Recipe: Bánh Mì Chicken Sandwich

Asian
March 24, 2019

The Vitals:
recipe: Chicken Báhn Mì (Vietnamese style sandwich)
difficulty: easy
health rating: healthy – but watch the calorie count on the bread you use. 
time: 30 minutes + 4 hour marinade time(can marinate up to 24 hours)

I literally made this last night two nights ago and it was so good(and easy) I just had to sit right down and share the recipe. All you really need to do is get the chicken in the marinade and make sure you have the right ingredients and the right condiments.

And on that note . . . .

Serves 4

ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs (this is for generous meat portions)
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • sriracha
  • mayo
  • one bunch of cilantro
  • 1 cucumber thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, julienned(cut into thin sticks)
  • 1/4 warm tap water
  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (divided)
  • jalapeno thinly sliced
  • 4 medium sized baguettes or bread of your choice(I used high quality hamburger buns)

Mix the fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar and sugar in a bowl until the sugar has totally dissolved. Add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least four hours.

While the chicken is marinating, mix the warm tap water and remaining rice wine vinegar in a jar and add the julienned carrots, Seal the jar and refrigerate the carrots for at least 30 minutes – mine sat as long as the chicken did. Pickled carrots are key to a Bánh Mì, so don’t skip this step!

Heat up a grill or a grill pan(I grill over hardwood charcoal as much as possible). Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill the chicken till done(I cook breasts till an internal temp of 155, 165 for thighs using a thermapen). Let the chicken rest on a cutting board for at least 5 minutes and then slice the chicken for the sandwiches

Assemble the sandwiches with a spread of mayo and sriracha on each side and then layer all the remaining ingredients. The key to this sandwich is texture and the contrast of the vibrant vegetables against the strong marinade, so be generous with the cilantro, pickled carrots, cucumbers and the jalapeños.

These sandwiches have strong flavors that can hold up if made in advance, so it’s perfect for a pot luck or a big party. I think the sriracha and jalapeño are key and the bread absorbs a lot of heat, but if you’re cooking for some tender foots, be wary. Also I totally broke with tradition and used a hamburger bun(fancy one) vs the traditional baguette but you know what? It totally worked!

Bon Appétit or I should say Ăn nào!!

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2 responses to “Recipe: Bánh Mì Chicken Sandwich”

  1. […] slider recipe ranks up there with my secret for show stopping Carne Asada and Bahn Mi sandwiches. In both cases I turn to open fire cooking because if you can cook over tasty smoke . . . you […]

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