Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Chicken Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) Recipe
Chicken Banh Mi is the much-loved chicken number of the traditional Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich. It has all of the acquainted flavours of Banh Mi – pate, mayo, contemporary herbs and pickled greens – however as a substitute of thriller pink meat slices, it’s made with chicken! Fabulously easy.
Banh Mi is a meat crammed French baguette sandwich filled with Asian flavours. Born from the time of France’s occupation of Vietnam, I think about the French simply couldn’t cope with out crusty bread so that they launched baguettes to the Vietnamese and the Vietnamese crammed it with their meats and herbs and voila! The now-world-famous Banh Mi was born.
Whereas Vietnamese locals love the traditional mystery-meat-pork-cold-cuts model, there are all types of different varieties throughout Vietnam and around the globe nowadays. Grilled meats, beef, chicken, meatballs, egg, sausage, BBQ pork, fish, egg, to call just a few.
At the moment, I’m sharing a shredded chicken model which could be very in style amongst Sydney locals who stay suspicious of the thriller pink cold-cut slices!!
One tip: Stuff generously. The photograph is above is the way it appears to be like when squished. Look how full it’s earlier than I picked it up. ⬇️ The motto right here – don’t skimp on fillings!!!
Any sandwich is the sum of its elements, and it holds further true for Banh Mi. Every ingredient in isolation just isn’t extraordinary. The mix sounds odd, for for Banh Mi first timers. However one chunk is all it is going to take to get you leaping onto the Banh Mi prepare!
The baguette
Use a regular crusty white baguette, not a flowery artisan one like sourdough as they’re too chewy. The perfect baguettes utilized by the preferred Banh Mi distributors in Vietnam have delicate crispy crusts and fluffy gentle insides.
In case your baguette just isn’t as crusty as you’d like, simply pop it within the oven for a couple of minutes to crisp up. (I do that as a result of it’s simply not a correct Banh Mi except the crust is crispy!)
Stuff inside
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Chicken – I simply use a retailer purchased roast chicken for comfort. You may additionally make your personal. Both use a plain brined roast chicken (so the flesh shall be seasoned) or poach chicken breast then use a bit of additional Maggi Seasoning.
The quantity of chicken you utilize will depend upon the dimensions of your baguette. You possibly can actually be as beneficiant as you need. I’m fairly beneficiant!
Grilled lemongrass chicken – There’s additionally types of chicken Banh Mi made with grilled marinated chicken. If that’s what you’re after, use the chicken on this Lemongrass chicken recipe, reduce it into slices and use rather than the shredded chicken. Skip the Maggi seasoning, you gained’t want it.
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Inexperienced onion – You want 2 to three items which might be about so long as your bread roll for every Banh Mi.
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Cucumber – You will want 2 skinny slices (reduce lengthwise) for every Banh Mi. 1 cucumber ought to be sufficient.
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Recent chilli – Both birds eye chilli (in style ones right here in Australia) or Thai purple chilli. Something purple and fiery. It’s all a part of an incredible Banh Mi!
Fast pickled greens
This is among the issues that makes Banh Mi so particular – the crunch of pickled carrot and daikon. It’s so good!! Don’t even take into consideration skipping this. In the event you can’t discover daikon (white radish), simply double up on carrot.
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Carrot and daikon (white radish) – These are the 2 pickled greens mostly utilized in Banh Mi. They’re reduce into skinny batons so that you get a terrific crunch (albeit pickled-softened-crunch!) while you chunk in them.
Don’t be tempted to shortcut chopping the greens through the use of a field grater. I attempted (the lazy prepare dinner in me couldn’t resist) – and it simply wasn’t the identical. An enormous vinegary pile of coleslaw-like mush. I missed the crunch!
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Rice wine vinegar – That is the vinegar used for the pickled greens, an Asian vinegar made out of rice. Substitute with apple cider vinegar.
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Salt and sugar – For pickling. These pickled greens are a bit candy and bit salty, good stability between the 2.
Spreads and sauces
“It’s not a Banh Mi with out pate!” she declares vehemently.
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Maggi Seasoning – That is principally like a soy sauce however with extra flavour. No, not MSG! 🙂
Whereas some Banh Mi distributors make their very own secret sauce, that is the commonest sauce used straight out of the bottle. Discover it within the Asian or sauce aisle at giant grocery shops right here in Australia.
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Pate – Chicken pate is on theme right here although you need to use any pate you need. Whilst you’re most welcome to go forward and take pleasure in costly pate, there’s really no want. With a lot different stuff happening on this sandwich, nobody’s going to know if you happen to used a finances pate or a premium one!
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Mayonnaise – Entire egg mayonnaise or Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise please. I don’t use different sorts of mayonnaise (too vinegary or too candy).
Making any kind of Banh Mi is simply concerning the order wherein you layer. Wealthy and creamy on the underside, topped with meaty then completed with contemporary.
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Break up the baguette in half however don’t reduce it all through.
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Butter – Unfold butter on the lid of the baguette.
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Pate and mayo – Unfold pate then mayonnaise on the bottom of the baguette. Don’t skimp – the preferred Banh Mi joints in Vietnam are all the time those which might be most beneficiant with the pate!!
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Chicken and sauce – Prime with shredded chicken then drizzle with Maggi Seasoning, the key Banh Mi sauce!
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Greens & herbs – Stuff in a beneficiant quantity of pickled carrot and daikon, layer 2 slices of cucumber then stuff with 2 to three inexperienced onion stems and some sprigs of coriander.
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Chilli – Lastly, sprinkle with as a lot contemporary chilli as you dare, then devour!
Go arduous with the chilli! Little pops of contemporary chilli buried amongst the freshness of pickled greens is a signature attribute of Banh Mi so don’t be shy with the chilli! In actual fact, attempt it the opposite manner. Be courageous, go arduous, then if it’s an excessive amount of for you, simply choose ’em out!!
And there you’ve it. The chicken model of the notorious Banh Mi, stuffed with flavours such as you’ll by no means expertise in a Western sandwich! That mixture of the contemporary herbs and pickled greens with the smear of wealthy creamy pate and mayonnaise is stellar. It really works with many proteins, however utilizing chicken is a simple choice if you happen to simply use a retailer purchased roast chicken like I do.
In the event you’re new the world of Banh Mi, this can be a good one to start out with. Hope you give it a go! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots , peeled cut into 2-3mm / 1/10″ batons (Note 1)
- 1/2 large white radish (daikon), peeled, cut the same as carrots (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar (sub apple cider vinegar)
- 4 crusty white rolls ~ 20cm/8" (Note 2)
- 2 – 3 tbsp salted butter
- 120g/ 4 oz chicken pate (or other pate of choice)
- 4 tbsp whole egg mayonnaise or Kewpie
- 4 cups (400g/ 14oz) shredded chicken (1 small store bought or homemade brined roast chicken, or poached breast)
- 2 – 3 green onion stems , cut to bread roll length (3 pieces per Banh Mi)
- 1 cucumber , thinly sliced lengthwise (2 slices per Banh Mi)
- 1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) coriander/cilantro sprigs
- 1/4 tsp Maggi seasoning per Banh Mi (Note 3)
- 2 – 3 birds eye or Thai red chilli , finely sliced
Instructions
- Pickle – In a large bowl, dissolve the salt and sugar in the hot water. Stir in vinegar. Add carrots and daikon – they should just about be covered.
- 2 hours – Leave for 2 hours until slightly floppy. Drain well then use per recipe.
- Split the bread roll in half but don't cut all the way through.
- Butter – Spread the lid with butter.
- Pate then mayo – Spread the base with 1 to 2 tablespoons pate (be generous!), then 1 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise.
- Chicken & Maggi – Pile on shredded chicken, drizzle with 1/4 tsp Maggi seasoning (you can always add more later).
- Fresh stuff! Stuff with pickled vegetables, 2 slices of cucumber, 3 slices of green onion and coriander. Finally, sprinkle with as much chilli as you dare. Jam the lid down and devour!
Notes
1. Carrot and daikon – it’s hard to quantity the amounts but basically you want the same quantity of each, and enough so it is just covered by the pickling liquid. Can’t find white radish? Double up on carrot!
2. Rolls not crusty? Pop them in the oven to crisp up. It’s not Banh Mi if the rolls aren’t crusty!
3. Maggi seasoning – Like soy sauce but with more flavour. No MSG! It’s the classic Banh Mi sauce, though some vendors create their own special sauces. Find it in the Asian aisle or sauce aisle of large grocery stores.
Substitute with a 50/50 combo of soy sauce + Worcestershire sauce.
4. STORAGE: Best assembled and eaten fresh. If you want to take it for lunch, assemble but leave out the Maggi Seasoning and add that just before eating.
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