Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs With Spicy Corn

By Melissa Clark

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs With Spicy Corn
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
55 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ marinating
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes’ marinating
Rating
5(3,736)
Comments
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The spicy, salty jalapeño brine balances sweet corn kernels, which roast on a sheet pan alongside chicken thighs in this simple, summery weeknight meal. The chicken, marinated with basil, garlic and a little mayonnaise, stays juicy even after a brief stint under the broiler. You can serve this hot from the oven or at room temperature — it’s equally good each way — and cold leftovers are excellent piled onto lettuce or avocado for a salad the next day.

Featured in: A Sheet-Pan Chicken for Corn Season

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1¾teaspoons fine sea or table salt
  • 2tablespoons mayonnaise
  • ¼cup finely chopped basil, plus more for garnish
  • 2garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • ⅓cup chopped pickled jalapeños, plus brine from the jar
  • 4cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (from about 4 ears)
  • 3tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 5scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1jalapeño, sliced into rings
  • 1lime, halved
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

393 calories; 18 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 672 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season the chicken all over with ¾ teaspoon of salt. In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, basil, garlic and 2 tablespoons jalapeño brine. Add the chicken to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 6 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss together corn, pickled jalapeños, olive oil, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and half of the scallions (save remaining scallions for serving).

  3. Step 3

    Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet, spacing it out. Roast for 12 minutes. Spoon the corn mixture onto the empty parts of the baking sheet. Drizzle chicken and corn with oil. Continue to roast until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes longer, stirring the corn once while roasting.

  4. Step 4

    Turn the broiler on high and broil the chicken and corn until golden brown in spots, 2 to 4 minutes (watch carefully so it doesn’t burn, though a little blistering is nice).

  5. Step 5

    Garnish chicken and corn with basil, remaining scallions and fresh jalapeño slices. Sprinkle with more pickled jalapeño brine and squeeze with lime juice. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ratings

5 out of 5
3,736 user ratings
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Comments

kmccann18

A worthy twist in one of the best recipes ever - Melissa’s Ginger Lime Chicken. Mayo is an amazing marinade and the generous salt does wonders - even increase it - an especially good technique is you swap in boneless breasts. Basil and corn is a delightful combo and the kick from the peppers is just enough. Easy to do in an aluminum pan on the grill to keep your kitchen cool too. Delightful!

David

Banger! This was so good we decided to start the weekend early. Only mod was using more pickled jalapenos (1/2 cup?) and forgoing the fresh jalapeno at the end. (Actually we first tried it with some slices of fresh jalapeno, but found it overwhelmed a bit. Taster's choice here.). Had a simple, cool tomato salad to go with, and it complimented like a champ.

Audrey

This was eyes-rolled-back-in-your-head good. The fat from the chicken and the olive oil, the acid and spice from the jalapeños, sweetness from the corn, and generous salt, this was perfect. So, so, so good. My husband is still talking about it I pre-salted the chicken in the morning, and then followed the recipe (including the salting) to a T. I love David's idea of tomatoes and will do a cherry tomato salad on the side next time, maybe some warm tortillas on the table too. Unbelievably good.

Me

We are pretty wimpy when it comes to heat so use “tamed” jarred jalapeños. This is a terrific recipe. Easy and delicious. Sometimes add oiled Yukon Gold potatoes to the sheet pan.

SueZ

We really liked this recipe but the pickled jalapeños (surprisingly) were a bit too spicy for both of us. I will definitely make again but use 1/4 c of the pickled jalapeños and 1 T of the brine with 1 or 2 T lime juice. I would still use the sliced fresh jalapeño. Adding cotija cheese at the end really finishes it off!

anno

I didn’t have all,the liquid on my sheet pan that some commenters described — but I didn’t put a lot of the marinade on the pan. Should I have done that?

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