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My ideal weeknight dinner is one that takes thirty minutes or less to make, uses ingredients I usually have on hand, and most importantly, is delicious. These Creamed Corn Chicken Thighs deliver on all those fronts. The combination of salty, savory crispy chicken and sweet creamy corn here is a revelation (seriously, you’ll never hear a complaint when this gets set on the table) and its quick and simple stovetop prep makes it even more appealing.
You can use skin-on or skinless chicken thighs here – either works fine, it just depends on whether you’re a crispy chicken skin fan or not. Even if you go with skinless, you still get a nice crispy coating here, because the thighs are dusted in flour before hopping into a skillet to get nice and golden brown.
Once the chicken is brown, you remove it from the skillet to work on the rest of the dish, which starts with butter and onions and garlic and a bit of flour.
Now, you could just use canned creamed corn here, but making your own is a whole lot less gloppy and a whole lot tastier. You just stir in some milk and let it thicken, and then some corn. It’s a great use for a glut of fresh ears, but frozen or canned really do work just fine.
The chicken thighs hop back in to finish cooking through (and taking on some of that sweet and creamy flavor).
The sauce is rounded out with a little heavy cream and some Parmesan, and trust me when I say that if you’ve only ever had canned creamed corn before, you won’t believe how delicious it can be.
Here, the creamed corn is silky and creamy but not heavy-handed – it’s a far cry from the gloppy stuff you might be thinking of. Creamy and flavorful with pops of juicy sweetness, it’s the perfect way to dress up some simple crispy chicken.
Creamed Corn Chicken Thighs
Yield(s): Serves 4
5m prep time
25m cook time
you're making mealtime meaningful.
For the chicken:
- 6 boneless chicken thighs (skin-on or skinless is fine)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the creamed corn:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 cups corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned and drained)
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Place 1/4 cup flour and paprika in a shallow bowl. Season liberally with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Dredge each piece of chicken in flour mixture.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well-browned, 2-3 minutes per side, working in batches if needed. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
- Wipe out skillet to remove any blackened bits. Add 2 tablespoons butter to skillet. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add flour and let cook briefly to get rid of raw flour taste, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, again stirring constantly.
- Cook until thickened, then stir in corn. Return chicken thighs to pan, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until chicken has cooked through, 10-15 minutes.
- Uncover, stir in heavy cream, Parmesan, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Family Food On The Table.