Banh mi, the beloved Vietnamese sandwich, is called banh mi ga nuong when made with chicken. While some versions include pate, this one focuses on the chicken, along with pickled daikon and carrot, mayo, cucumber and jalapeno. It’s served with Sriracha, a Thai hot sauce that’s now popular throughout Southeast Asia, not to mention the U.S.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Kosher salt
- 1 2-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 small daikon radish, cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)
- 4 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds)
- Vegetable oil, for the grill
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 loaf soft French bread, split and cut into four 6-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably Japanese (such as Kewpie)
- 2 Persian or other small cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
- Sriracha, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the vinegar, sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt and the ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
- Transfer half of the vinegar mixture to a large bowl and add the carrots and daikon; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Transfer the remaining vinegar mixture to a shallow baking dish; stir in the lemongrass, shallot, soy sauce and fish sauce. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours, flipping the chicken halfway through.
- Preheat a grill to medium high and brush the grates with vegetable oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade, scraping off the lemongrass and shallot; season with salt. Grill the chicken until well marked and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board.
- Drain the carrots and daikon; stir in the cilantro. Cut the chicken thighs in half. Toast the bread on the grill and spread the mayonnaise on both sides; sandwich with the sliced cucumber, chicken, carrot mixture and jalapeno. Serve with Sriracha.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 536 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 55 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 23 g |
| Protein | 20 g |
| Cholesterol | 75 mg |
| Sodium | 1612 mg |
Reviews
My wife craves this recipe! It looks a bit overwhelming with all the slicing and julienned parts, but after a couple of times it becomes familiar. And well worth the effort.
Its legit! Better then the ones you buy! The chicken alone is amazing!!
This sandwich is delish! Sometimes we just marinade the chicken and eat just the chicken with some rice. I typically do not like dark meat chicken but this recipe changed my mind about chicken thighs! Love love love this marinade!