Fresh corn is king this time of year in the Northeast, so it’s not unheard of for us to include it as an ingredient in up to 3 or 4 meals a week. Once the season has ended, fresh corn is rarely on the meal docket. This recipe is everything a dinner should be in summer: easy, cooked outside, minimal ingredients, and full of fresh flavors.
These summery grilled chicken thighs with sweet corn are scented with basil and lime. Warm your lime-basil butter on the side of the grill while you cook your corn and chicken, so it melts willingly on the charred thighs and corn kernels. Finishing with extra lime wedges and flaky salt isnāt a recommendation, but an essential final kick.
We thought the amount of corn was a bit shy, and suggest upping the amount by 50% to 6 ears. With a minimal amount of ingredients, the dish comes together rather quickly and bursts with flavor!
Grilled Chicken Thighs and Corn with Lime-Basil Butter
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Juice and zest of 2 limes
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 4-6 ears of corn, shucked
- Flaky sea salt, to finish
Directions
- Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl and season with the garlic, olive oil, 1Ā¾ teaspoons salt and juice of 1 lime. Toss to coat. Let marinate at room temperature while the grills heats up or, ideally, refrigerate, covered, overnight. (We marinated ours for 3 hours.)
- To make the lime-basil butter, place the butter, lime zest, Ā¾ cup basil leaves, Ā¼ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a food processor and whizz until basil is chopped and incorporated. Refrigerate overnight or leave out of the fridge if youāre ready to grill.
- When ready to cook, light the grill to medium-high. If needed, remove the chicken and lime-basil butter from the fridge and place the butter near the grill so it softens. Place the ears of corn on one side of the grill, turning every 3 minutes or so, until cooked through and lightly charred, 10 to 20 minutes total. Pull the corn off the grill and slice off the charred kernels. Place them on a serving platter and top with some of the basil butter.
- While the corn is cooking and being sliced, place the chicken on the grill flat sides down. Char until it releases from the grates easily, 5 to 7 minutes. Rotate the chicken slightly, without flipping, to get more color on the first side. Pay attention to how the color develops and when areas of the first side become chestnut in color and look delicious, flip the chicken and grill for another 3 to 5 minutes. Continue rotating and flipping every few minutes until the chicken is cooked through. To check if the chicken is cooked, poke a knife into the thickest part of the meat. The juices should run clear and the meat should no longer be translucent.
- Remove the chicken from the grill, slice each thigh in half across its widest part and place slices on top of the corn. Spoon the remaining basil butter on top of the hot chicken and sprinkle over remaining basil leaves, the remaining lime juice and flaky salt. Grind some extra black pepper over the top.
Original recipe by Clare de Boer for NYTimes Cooking
Accounting for Taste 
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