Vietnamese Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich Recipe

Vietnamese chicken banh mi sandwich with pickles on a French baguette.

Vietnamese Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich Recipe

My take on a Vietnamese chicken banh mi rocks quickly seared chicken thighs, quick pickled carrot and radishes, pate and a sriracha mayonnaise to create a properly fully-loaded sandwich.

Course Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Anglo Vietnamese

Keyword chicken banh mi, vietnamese banh mi, vietnamese chicken sandwich

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Marinade Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings Servings

Calories 706kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs 250g Total
3 Garlic Cloves
15 g Ginger ½ Thumb Sized Piece
1 Lime
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
⅛ teaspoon MSG

For the Pickled Carrot and Radish

1 Small-Medium Carrot 75g
7-8 Radishes 75g
2½ tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
75 ml Rice Wine Vinegar ⅓ Cup
125 ml Water ½ Cup

For the Sriracha Mayonnaise

3 tablespoon Mayonnaise
1-2 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce

For the Sandwich:

½ French Stick or Baguette Around 200-250g or 7-8oz in Total
50g Chicken Liver Pate 2oz
1 Red Chilli Pepper
3 Spring Onions
Fresh Coriander
50g Cucumber Around 2oz
Maggi Seasoning Optional (To Taste)

Instructions

Peel the garlic cloves, mash them into a paste with the side of a knife, and add them to a bowl.
Peel the ginger and grate it into the bowl.
Zest the lime into a bowl, then cut it in half and squeeze the juice from one of the halves into the bowl.
Add the sugar, fish sauce and MSG to the bowl, whisk to combine, then add the chicken thighs and toss to coat thoroughly. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
Cut the carrot for the pickles into batons around 3-4mm (⅛") in profile; a mandolin really helps with this. Add the carrots to a large bowl.
Cut the radishes into 3-4mm (⅛") slices and add them to the carrots.
Place the sugar, salt, vinegar and water into a small 15cm or 6" pan and heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Pour this pickling liquid over the radish and allow it to sit for 30 minutes. If you have more time, you can add the pickling liquid without heating it, but this will take at least 2 hours and is best done overnight.
Mix the sriracha and mayonnaise together and set them aside.
Just before you are ready to cook, slice the spring onions and red chillies into thin rounds.
Cut the cucumber into thin strips; again, a mandolin helps with this.
Heat a griddle pan or frying pan over a high heat and when it is hot, brush it with a little oil, scrape any excess marinade from the chicken thighs, then cook them for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Slice your French stick or baguette to fill it. I don't like to cut it all the way through because it stops the filling from falling out when you eat your sandwich.
Build your sandwich, I start with spreading pate on the bottom layer of the sandwich and then the sriracha mayo on the top layer. Add a couple of strips of cucumber on top of the pate, then a good handful of the drained pickle, followed by sliced chicken, then a sprinkling of the Maggi seasoning. Finally, add the last of the pickles, the spring onion, chilli and coriander, then get stuck in.

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