Creamed Corn Chicken with Fresh Herbs
This creamed corn with chicken comes together in less than an hour, uses only one skillet, and is outrageously delicious! Fresh corn and chicken cooked in garlic, butter, heavy cream, white wine, cheese, and BACON! Finish with fresh herbs from your garden and you have the perfect summer meal for any night of the week.
Nothing screams summer like fresh corn. There is just something very satisfying about shucking corn while standing barefoot in the kitchen during the summer, don’t you think? And I am always looking for an excuse to use the beautiful herbs that I grow every year.
Please don’t confuse this creamed corn with the soupy stuff that comes in a can from the grocery store. These kernels are cut straight from the cobb and remain slightly crisp while soaking up all of the divine flavors from the chicken and bacon that were cooked in the skillet. Add in some white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan and then combine all of that goodness with the heavy cream and cheese. Once the corn is cooked to your desired consistency, add the chicken back to the skillet, and top with the crumbled bacon and fresh herbs.
Let’s gather up the ingredients:
- 4 ears of fresh corn– You could also use frozen or canned corn if that’s all you had.
- Chicken-I like to use chicken thighs in this recipe, but you could use boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil- California Olive Ranch is my olive oil of choice. I love the flavor and I can find it at my local grocery store at a reasonable price.
- Fresh Thyme– You could substitute for dried in a pinch
- Fresh Basil
- Butter
- Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
- Flour
- Bacon-Thick cut works best in this recipe.
- Onion
- Wine– Something dry like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Stay away from anything sweet such as Moscato
- Heavy cream
- Cheese-Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago would all be good options.
How to cut the kernels from the cobb
Fresh corn has such a great texture and superior flavor in my opinion, so I always like to use this option if it is available to me. Just grab a deep bowl that is big enough to put a smaller bowl inside. Flip the smaller bowl upside down in the larger bowl to give you a surface to prop the end of the cobb on. Grab a sharp knife and, starting at the top of the ear of corn, cut straight down the cobb. The larger bowl will catch all of the kernels. Continue this process, spinning the ear of corn until all of the kernels have been removed.
This is a one-skillet meal that doesn’t require you to turn on your oven in the summer heat. One skillet means fewer dishes! Yes, please.
Now let’s get cooking!
First, add the bacon to a large, deep skillet. We are building layers of flavor here. Once crisp, drain and set aside. Add the chicken to the same pan and sear until golden brown. Depending on the chicken, this should take 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside with the bacon. Next, saute the onions and corn in the butter and cook until the kernels are slightly charred. Then throw in the herbs, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic. Cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant.
Now we deglaze the bottom of the pan with the wine. Make sure to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. That is pure flavor! Next, add the cream and parmesan cheese. Stir until everything is well combined and then add the chicken back to the mix. Let the ingredients simmer and bubble until the chicken is warmed through and all of the fantastic flavors have had a chance to meld together. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
Now let’s finish things off with some extra cheese, the reserved crumbled bacon, and some freshly torn basil leaves. There you have it! The perfect summer dinner. Serve with some crusty bread to soak up all of that delectable sauce and you have a complete meal.
You guys have to try this recipe! It is SO mouthwateringly good.
My youngest child told me this looked like prison slop, but that it was the “BEST prison slop HE ever had!” I have to admit that he’s right. Definitely not the prettiest food in the world, but I promise that it tastes WAY better than it looks.
As always, if you decide to make this creamed corn chicken (and you should!) Please be sure to give it a rating and let me know how yours turned out. I love hearing your feedback and I will do my best to answer any questions you have as quickly as I can.
Creamed Corn Chicken with Fresh Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken tenders
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
- kosher salt and pepper
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 ears corn, kernels removed from the cob
- 2 cloves garlic, grated on a micro-plane
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- torn fresh basil
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenders in a large bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme and season generously with salt and pepper.Massage the chicken so that it is evenly covered in all of the the spices. Sprinkle ¼ cup of flour evenly over the chicken and toss to coat. Add more flour if necessary to completely coat the chicken
- Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat. and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain onto a paper towel.
- Add the chicken tenders to the same pan and sear on both sides until golden brown. About 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When it starts to shimmer, add the onions and cook until softened and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, corn, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook another 5 minutes until the corn is golden and has reach the desired texture.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in ¾ cup wine to deglaze the pan. Let the alcohol cook off while scraping all of the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the ½ cup heavy cream and ½ cup grated parmesan cheese. Stir until everything is well combine. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Simmer for about 5 minutes so that all of the flavors can combine. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet along with the accumulated juices. Stir to combine again and cook until the chicken is fully done, about 10 more minutes should do the trick.
- Top with freshly torn basil leaves and more grated parmesan. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!