This is a corn-focused sandwich that’s packed with grilled chicken as well as juicy corn. This is the Corn Kid sandwich, or maybe even the CEO of Corn’s sandwich.
Who is the Corn Kid?
I love corn. But over the years, I’ve learned that I’m not the only one. Three years ago, the world found out that there’s someone out there who loves corn more than any of the rest of us.
In 2022, a seven-year-old named Tariq (that’s a link to Tariq’s TikTok) was interviewed for a web series called Recess Therapy. The episode with Tariq is available in a YouTube video called “The CEO of Corn.” That particular video showed us that Tariq is very enthusiastic about corn. Yes, corn. The stuff on the cob. The Gregory Brothers, a comedy music quartet, were inspired so much by Tariq’s corn-focused interview that they mashed up his responses as the lyrics for a song called “It’s Corn.” That song went viral, and then the whole world learned about Tariq.
Tariq’s enthusiasm for corn earned him the nicknames of The Corn Kid and The CEO of Corn, and the viral popularity of The Gregory Brothers’ song swept the country during the late Summer and early Fall of 2022, even infecting some Hollywood elites. Kevin Bacon performed his own It’s Corn remake on TikTok (I share this again further down the page), and the seven-year-old Corn Kid even appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show.
The CEO of Corn, Tariq, got so much publicity in 2022 that they even appeared in a pretty funny Instagram reel that the restaurant chain Chipotle shared.
But what is this sandwich?
This is a corn and chicken-focused sandwich that was inspired by 2022’s Corn Kid and his love of juicy corn. But I did not invent the full concept of this sandwich. I read about it from a post on Instagram.
I saw all the components for this sandwich in the Instagram post that was shared by an awesome account called Celebs on Sandwiches (Instagram account here).
If you’ve never seen the account before, Celebs on Sandwiches creates pieces of art that depict a celebrity (or multiple celebrities) sitting on top of what is typically a very large sandwich. The sandwiches that are being sat upon pair up with the celebrities in different ways, but often it’s based on where the celebrity lives or is from, or the role they have played in a movie or TV show. Celebs on Sandwiches is a very fun sandwich-focused social media account to follow, and you can also buy their art at the link above.
You can see Tariq’s likeness sitting on a sandwich (which is the Instagram post that inspired this sandwich blog post), and when reading the ingredient list, it seemed like a well put-together sandwich concept.
The sandwich I am writing about today features slices of grilled chicken thigh with spoonfuls of corn salsa, jalapeno mayonnaise, pickled red onions, and cotija cheese crumbled on top. As far as I can tell, Celebs on Sandwiches invented this particular concept for a sandwich and then made it and recreated it as a piece of art for Tariq to sit on.
After seeing this Instagram post, I immediately went out to buy the ingredients to work up my own CEO of Corn sandwich recipe. As I was buying the ingredients, I put it together in my brain that altogether the sandwich components create deconstructed esquites plus grilled chicken.
What is esquites?
Esquites is a dish from northeastern Mexico that is sometimes also called elote en vaso, or corn in a cup. You may have heard of or eaten Elotes, which is seasoned corn on the cob, and esquites is just Elotes where the corn has been removed from the cob. Elotes is also sometimes called “Mexican street corn” or just “street corn.” Because of this, you might see esquites called “street corn salad.”
The main ingredients in elotes and esquites, other than corn, are mayonnaise, spices like cumin or pepper powder, fresh peppers like jalapeno, lime juice, and cheese, typically in the form of cotija cheese. So basically, this sandwich is grilled chicken with all the pieces that normally go in elotes and/or esquites combined and used as the components of the sandwich.
If you don’t want to make this sandwich, you still should try to make equites. I’ve been making J. Kenji López-Alt’s recipe for Mexican Street Corn Salad (equites) that he shared on Serious Eats for quite a few years now. It’s a solid recipe and my go-to summer side dish when I grill or need something to bring to a party.
Is corn in a sandwich a good idea?
I’m not going to lie to you, I ate a few of these sandwiches this week, and in none of those experiences did I end up with a super clean plate at the end. Small pieces of corn fell out of the sandwich during each bite. But that’s something I can deal with.
Based on this sandwich, I think corn in a sandwich is good. I just don’t think you’re going to get a lot of corn into a sandwich when you spoon the corn into the sandwich in corn salsa form. Maybe if you used a pita pocket or even a wrap where the corn was supported from falling out a bit better? That might work.
But regardless, I enjoyed the flavors and fun of eating a sandwich with corn in it, and you should try it too. Just make sure you don’t eat it on top of your mom’s fancy tablecloth, cause things might get a little messy.
But first, we need some bread, and I chose to make one of the rolls that I’ve made the most often for this sandwich blog because I think it has the best chance of standing up to a Corn Kid sandwich.
@kevinbacon I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing #itscorn #corn ♬ It's Corn – Tariq & The Gregory Brothers & Recess Therapy
A slightly crusty roll
This bread roll recipe is one that I have shared and made a whole bunch of times. I’m not going to write too much about it here, but I do think that it helps the sandwich if the roll you’re using has a little bit of crust with a slightly chewy interior, which helps hold everything together.
If you don’t want to make your own bread, try to find a roll at a local bakery or the bakery in your grocery store that seems like it might be a little bit chewy in the middle. Remember, this sandwich roll needs to stand up to a lot of Corn Juice™.
Here’s my crusty roll recipe that I think a Corn Kid sandwich requires. You could probably make this on a bun, but the slightly crusty exterior of this particular roll works great with tender chicken and the other creamy components in this sandwich.
Chicago-style sub rolls
Similar, but not a full copycat of a Turano brand roll. These are great for Italian beef sandwiches or any other type of sub. There's a thin crunchy and chewy exterior and a nice soft pillowy interior, perfect for a dunk in au jus or gravy.
Get RecipeGrilled chicken
I kept this part really simple, and I just used a grill pan on my stove to grill some chicken thighs that I seasoned with a steak rub seasoning I recently bought. In the full sandwich recipe, I say to use salt and pepper or your favorite grill seasoning. This sandwich is about Corn with the chicken as a backup component.
I grilled boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but breast meat will work just fine here as well. Just make sure the chicken is fully cooked and rested for about 5 minutes before slicing. You could put the whole piece of chicken on the sandwich, but I think it works best and the sandwich is easier to eat when you use slices of grilled chicken.
Corn salsa
We’re going to turn those big lumps with knobs into a great salsa that I’ve been eating with chips all week. This salsa would also be fantastic on tacos or spread on top of nachos. As you’ll see soon, it’s also great in a sandwich. There are recipes out there for corn salsa made from frozen corn, and that probably would work here, too, but I used corn that I sliced fresh off the cob.
This recipe is very similar to the corn salsa that Chipotle makes and sells as a salsa option for their tacos and burritos. I haven’t had Chipotle in quite a few years, but I used to enjoy the corn salsa in carnitas tacos, and this recipe very much reminds me of their version.
Here’s my corn salsa recipe. Just like Corn Kid says, it has the juice!
Fresh corn salsa
This fresh corn salsa recipe makes a great addition to your next taco night. The jalapeno and poblano peppers do not add a lot of spice; this salsa is pretty mild. You can add some cayenne pepper powder or a couple more jalapenos with their seeds if you wish to spice things up. This is similar to the corn salsa they serve at Chipotle.
Get RecipeJalapeno aioli or mayonnaise
The Corn Kid graphic from Celebs on Sandwiches says they made and used Jalapeno aioli, but mine is really just jalapeno mayonnaise. The line is sort of sketchy, but aioli usually has extra garlic compared to mayo, and I didn’t add any garlic.
I enjoyed this mayonnaise on a lot of different sandwiches this week. You can make jalapeno aioli from scratch (meaning eggs and oil) or you can do what I did and blend jalapeno, mayonnaise, and some lime juice into a pourable sandwich spread that will bring zip and a tiny bit of spice to a sandwich.
If you’re concerned, this isn’t going to be super spicy, and as long as you remove the white ribs and seeds from the jalapeno, it will give more of a fresh flavor that balances well with the zip from lime juice.
Jalapeno mayonnaise
This sandwich spread brings a bit of fresh green pepper flavor alongside a hint of extra tanginess from the lime juice. As long as you do not add the jalapeno ribs or seeds, it will not be very spicy.
Get RecipePickled red onions
This red onion pickle recipe is super easy. Onions are sort of like cucumbers in that they have a texture that isn’t too hard to bite through, so they don’t need to be cooked prior to the pickling process. You don’t even really need to cook the brine if you don’t want to, and that’s what happens in this recipe.
You simply slice the onions and add them to a bowl with vinegar, sugar, salt, and maybe a little MSG if you’re fancy like me. It won’t seem like there’s enough brine when you first whip up this recipe, but the onions will start to soften, and after a few hours in the fridge, they will become softened, and everything will turn a nice shade of pink.
Pickled red onions
Pickled red onions are a tangy and slightly sweet addition to a sandwich that will add texture and crunch. This is a super easy and quick recipe that will add a big flavor bang to your next sandwich.
Get RecipeThe sandwich
If you love corn like Tariq, The Corn Kid, and I do, you will enjoy this sandwich. It does have a touch of spice, which might not be great to serve to a 7-year-old, but overall the spice level is very mild.
The corn and pepper flavors bring a nice freshness to the sandwich, and the tender chicken and corn both have “the juice.”
View a few photos I took of my versions of this sandwich, and then get the full recipe down below.
Grilled chicken and elotes sandwich (aka CEO of Corn sandwich)
Adding fresh corn to a chicken sandwich might sound like a crazy idea, but it brings a lot of sweetness, which is balanced by the pickled red onions and slightly spicy mayonnaise, creating a great sandwich adventure.
Ingredients:
Fresh corn salsa- 1 poblano pepper
- 8 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1⁄2 large red onion, finely diced
- 1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast
- salt and black pepper (or your favorite all-purpose seasoning blend)
- 1 six-inch sandwich roll
- 2 to 4 tablespoons jalapeno mayonnaise (recipe link)
- 1 to 2 scoops corn salsa (from above)
- sliced, grilled chicken thigh (from above)
- pickled red onions (recipe link)
- cotija cheese
Directions:
Roasting a poblano pepper: preheat your oven to 450 degrees F (230 C).
Cut your poblano pepper down the center into two halves and remove the stem and all the seeds.
Place your pepper halves face down on an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the skin of the pepper is turning fairly black.
Remove your pepper halves from the oven and transfer into a bowl large enough to hold them. At this point you want to steam them slightly to make the skins easier to remove. You can either cover your bowl with another inverted bowl or you can cover your bowl with something like plastic wrap. Covering a bowl with a cutting board will also work. You're just trying to trap the stem in with the roasted pepper halves.
After about 5 or 10 minutes, your pepper should be cool enough to handle.
Remove from the bowl to a cutting board and carefully strip off all the skins and the burned or charred bits of pepper skin or flesh. Discard all the burned parts and the skin.
Slice your roasted peppers into slices and then slice the slices into a small dice. Place the diced poblano in a large bowl.
Cooking corn kernels: clean eight ears of corn and slice the kernels from the cob. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to a large pan over medium heat and when the oil is shimmering, add the corn kernels. Cook, stirring often until the corn is just starting to soften and brown in some spots. This should take about 10 or 15 minutes.
Add the cooked corn kernels to the large bowl with the diced poblano to cool.
Corn salsa assembly: finely dice half of a large red onion and a jalapeno pepper and add them both to the bowl with the corn and poblano.
Add lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and salt to the bowl with the corn and all other veggies. Stir together well and then store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Chicken grilling: preheat a gas or charcoal grill for 10 minutes (or grill pan on your stovetop).
Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper (or your favorite grill seasoning) and then cook the chicken pieces on grill grates for 4 to 5 minutes per side for thighs and 5 to 6 minutes per side for chicken breasts. If you have very large chicken breasts you might want to grill for 7 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer you should be looking for 165 degrees F (73 C). You should be able to pull the chicken off the grill 5 degrees less than your target temperature and it will carry over cook those extra degrees.
Allow the chicken to cool for about 5 minutes and then slice into sandwich-sized slices.
Sandwich assembly: lightly toast a sandwich roll. Spread jalapeno mayonnaise on the bottom roll and then top that with some scoops of corn salsa. Add sliced, grilled chicken.
Layer on a few pickled red onions and top those with crumbles of cotija cheese. Add more jalapeno mayonnaise to the top of the roll if desired, close the sandwich and serve.
No sandwich next week!
Over the next week or so, I’ll be taking a short sandwich blogging break to recharge my sandwich batteries, but I will be back soon, and we’ll be ditching corn in favor of potatoes. No, not those potatoes. Some different ones.
