esquites chicken salad

or not-salad!

I don’t know about y’all, but I have been traveling for weeks, eating all of the buttery Southern foods, and drinking all of the tequila-laced drinks, and I am ready to eat a freaking SALAD.

Esquites is a Mexican corn salad and it is one of the greatest treats of summer: charred sweet corn, creamy mayo, salty cheese (Cotija usually), bright lime and cilantro, and a little heat from ground chile peppers or fresh jalapeño.

This week’s recipe gives that irresistible side dish center stage by turning it into a main dish. Some of the mayo dressing that’s flavored with lime, garlic, and cilantro is used to coat the chicken before grilling. The mayo keeps the chicken juicy and adds fat so it browns well on the grill, while all the other bits give it great spunky flavor.

The extra dressing is used to dress grilled corn and crisp lettuce. Throw in some toasted pepitas for crunch, plus the cheese and more cilantro, and you’ve got yourself such a good summer dinner. 

“salad doesn’t count as dinner”

If you’re feeding a “salad doesn’t count as dinner” crowd (my own husband is a recovering member of this community), this is still a great recipe for you. Just place the chicken on one platter, the salad with cheese and pepitas on another platter (you could also add pickled red onions and crumbled tortilla chips to make it a little more exciting), and grilled corn on the cob slathered with the mayo dressing and sprinkled with Cotija and smoked paprika on a third platter. There ya go — same meal, different presentation.

grilled chicken roundup

Since you’ve all been going nuts over the jerk chicken with coconut rice, I thought I’d do a little grilled chicken roundup this week. Here are all of the wonderful ways we’ve grilled chicken together!

• The most perfect grilled chicken, accompanied by a flavor-packed rice pilaf you’ll also cook on the grill. This was grilled chicken’s WTC debut back in 2021 — don’t miss it!

• Balsamic basil grilled chicken, which you can serve as a sandwich and/or salad.

• Sweet and spicy grilled chicken and onions, with grilled apricots and halloumi and basil. So much flavor!

• Grilled pickle-brined chicken sandwiches, AKA picky chicky sandos. As fun to eat as they were to name.

• Chicken chili verde burgers. Did you cook them for the 4th?!

Don’t forget: The WTC index helps you sort through more than two years worth of recipes categorized by protein, cook time, and mood. It’s always linked at the end of each email/post for your meal planning needs!

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esquites chicken salad

Serves 4 to 6

Cook time: ~40 minutes