Chicken Banh Mi Recipe (Vietnamese BBQ Sandwiches)
Intro: Here's a pretty easy method for making Vietnamese BBQ Chicken sandwiches. We used to eat these all the time since our old neighborhood had quite a few great Vietnamese restaurants. Our new town doesn't unfortunately, or maybe fortunately as we finally decided to try making them ourselves after a few weeks of withdrawal. The marinade is extremely punchy, salty and full of umami from the fish and soy sauces. We dialed it up a little extra by cooking a second, modified mini-batch of sauce on the stove to scrape over the bread prior to filling. Hope you enjoy!
*This recipe was adapted from Little Spice Jar's Vietnamese Chicken Sandwich. Also thanks to SheilaAnn for requesting. First time I've submitted a recipe!*
Makes: about 4-6 sandwiches, depending on how full you stuff them.
Time to Marinate: 2-24 hours (we went about 18-20).
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes.
Special Tools: None.
Ingredients:
6 skinless chicken thighs or drums (original called for breast, but dark meat paired with this marinade results in a much richer and almost pork-like texture and flavor, which is what we were going for.)
For the marinade:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (Original recipe calls for 1:1 soy to fish sauce, but we used Thai fish sauce which is quite strong and 2:1 was much more appropriate. Use wisely)
- 1 tbsp Mirin or Water (or fish sauce if your fish sauce is not very strong)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp yogurt (Original recipe called for mayo but this worked out great)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, grated or minced (or more to your liking)
- Zest of 1/2 lime + juice
- 1 tsp sriracha or spicy stuff (optional and it mellows out with the cooking so more if you prefer)
Extras if you want to make sandwiches:
- 4-6 6"ish long rolls. Traditionally a mini-baguette is used, we get baguette-adjacent rolls from the market and stick them in a plastic bag first to take the mouth scraping sharpness out of them. We also don't toast them but if you like, no harm no foul.
- 1 medium carrot, julienned, shredded or otherwise cut up thin as you like.
- 1 medium cucumber, prepared the same as the carrot (English or Persian prob best)
- 2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro per sandwich
- Fresh jalapeno slices (optional)
Optional spread for the sandwiches or to toss with the shredded chicken (Optional but highly recommended):
- Everything in the marinade recipe EXCEPT for the yogurt/mayo
- 1 extra Tbsp sugar (this will help offset some of the salt and give it a little more syrup-like texture)
- 1:1 cornstarch + water mixture in a separate bowl (no more than 2 tbsp should be needed)
Method:
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients and submerge the chicken. Let rest overnight if you can, or a couple hours if not.
- At some point, before or during the cook, make the spread. Dump all the ingredients into a little pot, heat until just boiling then turn down to medium and let it bubble for a minute or so. Start adding the cornstarch slurry in little bits, whisking in and watch for the consistency to reach something between honey and jam. NOTE: this sauce is much more than you need for these sandwiches. I kept the extra in the fridge for a week and used it to top a grilled salmon which was also fabulous. I'm sure it would freeze well for next time.
- Grill chicken as desired. I used a kettle with indirect setup, and tossed a few applewood chips in early on for a touch of smokiness. Took about 20 minutes to get to temp, then I finished by giving each piece a minute or two direct for color.
- Once the chicken is cooked and cooled, shred it up. Try not to eat it all before it makes it into the sandwiches.
- Slice open the rolls and scrape on some of the spread. USE JUDICIOUSLY. It is deliciously salty and sweet but a little goes a very, very long way. Let your nose be your guide.
- Toss in all ingredients to your preferred ratio. I love overstuffing the greens because they offer a really nice crispiness to offset the chewy meat and bread. They also take a bit of the edge off the strength of the marinade and spread.
- Serve.
Photos (disregard the white strips in the second shot, that's jicama and it did not really work here. Radish might though, if you like):
*This recipe was adapted from Little Spice Jar's Vietnamese Chicken Sandwich. Also thanks to SheilaAnn for requesting. First time I've submitted a recipe!*
Makes: about 4-6 sandwiches, depending on how full you stuff them.
Time to Marinate: 2-24 hours (we went about 18-20).
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes.
Special Tools: None.
Ingredients:
6 skinless chicken thighs or drums (original called for breast, but dark meat paired with this marinade results in a much richer and almost pork-like texture and flavor, which is what we were going for.)
For the marinade:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (Original recipe calls for 1:1 soy to fish sauce, but we used Thai fish sauce which is quite strong and 2:1 was much more appropriate. Use wisely)
- 1 tbsp Mirin or Water (or fish sauce if your fish sauce is not very strong)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp yogurt (Original recipe called for mayo but this worked out great)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, grated or minced (or more to your liking)
- Zest of 1/2 lime + juice
- 1 tsp sriracha or spicy stuff (optional and it mellows out with the cooking so more if you prefer)
Extras if you want to make sandwiches:
- 4-6 6"ish long rolls. Traditionally a mini-baguette is used, we get baguette-adjacent rolls from the market and stick them in a plastic bag first to take the mouth scraping sharpness out of them. We also don't toast them but if you like, no harm no foul.
- 1 medium carrot, julienned, shredded or otherwise cut up thin as you like.
- 1 medium cucumber, prepared the same as the carrot (English or Persian prob best)
- 2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro per sandwich
- Fresh jalapeno slices (optional)
Optional spread for the sandwiches or to toss with the shredded chicken (Optional but highly recommended):
- Everything in the marinade recipe EXCEPT for the yogurt/mayo
- 1 extra Tbsp sugar (this will help offset some of the salt and give it a little more syrup-like texture)
- 1:1 cornstarch + water mixture in a separate bowl (no more than 2 tbsp should be needed)
Method:
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients and submerge the chicken. Let rest overnight if you can, or a couple hours if not.
- At some point, before or during the cook, make the spread. Dump all the ingredients into a little pot, heat until just boiling then turn down to medium and let it bubble for a minute or so. Start adding the cornstarch slurry in little bits, whisking in and watch for the consistency to reach something between honey and jam. NOTE: this sauce is much more than you need for these sandwiches. I kept the extra in the fridge for a week and used it to top a grilled salmon which was also fabulous. I'm sure it would freeze well for next time.
- Grill chicken as desired. I used a kettle with indirect setup, and tossed a few applewood chips in early on for a touch of smokiness. Took about 20 minutes to get to temp, then I finished by giving each piece a minute or two direct for color.
- Once the chicken is cooked and cooled, shred it up. Try not to eat it all before it makes it into the sandwiches.
- Slice open the rolls and scrape on some of the spread. USE JUDICIOUSLY. It is deliciously salty and sweet but a little goes a very, very long way. Let your nose be your guide.
- Toss in all ingredients to your preferred ratio. I love overstuffing the greens because they offer a really nice crispiness to offset the chewy meat and bread. They also take a bit of the edge off the strength of the marinade and spread.
- Serve.
Photos (disregard the white strips in the second shot, that's jicama and it did not really work here. Radish might though, if you like):
Comment