bowl of cotija cheese, some lime wedges, and whole cherry tomatoes

practical tips & recipe notes

Some corn cobs are sweeter than others. Before you decide which ones to roast and which one to leave raw, slice off a few kernels from each to taste. Save the best tasting one to use raw.
You can swap the spice blend on the chicken for 2-3 tablespoon of any taco seasoning blend.
To help you adjust the number of servings, a good rule of thumb is: 1 ear of corn = ¾ cup corn kernels; 1 lb chicken breast = 3 cups shredded chicken.
Depending on the size of your chicken breasts they'll take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to cook. The best way to measure doneness is by inserting an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast. When it hits 160°F it's done.
I used the center-bottom rack of my oven for this so the corn wasn't too close to the heating coil at the top of the oven. But every oven is different so adjust yours accordingly.
I used two forks to shred my chicken, but if you have a fancy chicken shredding tool that makes you feel like Wolverine, go for it.

📖 Recipe