Elote chicken pasta salad is a wholesome summer pasta salad with grilled corn, chicken, and a tangy creamy dressing made with sour cream and cotija cheese. Perfect for picnics, barbecues, beach days, or just a random Tuesday when you need a quick lunch.
This summery corn pasta salad is the life of the party. Seriously. You can keep your grilled chicken skewers and fancy passion fruit cocktails—I’m the one the kids are come back for. One bite, and it’s sunshine, laughter, and music in your mouth.
It is a spin on the Mexican street corn but with pasta and chicken. Next time you’re invited to a summer gathering, take this. It doesn’t wilt in the heat, play well with others, and I promise—It’ll be the dish everyone remembers.
You can make everything from scratch or take shortcuts like using canned corn and pre-cooked grilled chicken to make this a 5-minute quick recipe. Don't worry about the special ingredients like cotija cheese and Tajin seasoning. I have great swaps in the recipe.
Honestly, pasta salad is just the start. When summer rolls around, I go all in. I’m talking sweet melon salad, burrata caprese salad that vanishes faster than I can make it, and mango corn salsa that never lasts more than a few hours in my house. Summer is basically one long, delicious excuse to keep my kitchen busy and my fridge full.
Ingredients for elote pasta salad
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this delicious recipe
See the recipe card for quantities.
Corn - I love charred grilled corn in this recipe. To cut time and effort, you can pan-fry frozen corn on high heat on the stovetop or air-fry corn on the cob.
You also get frozen or canned grilled corn, making life even easier.
Chicken- Grilled chicken is fantastic here, but you can add shredded rotisserie or pre-cooked chicken from the grocery store.
Pasta - Most days, I don't fuss with this. I use what I have, but it would be nice to have smaller pasta that matches the size of the corn kernels, like ditalini.
Sour cream & Mayonnaise - Greek yogurt or skyr is an excellent, high-protein, low-carb, tangy substitute for sour cream. Mayonnaise adds a lot of creaminess and keeps the salad together.
Cojita cheese - This is a Mexican-style crumbly cheese that is used in making the street-style elote corn and to top tacos with. If you can't find it or just do not want to buy another hunk of cheese, you can use feta or parmesan cheese instead.
How to make elote pasta salad
The pasta is easy to make once you have all the ingredients prepped. Grill the corn and chicken. Cook the pasta and you are ready to rock and roll.
Step 1: Cook the corn
Choose the option that suits you- grill kernels on a pan on high heat, air fry, or on a grill. You can also use canned or frozen grilled corn.I like the whole foods one.
Step 2: Cook chicken and pasta
A great shortcut is to use precooked chicken- rotisserie chicken is a great option.
I like to buy organic chicken breasts, slice them into smaller cutlets, and pan-fry them till cooked. It keeps for about a week, where I make salads, sandwiches, and chicken dips with the shredded meat.
Cook the pasta as per packet instructions. Rinse it under cold water so that it doesn't stick together. Let it cool down in a colander till you get the other ingredients ready.
Step 3: Elote salad dressing
It's all about assembly once your pasta, chicken, and corn are ready.
The dressing is quite creamy. I like adding sliced celery to add some crunch. The cojita cheese is quite crumbly. You can break it with your hands.
Depending on how much prep you have and the shortcuts you take, this summer salad can be ready in less than the time it takes to cook your pasta.
Hot tip
Did you know you could air fry your corn too? It's fuss free and takes very little time.
Storage
Unlike other salads, this salad is stored very well. Everything from the corn to the celery stays crunchy. However, pasta will absorb the dressing and make the salad dry. A good mix and a few hours outside the refrigerator will fix it right up.
If you are looking for more packable salads, try this quinoa edamame salad and cranberry chicken pecan salad.
Serving summer corn pasta salad
Make this pasta salad for your summer soirée or pack it for a picnic. Pack it up for a picnic with cut fruits, crackers, and some easy dips like spicy feta jalapeno dip or a red pepper dip.
You can also serve this for lunch or dinner with a grilled chicken- lemon pepper chicken drumsticks, or this easy buttermilk brined roast chicken. Another easy side option is to air fry some garlic bread.
Elote pasta salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Pasta Cook as per packet instructions
- 16 ounces Grilled corn 2-3 corn on the cob or canned fire roasted corn or frozen corn
- 1 Chicken breast about 1-2 cups, grilled and chopped
- ½ cup Cojita cheese or parmesan cheese
- 1 Cup Cilantro chopped
- 1 Cup Celery sliced small
Elote dressing
- ¾ Cup Sour cream
- ½ Cup Mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon Tajin seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder or 2 finely chopped cloves
- Salt
Instructions
Cooking corn
- You can buy canned roasted corn to cut short the cooking time.
- Pan fry the frozen corn on high heat or air fry the corn on the cob or grill it.
- Let it cool down before you remove the kernals from the corn.
Cooking chicken
- Precooked chicken will cut your cooking time. Or you can
- Pan fry or grill the chicken breast till it's cooked.
Cooking pasta
- Cook the pasta till it's eldente- just cooked.
- Drain the water, give the cooked pasta a quick wash under cold water. Spray olive oil and let the pasta cool down in a colander.
Dressing
- To a bowl, add the sour cream, cilantro, tajin, chili powder, garlic powder and mayonnaise. Give it a mix. Taste and adjust the heat and salt level as per your taste
Assembly
- Mix everything toghether- grilled corn kernals, chicken, cooked pasta, dressing and a heapfull of cojita cheese.
Notes
Swaps & Notes
Pasta- Pick a hardy pasta shape like rotini, fusilli, penne, or farfalle. Cojita cheese - Crumbled parmesan cheese or feta cheese are great replacements. Tajin seasoning tastes like lemon, salt, ground chili, and a touch of sugar. The seasoning is usually quite tangy. You can substitute a teaspoon of it with one teaspoon of lime juice, ⅛ teaspoon ground chili, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of caster sugar. Ground Cumin - Omit or use a light taco seasoning. Grilled Corn- Sauted frozen corn or canned corn. Sour cream- I have used Greek yogurt and skyr with equal success Mayonnaise - I suggest you do not skip this. It gets the whole dish together. Cilantro - Chives and cilantro are great replacements.Nutrition
Summer recipes
These are my favorite summer recipes-
FAQ
Absolutely! In fact, it's even better after chilling for a few hours or overnight—the flavors get to mingle and deepen. Just give it a quick stir before serving.
Short, sturdy shapes like rotini, fusilli, penne, or farfalle are ideal. Their ridges and curves hold onto dressing and mix-ins beautifully.
Yes—for pasta salad, give it a rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down. It also prevents the noodles from sticking together.
It stays tasty for 3–4 days when stored in an airtight container. After that, the texture may get mushy and the veggies a bit sad.
Sure can! It’s usually served chilled, but a warm pasta salad can be cozy and delicious, especially right after everything is freshly tossed together.
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