What’s up, sandwich fans!? I took a brief sandwich hiatus, but I’m back.
Today, we’re going to bite into and discuss a sandwich that, as of right now, is only available at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Then I’ll show you how to make an easy version of that same sandwich from scratch at home. Is there a chance that this could be the best sandwich in the world that’s only available at an airport? Read along and find out.
Where can you find this sandwich?
This is a breakfast sandwich from Rick Bayless’ Tortas Frontera at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. Tortas Frontera originally began as a stand-alone restaurant in downtown Chicago, which they eventually expanded into Terminal 3 of O’Hare. The sandwich restaurant clearly had some success there because, as of this writing, the branches that existed outside of the airport no longer exist, and the only Tortas Frontera locations still open are in three terminals at the airport (Terminals 1, 3, and 5).
If you’re not familiar with Rick Bayless, he’s a chef, author, and television personality who hails from Chicago, Illinois. He has started and run several restaurants there, including two very well-regarded Mexican-focused restaurants called Frontera Grill and Topolobampo. Bayless, originally born in Oklahoma, has dedicated much of his life to studying and making Mexican cuisine and presenting it on his Public Television cooking shows and to the menus of his restaurants.
If you want to learn more about Rick Bayless, check out the cool historical timeline on his website.
During Tortas Frontera’s 14+ year lifespan—much of it in an airport—the restaurants have appeared on many lists of the best restaurants that you can find in airports. Since their opening, it seems like airport terminal food has gotten progressively better, but Tortas Frontera still appears on this Yelp review compiled list from 2023.
So, we’ve determined that Tortas Frontera is consistently good airport food, but what exactly is this sandwich that this blog post is about?
What is this sandwich?
The sandwich in question is the chorizo, egg, and cheese from Tortas Frontera. It’s only available before 9:30 am, but I think it’s well worth showing up at the airport 20 or 30 minutes early to make sure you can grab one. You can also have them pack it up to go and eat it on the plane if you don’t have time to sit and enjoy it. I didn’t try this, but Tortas Frontera also advertises on their site that you can order with an app and skip the line if your plane is boarding soon.
According to the menu, this chorizo and egg sandwich contains Gunthorp Farms chorizo, poblano rajas, jack and Cotija cheese, avocado, and the bread is brushed with black beans. All of the breakfast sandwiches from Tortas Frontera are served on a Telera roll with scrambled eggs inside, and each sandwich is served with a small cup of tomatillo salsa for dipping or adding to the sandwich.
Food Network chef and self-proclaimed Sandwich King, Jeff Mauro, checked out this chorizo and egg sandwich during a trip and shared it on his Instagram story. I’ve shared it below if you want a different view on this particular sandwich.
They have some really yellow eggs at Tortas Frontera. Look how beautiful they look!
I just returned from a vacation and used that opportunity to order and enjoy a pre-7 am chorizo and egg torta and spicy paloma cocktail at Tortas Frontera. It’s a really good sandwich. The bread is a bit chewy with crispy bits on the exterior. The eggs and chorizo work very well together with savouriness and a little bit of spice. Avocado brings a lot of creaminess to the sandwich, and everything works very well to create a balanced breakfast sandwich.
The main thing that this sandwich had that I didn’t remember—and it isn’t on the menu—is a little bit of pickled red onion. I did not include this in my full recipe version down below because I didn’t think it contributed that much to the overall sandwich, but I definitely have a pickled red onion recipe that would work well in this torta.
Overall, this Tortas Frontera sandwich is meaty, cheesy, and egg-y, and it’s a great start to your day that will put you back on track after the heavy petting you just got from TSA in the security line. But we can make a version at home without taking off our belt and/or shoes.
Now that we know what sandwich we’re focusing on, we need to bake some bread.
Telera rolls
For a sandwich inspired by the ones you can get at Tortas Frontera, we need some traditional-ish Telera rolls. Telera rolls are a type of bread roll of Mexican origin that are nicely browned and typically used for sandwiches. The exterior is a bit crispy, and the interior is chewy and perfect for a sandwich with tender or soft ingredients like a breakfast sandwich.
The hallmark of this particular style of bread roll is that they are a little bit flattened and typically marked with two lines or creases across the top. Because the rolls are a bit flatter than some other rolls, like a hamburger bun, it means there’s a lot of surface area for crumbly or spreadable sandwich ingredients.
Traditional Telera rolls are baked with pork lard as the fat that contributes flavor and even tenderness in the finished bread roll. In this particular batch of telera rolls, I did not have lard on hand, but I did have bacon fat, and that is what I ended up using, and it worked perfectly. The amount of fat in the recipe contributes just a tiny bit of flavor, so you won’t end up making overly pork-y rolls.
The process of making those indentations or divots can easily be accomplished with a clean chopstick, metal straw, or skewer. Press firmly almost all the way through the dough, and that mark should stay throughout the rest of the dough’s rising and baking process.
Here’s a quick GIF of what I mean. I use one stick out of a nice set of clean chopsticks and press them into the dough. It will feel like you’re going to push through the dough, but you will not. If you do not press hard enough in this process, you likely will not be able to see the indentation when everything is baked. Just be nice and firm and have fun playing with the dough for a few minutes to get good indentations.
Once the dough has two parallel indentations, allow the dough to rise again for at least an hour or until they have doubled in size before baking. If you do everything right, you should still see those indentations after the exterior is golden brown and baked through.
Here’s my telera roll recipe that I recently baked for these chorizo and egg tortas. It’s all around, just a good roll that works well for making sandwiches.
Telera rolls
These Mexican-inspired telera rolls are soft and slightly chewy in the center with a bit of a crisp crust, which makes them perfect for a sandwich packed with ingredients.
Get RecipeBlack beans
Normally, when Rick Bayless makes a torta for his online YouTube channel or PBS cooking show, he will make a black bean spread that contains garlic, onion, and cooked black beans. I have a recipe for a black bean spread that’s similar to what Bayless would do, but for this particular sandwich, I decided to just spread on some refried black beans.
It worked well, and it’s definitely a shortcut that will give you a similar spread that will bring some flavor, but not quite as much as you might get from a homemade spread where you control the ingredients. But for a shortcut in a breakfast sandwich, this works just fine.
Here’s my black bean spread recipe if you want to make that. But otherwise, I wrote this sandwich recipe to be made with a can of refried black beans.
Black bean spread
Fantastic with chips or spread on a sandwich, this black bean spread is something I sometimes make for taco night to stand in for refried beans as well. Spread on the bottom of your torta to get some real flavor started.
Get RecipePoblanos rajas
Rajas is a Spanish word that means strips or stripes, but in the realm of Mexican cuisine, it usually means strips of roasted poblano peppers. So, that’s what I did for this sandwich. I roasted a couple of poblanos. Then I removed their burnt skins and sliced them into tender slices that I then placed into the finished sandwich.
You can roast peppers in the oven, or you can broil them, or use an eye of the stove to blister or sear the exterior of the peppers. The point of searing and almost burning the outside is to add some flavor, to soften the peppers, and to make it easier to remove the peppers’ skin.
Chorizo
I used crumbly pork chorizo for this torta, which appears to be similar to what is in the Tortas Frontera version. Chorizo cooks quickly and turns into more of a softer consistency than something like ground beef.
Once the chorizo has cooked until it’s just a bit browner than it started (at least 6 minutes), it should be done. At this point, you can put it directly in your sandwich, but just like with pork sausage, I prefer to let the meat drain and rest a bit on a paper towel-lined plate.
You can see from the photo that you’ll likely have a messy plate when you’re done, but it helps to remove some of the excess grease that would otherwise end up in your sandwich.
Does this sandwich need meat?
No, not really. I think the chorizo does add some flavor and texture to the final sandwich, and I liked the versions I made with chorizo, but I also made a vegetarian version with no meat (not vegan), and it was still a really good breakfast sandwich.
Without the chorizo, there’s very little texture in the sandwich, so make sure you follow the toasting/heating instructions in the recipe that I’ve also mentioned below.
You could also use a different meat, like bacon, steak, or another type of pork sausage, if you wanted.
Scrambled eggs
For most sandwiches, I make a folded egg, which is basically just a scrambled egg that is folded over instead of stirred and scrambled until you get loose curds. The menu for this particular sandwich calls for scrambled eggs, so that’s what I did.
It’s pretty much the same as a folded egg, though, so you can do that if you want. Basically, I used 2 eggs per sandwich, so this one is a full meal. I salted and did not pepper the egg because I knew that the chorizo would have plenty of seasoning to bring everything together.
Cheese
The menu at Tortas Frontera mentions jack and cotija cheese for the cheese components of this chorizo and egg sandwich. You can see crumbly cotija in the sandwich they serve, so that’s what I used for most of the versions that I made, and I think it works well. The cotija is salty and does contribute some creaminess, but it will not be melty. Grating some Monterey Jack and using that in combination with the cotija will give you the best of both worlds.
Monterey Jack is super melty, so it should give you a cheese pull if that’s what you want. Add the same amount of cotija if you want it to be a more accurate copycat, according to Tortas Frontera’s menu.
Avocado slices
The avocado slices are added to the sandwich after it has been cooked slightly in the oven. Open the top and toss 3 or 4 slices into the sandwich, close it, and serve. The creaminess from the avocado works really well with the scrambled egg, cheese, and meat.
Those are all of the components of this sandwich listed in the order in which they are added. I don’t know about you, but all this writing is making me thirsty, so I also whipped up a drink that’s inspired by a menu option at Tortas Frontera.
Jalapeno paloma
Tortas Frontera also has a spicy paloma on their menu, and I picked one up on my last visit. Then I asked my wife to formulate an easy jalapeno-focused paloma recipe for me to share here. Tortas Frontera introduces jalapeno flavor through a jalapeno-infused tequila, but the recipe I’m sharing today sets you up to create a simple syrup that picks up a lot of fresh green pepper flavor by steeping jalapeno in the hot sugar water.
At the most basic description, a paloma is a cocktail made from tequila, cointreau, and lime flavors, much like a margarita, but then the paloma differs with the addition of a sparkling grapefruit soda.
Why isn’t my paloma pink?
The color of a Paloma is determined by the color of the grapefruit soda that you choose. I used Jarritos brand grapefruit sodas for many of the test versions of this cocktail, and it creates a fairly clear drink. My wife also bought Fever-Tree brand pink grapefruit soda, which contributed a nice hue to the final cocktail.
The flavor is still pretty much the same whether you use pink grapefruit soda or regular grapefruit soda, though, so don’t worry too much if you can’t find the pink stuff.
Here’s my wife’s Paloma recipe that we added a jalapeno simple syrup into the mix to introduce some fresh pepper flavor and aroma. Make the jalapeno simple syrup in advance and use it within a week or two.
Jalapeno paloma
Here's an easy method to add a bit of fresh jalapeno flavor to your next paloma cocktail. Don't worry, this drink has a nice, balanced hint of spice, but it's not knock-your-socks-off spicy.
Get RecipeTorta assembly and heating process
This particular sandwich is not panini-ed or pressed, but it is warmed through. I have watched several videos of Rick Bayless making tortas, and this video in particular shows him making a bacon and egg torta where he heats the whole sandwich in the oven and then opens it up to add avocado at the end. That’s the technique I used, and it’s what I suggest you do for this sandwich.
I built each sandwich and baked it at 350°F (176°C) for 7 to 10 minutes, then I carefully opened it up to add avocado. The egg and chorizo should already be hot from cooking, but the baking process warms the beans and helps to melt the cheese. More importantly, though, it crisps up the exterior of the bread so that the final sandwich has a bit of texture to add to the experience.
Start with a fresh telera roll or your favorte sandwich roll. 
A nice spread of black beans get spread on the bottom. 
Then the strips of roasted poblano are added to the beans. 
And everything is topped with some freshly cooked chorizo. 
Scrambled eggs are added. 
And then top the eggs with cheese. 
I bake this sandwich, closed, for about 7 to 10 minutes at 350 F to melt the cheese, crisp up the bread and bring the sandwich together. 
Once everything is hot, open the sandwich, add slices of avocado. Then close the sandwich and serve. 
This is a fantastic sandwich full of great textures and flavor.
Chorizo and egg torta recipe and photos
Keep scrolling to see all the photos of the sandwiches I made when testing this recipe. It’s pretty easy to make once you get your bread selected and ready to go.
Roasting and prepping the poblano is the main piece of work in this sandwich, but you can do that well in advance and bring the poblano rajas up to temperature when you are finishing the sandwich and melting the cheese. Keep scrolling to check out all the photos and get the full recipe for this chorizo and egg sandwich.
Chorizo and egg sandwich (Tortas Frontera copycat)
Take a trip to O'Hare International Airport with this sandwich recipe that is inspired by Tortas Frontera's chorizo and egg sandwich breakfast sandwich.
Ingredients:
Roasted poblano pepper strips- 1 to 2 poblano peppers
- pinch of salt
- 2 to 3 ounces pork chorizo
- 2 whole large eggs
- salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 Telera roll (or cemita or 5 inch long sandwich roll)
- refried black beans
- roasted poblano strips (from above)
- 2 to 3 ounces cooked chorizo (from above)
- scrambled eggs (from above)
- crumbled cotija cheese and/or shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 3 to 4 avocado slices
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 to 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 or strips. Place the sliced poblano in a large bowl and toss with a small pinch of salt.
Sandwich time: preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
In a medium pan over medium heat, cook chorizo for about 6 minutes, stirring often. Remove the meat to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.
Scrambled eggs: crack and add 2 eggs to a bowl. Whisk to combine well. Add a pinch of salt to the bowl and wipe out the medium pan from before.
Place the wiped-out pan over medium-low heat and then add the butter to the pan. When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the scrambled and salted eggs. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the eggs are fully cooked to your liking. Remove the pan from the heat while you prepare the other ingredients.
Sandwich assembly: spread a thin layer of refried black beans on the bottom slice of the telera roll. Top the beans with a few strips of poblano peppers.
Add chorizo on top of the beans and peppers, and then top that with the scrambled eggs and a sprinkling of cotija and/or Monterey Jack cheese. Close the sandwich and place it on a sheet pan that you can add to the preheated oven.
Bake the sandwich for 7 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the top of the bread to make sure it doesn't get too brown. If it does, you can remove it from the oven or cover it with aluminum foil to protect it from burning.
Once the sandwich has baked and the bread is crispy, open the sandwich and add slices of avocado on top of the eggs. Close the sandwich and serve.
Check back next week
Next week, we’re going to be turning one of my favorite Chinese American menu snacks into an easy baked treat that you can make at home. Might not be a sandwich, but it’ll still be Bounded by Buns dough.
Bill says:
Good news for those in Chicago but not at O’Hare — this sandwich is on the breakfast menu at Rick Bayless’ Tortazo in the food court at the Sears/Willis Tower!