Chicken breasts with corn and shallots, a five-star favorite

And four more quick and corny dinners.
Five Weeknight Dishes
July 22, 2025

I'm all ears

We are hitting peak corn, and my love of this singular summer ingredient means I want to use it in all my cooking, going far beyond eating it straight off the cob. So, without further ado, here's my almost-annual Five Weeknight Dishes: Corn Edition.

As always, I've got five simple dinner recipes for you below, all of which incorporate corn. But I also need to tell you about these arepas, which are easy to pan-fry and are so excellent for dinner with an avocado salad. Corn salad is a recipe to memorize; here's a simple one with tomatoes, feta and mint. Do not forget corn risotto! Or elotes! Jerrelle Guy taught me that you can use corn kernels in the topping for a cobbler, as she does in this recipe. And corn ice cream is one the greatest treats. If you see it at a scoop shop, order it — or make Melissa Clark's recipe.

Questions? Suggestions? Want to tell me what you're making? Email me anytime at dearemily@nytimes.com. I read every note and reply as I can!

Four sautéed chicken breasts with corn are shown on a beige plate scattered with herbs.
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

1. Sautéed Chicken Breasts With Corn and Shallots

Pierre Franey's recipe is a simple chicken dinner with a French accent, which, as with many things French-accented, makes it seem a little more sophisticated. Think white wine, shallots, Dijon mustard and cream.

View this recipe.

Three pink bowls hold spicy corn and coconut soup, topped with cilantro, toasted coconut and fried shallots.
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sarah Jampel

2. Spicy Corn and Coconut Soup

This recipe from Sarah Jampel is creamy, hot and summer-corn sweet. My favorite part is the array of toppings you can add to bring in freshness, zing and crunch to contrast with the soup. I recommend using an immersion blender to roughly purée the soup instead of a regular countertop blender. An immersion blender makes puréeing fast and easy; ladling hot soup into a blender does not.

View this recipe.

Skillet fish with bacon and sweet corn is shown on a dark blue plate with a lemon wedge and a fork and knife.
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

3. One-Pan Fish With Bacon and Sweet Corn

Bacon and corn are a heavenly match of opposites: smoky and sweet, crispy and juicy. In this recipe, Yewande Komolafe adds flaky, tender white fish to the pan, cooking it in the bacon fat for an extra-delicious touch. I promise this is one of the best recipes you'll make this season.

View this recipe.

Sook mei faan (Cantonese creamed corn with tofu and rice) is shown in a white bowl garnished with chopped scallions and cilantro.
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

4. Sook Mei Faan (Cantonese Creamed Corn With Tofu and Rice)

I love this recipe from Hetty Lui McKinnon, who brings us a gentle dish that's based on Cantonese corn rice. She uses fresh corn and adds cold silken tofu to her bowl, an unexpected and winning combination. (You can watch a video of Hetty making her dish here.)

View this recipe.

Linguine with zucchini, corn and shrimp is shown in a marbled ceramic bowl.
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.

5. Linguine With Zucchini, Corn and Shrimp

Summer generously scooped from a bowl and twirled on a fork. This recipe comes from Dan Pelosi, and I want to eat it outside, on vacation, with a cold glass of wine.

View this recipe.

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