Creamy Corn Chicken Skillet

This Creamy Corn Chicken Skillet is an incredibly flavorful one-pan meal. A rich and creamy cheesy, corn sauce is packed with fresh basil, crispy bacon bits, white wine, red pepper flakes, garlic, and onions, then gets finished with perfectly cooked chicken breasts to make this a whole meal!

We love a one-skillet meal! It allows us to build layers of flavor in the skillet, infusing the dish with more and more flavor at each stage. Not to mention, it's so many fewer dishes!

Just like our garlic parmesan chicken pasta, and this chicken and butternut squash skillet with creamy parmesan sauce, this dish has tons of garlic, cheese, and flavor, and it's definitely a crowd pleaser!

This recipe comes together in under an hour, is packed with protein, and is the ultimate comfort food. It's great to enjoy in both the summertime and early fall when sweet corn is in season, but you can also use canned or frozen corn to enjoy it year-round!

If you love a hearty, satisfying one pan meal, make sure to check out our cheesy giardiniera chicken skillet, this steak and shrimp skillet with garlic parmesan cream sauce, and our chicken and pumpkin risotto!

❤️Why We Love This Recipe

• Super flavorful. This recipe has a little bit of everything. It's rich and creamy, with tons of garlic and onion, a kick of spice, lots of cheese, sweet corn, herbaceous fresh basil, salty bacon, and juicy chicken breasts. What more could you want?!
• Hearty and filling. Not only is this dish packed with flavor, it's packed with protein, and is truly a one-pan meal that will keep everyone satisfied. Our favorite type of meal!
• Made with staple ingredients. Everything needed to make this recipe can be found at any grocery store if you don't already have what you need on hand!
• Easy to prepare. Even though the flavors in this dish are complex, this recipe is simple and straightforward. It comes together in under an hour using simple techniques in one skillet. We love it!

🌽Ingredients

Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.

• Chicken breasts. We recommend using breasts that have been cut in half lengthwise, or cutlets so they cook quicker and easier.
• Oil. We use oil to cook the chicken because we sear it at a higher heat, and this prevents it from burning.
• Whole milk. Gives us a creamy sauce without being too rich.
• Corn. Fresh, sweet corn is going to give you the best flavor. We cut it off the cob before cooking it in the skillet for a few minutes to get a little color, just like in our cheesy corn dip recipe!
• White wine. Technically optional, but will add a depth of flavor to the sauce. Choose something dry and citrusy, but no oaky chardonnay. We'd recommend using Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
• Parmesan cheese. Grate it yourself so that it melts properly in the sauce!
• Flour. Technically optional, but we coat the chicken breasts in it to give them a little crispy coating, as well as thicken the creamy chees sauce.
• Butter. We'd recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the salt levels completely.

Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.

✨Substitutions & Variations

Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.

• Swap chicken breasts for thighs. Feel free to swap for thighs instead if you prefer! Just make sure to cook them a little longer to make sure they are nice and juicy. Chicken thighs have more collagen that needs to break down, and while they are totally safe to eat at 165°F, cooking them to an internal temperature of 195°F ensures they are incredibly tender and juciy!
• Swap the wine. If you don't prefer to cook with wine, you can easily swap it for chicken broth or stock.
• No unsalted butter. If you don't have unsalted butter on hand, feel free to just use salted butter. In this case, just be careful about adding too much salt, as the dish may end up too salty. Taste and adjust as you go!
• Swap yellow onion. Feel free to use shallots or red onion instead of yellow onion if you don't have any on hand.
• Using canned or frozen corn. If you don't have fresh corn to use, you can use canned corn, just be sure to drain out all the extra liquid. For both canned and frozen corn, you'll want to cook the corn a little extra to get rid of any extra liquid.
• Gluten-free. Feel free to just omit the flour dredge from the chicken entirely, and to thicken the corn cream sauce, add extra parmesan or some pieces of cream cheese.
• Creamier version. You can use half-and-half or heavy cream in place of whole milk for an even more decadent version of this dish!
• Control the spice level. This recipe has a slight kick, so you can add slightly more or less red pepper flakes to taste. If you really like spice, feel free to add some jalapenos into the mix!
• Swap out herbs. No basil on hand? No worries! You can use parsley or cilantro instead.

This recipe hasn't been tested with any other substitutions or variations, so we can't guarantee any results. If you make a change, let us know how it goes in the comments below!

🔪Prep Work

• Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Mince garlic.
• Dice onion.
• Tear or chiffonade basil.
• Cut the corn off of the cob.
• Grate parmesan cheese.
• Zest and juice lemon.
• Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces.
• Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
• Weigh out the rest of the ingredients.

Season the chicken

In a large bowl, toss the chicken in salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and lemon juice. (Image 1)

When the chicken is well coated, add the flour and toss it to coat again. (Image 2)

Cook the chicken

Add oil to the hot skillet, and cook the chicken in batches if necessary, about 5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F with an instant-read thermomter. (Image 3)

Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into it. This helps the juices re-distribute throughout the chicken, which keeps it tender and juicy.

⭑Pro tip: Scrape any overly charred bits from the pan to help prevent the dish from tasting burnt.

Cook the bacon

Next, add the bacon to a hot skillet and cook for about 5-7 minutes until it's golden brown and crispy. (Image 4)

Remove it from the skillet and set it aside on paper towels to drain the excess fat. Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet and discard or save the rest for later, like in this jalapeno popper chicken skillet.

Make the corn sauce

To the same pan, add about half of the butter, followed by the onion and flour with a pinch of salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes to get rid of the raw flour smell and cook down the onions until translucent and beginning to soften.

Next, add the remaining butter, followed by the corn, garlic, and red pepper flakes. (Image 5)

Cook for another 3-5 minutes or so, stirring every so often, until the corn is golden brown, then stream in the wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes to cook out the alcohol, then stream in the milk and turn the heat to low. (Image 6)

Begin adding in the cheese in small handfuls, (Image 7) stirring until the cheese is completely melted before adding the next handful to form a sauce.

Once all of the cheese is incorporated, add in the basil, and add back the cooked bacon. (Image 8) Stir to wilt the basil. (Image 9)

⭑Pro tip: Stir constantly and add cheese slowly over low heat to prevent the cheese from clumping!

Taste and adjust seasonings, then, right before serving, stir in the lemon juice and zest and remove from the heat.

Top with the cooked chicken, more basil, and parmesan cheese. Serve, and enjoy!

⭑Pro tip: You'll also want to be sure to add the lemon juice and zest last, as the acidity will cause the cheese to clump. Also, this keeps the lemon flavor bright and apparent.

✨Top Tips

• Let the chicken rest before cutting it into pieces. This keeps the chicken moist and juicy, and keeps the juice inside the chicken, instead of letting it leak out!
• Use freshly grated parmesan and add it slowly. Pre-grated cheese has anti-caking agents added to it that cause the cheese to clump up more prevent it from melting into a smooth sauce. Make sure each handful of cheese is melted and incorporated before adding the next, and stir constantly over low heat for a smooth sauce!
• Add the lemon juice last. After making many creamy, rich parmesan cheese-based dishes, we discovered it was best to add the lemon juice at the very end of making the cream sauce. The acid in the lemon juice can cause the cheese to clump up, so we recommend adding it right before serving!

🍴What To Serve With This

• Salad. A little greens to cut through this hearty dish would complement it well! Try serving this with a quick and easy arugula spinach salad and some honey lemon vinaigrette dressing.
• Veggies. These lemon garlic green beans, or this cold asparagus salad would taste perfect alongside this rich and hearty meal!
• Carbs. You can't go wrong serving this dish with a side of bread for dipping, or serving the creamy corn sauce overtop of some red skin mashed potatoes!

❄️Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.

We don't recommend freezing this recipe, as there is a lot of dairy, and the texture can be impacted by freezing.