Esquites is a popular Mexican street food that takes the best elements of corn on the cob and puts them in a bowl: sweet, crunchy corn tossed with a creamy dressing, bright Tajin, and tart lime. Sfoglini Rye Trumpets are built for bold sauces, and this dish shows why. The fluted shape acts like a little vessel, cradling corn, jalapeño, and beer-braised chicken in the hollow center, while tangy crema clings to the outside of the flute, delivering bursts of flavor in every bite. This street-food–inspired pasta is a playful, satisfying main course that balances richness with bright, fresh flavor.
MAKES FOUR-SIX SERVING
For the chicken and marinade
For the pasta and sauce
DIRECTIONS
For the chicken: Combine 1/4 cup olive oil with the cilantro, lime juice, garlic, salt, onion powder, oregano, chili powder, coriander, and cumin in a blender or food processor and blend for thirty seconds. Add to a gallon-sized zipper-seal bag with the chicken, use hands to combine, press all the air out of the bag, seal, and refrigerate two to twelve hours.
To cook the chicken, heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in the same pan used to cook the corn over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken thighs (work in batches if necessary) and cook, without moving them, for 7-8 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook on the other side for four minutes. If frying the chicken in batches, return all the chicken to the pan at this point. Add the beer and chicken stock, cover, and cook for five minutes, or until the chicken is cooked all the way through and tender. Remove chicken from pan and set aside to cool, then scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the fond.
For the corn, pasta, and final assembly (this is best done while the chicken is marinating):
Combine the crema, mayonnaise, lime juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Tajin in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Heat the oil until shimmering in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook, without stirring, for two minutes. Stir the corn and cook for an additional two minutes, then remove from the pan and set in a bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of Tajin over the corn, stir, and set aside.
Cook the chicken as directed above. Once the chicken has been removed from the pan and the fond scraped from the bottom of the pan, add four cups of water and one tablespoon of kosher salt to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the Sfoglini Rye Trumpets and cook for seven minutes, or until al dente.
Remove trumpets from the pan and transfer to a bowl with the crema mixture. Add jalapenos, scallions, cheese, and the corn. Stir and toss gently to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Transfer pasta to a large serving dish and top with the chicken thighs, cilantro, more cheese, and more Tajin. Serve warm.
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Chef's Note: While fresh corn is recommended for this recipe for superior flavor and texture, thawed frozen corn will also work well. White, yellow, or bicolor is up to the chef’s preference.
Sour cream or buttermilk can be substituted for the crema but the flavor will be different. If using either instead of crema, cut it to 3 tablespoons plus add one tablespoon of whole milk to equal the amount of crema requested in the recipe.
There is an option to chop the chicken and toss with the pasta and sauce rather than serve it atop the dish. To do this, wait for the chicken to cool after cooking, then chop the thighs into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the pasta with the sauce and other ingredients.
Pasta Swaps: This recipe would also work well with Sfoglini Einkorn Ziti, Whole Grain Radiators, or Cascatelli.
