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Fried Chicken Street Corn Tacos with Jalapeño Lime Ranch

A flavorful taco recipe featuring crispy fried chicken, charred street corn salad, and a zesty jalapeño lime ranch dressing, perfect for a fun dinner party.
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Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 tacos
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Calories: 550
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken
  • 1.5 lbs chicken tenders
  • 1 cup pickle juice for marinating
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk for marinating
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour for coating
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch for extra crispiness
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tsp salt use sea salt if desired
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne powder for heat
  • 2 tbsp hot sauce e.g., Frank’s RedHot
  • 1.5 cups buttermilk for coating the chicken
  • peanut or vegetable oil for frying
For the Street Corn Salad
  • 5-6 ears corn husked and grilled
  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup sliced scallions
  • 1/3 cup grated cotija cheese
  • 1/4 cup cilantro minced
  • 1/2-1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt just for the corn
For the Jalapeño Lime Ranch
  • 3/4 cup mayo for ranch dressing
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp dry ranch seasoning or homemade version
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup pickled jalapeños
  • 2 tbsp pickled jalapeño juice
  • 3/4 cup cilantro large stems removed
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
For Serving
  • pieces flour tortillas size of your choice
  • 1 strip bacon cooked and diced per taco

Method
 

Marinate the Chicken
  1. Soak the chicken tenders in pickle juice for about 2 hours or overnight.
Prepare the Chicken Coating
  1. Set up your breading station with one bowl of buttermilk and another with a mix of flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, salt, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne.
Fry the Chicken
  1. Heat oil in a deep skillet to 350°F and fry the marinated chicken tenders after coating them in buttermilk and then the flour mixture, cooking until golden brown (about 5-7 minutes per batch).
Make the Street Corn Salad
  1. Grill the corn for about 10 minutes, then slice off the kernels and mix them with mayo, minced garlic, lime juice, lime zest, scallions, cotija cheese, cilantro, diced jalapeño, chili powder, and salt.
Blend the Jalapeño Lime Ranch
  1. Combine mayo, sour cream, dry ranch seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in a blender with pickled jalapeños, pickled jalapeño juice, cilantro, lime juice, and buttermilk, and blend until smooth.
Warm the Tortillas
  1. Microwave or grill the tortillas for a few seconds until they're pliable.
Assemble the Tacos
  1. Layer each tortilla with fried chicken, corn salad, and drizzle with Jalapeño Lime Ranch. Optionally, add crumbled bacon.

Notes

Consider using a deep fryer for best results. You can prepare the salad and ranch in advance. Leftover chicken can be reheated in an air fryer for extra crispiness.