Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich

I remember the first time I tasted the Banh Mi Sandwich. It took me totally by surprise. I was expecting it to be like any other baguette, but the flavours knocked it right out of the park. I couldn’t believe that chicken could be barbecued and served in a baguette like that. It was absolutely delicious. I have since reduced the amount of bread I eat because all the gluten doesn’t sit well with me, but I still make this Banh Mi sandwich at home and have it from time to time. It’s one of those recipes that is irresistible.

The Ingredients for Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich

A few fresh ingredients, a few sauces, some chicken, and some buns are all that are required for this delicious Asian food.

The Ingredients List:

• For chicken
• 6 chicken thighs
• 1 lemongrass crushed 
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce 
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil 
• 1 inch ginger
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• For pickles
• 2 large carrots
• 1 small white radish
• 1 tablespoon red chili sauce
• 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• For assembly
• 2 baguettes
• 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 2 green onions 
• fresh coriander leaves

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The Marinade for Chicken

The marinade is the first thing I make for the chicken. We need to let the chicken marinate for about an hour or two, so I always start with that. The longer the chicken sits in the marinade, the better it tastes and the softer it is when you barbecue or bake it. I leave it for about 2 hours in the marinade and it’s scrumptious when it’s barbecued after that.

To make the marinade place all the below ingredients into a food processor:

• 1 lemongrass crushed  – I cut off the end bits that are too gnarly and peel off the dry outer layers of the lemongrass. Cut it into about 1 1/2 inch pieces and then put them in the food processor.
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce 
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil 
• 1 inch ginger – I don’t feel it. I leave it as is, just cut it into 4 pieces.
• 2 garlic cloves – I peel them and smash them a little. It makes it a little easier to blend.
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Blend everything together until you have a consistency that is fine and you can no longer see any pieces of lemongrass. Now we can add the paprika, salt, and pepper to the blender and pulse to combine.

The Marinated Chicken

I love using chicken thighs when I barbecue. I find chicken breast tends to dry up faster. The dark meat from the chicken stays moist longer and tastes a whole lot better too for this Asian recipe. I try and remove all access fat from the thighs and place them into a large bowl. Pour the marinade into the bowl and using tongs or your hands mix it in well. I toss the chicken in it for a couple of minutes just to be sure that all of the surfaces have been coated. Cover it and allow it to marinate.

The Pickles for the Banh Mi Sandwich

I love fresh pickled vegetables. This Asian recipe calls for pickled carrots and white radishes. While the chicken is marinating, let’s make that and set it aside for about 30 mins. To do that I:

• grate the carrots – I wash them well and do not peel them.
• wash and peel the white radish and grate it as well.
• place both things in a medium sized bowl and add to the bowl the rice vinegar, red chili sauce, salt, and pepper.
• mix everything well and allow it to sit and marinate or pickle for about 30 minutes or so.

I try not to let the pickles sit for too long or else the vegetables tend to get soft and you want them pickled but crunchy for this recipe.

Barbecuing the Chicken

Once the chicken has finished marinating, preheat your barbeque to 450 degrees F. Barbecue the thighs on one side for about 7 minutes, flip them over, and continue to barbecue for another 7 or so minutes or until they are cooked through and are browned a little.

Assembling the Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich

While the chicken is on the barbecue what I do is slice the baguette into halves and cut off the ends so the bread is even. I place the baguette cut side down onto the other corner of the barbecue. This allows for the bread to get toasted at the same time. Once it’s toasted, I remove it and spread about 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise onto the bread – on both sides of the bread.

Now we are ready to assemble. Slice the chicken into 1 inch slices and place a layer of the chicken on the bottom half of the baguette. Lift a quarter of the pickles and place them on top of the chicken, making sure not to get any of the vinegar onto the bread or it will get soggy. I like to slice the green onions and tear up the parsley and sprinkle it on top of the pickles. Enjoy while it’s still hot.

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