Teriyaki Chicken Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches)
My teriyaki chicken banh mi recipe all started with a spontaneous date night with my husband. Long story short, it ended in me developing this delicious and easy recipe! These Vietnamese sandwiches have the perfect crunch from French bread. Freshness from cilantro, pickled carrots, and fresh cucumbers. Creaminess from a little mayo and the perfect savory bite from the teriyaki chicken! It's a sandwich you'll crave time and time again!
Ingredients
For the Pickled Carrots
- 1 cups water
- 1 cups white distilled vinegar
- 1 Tbsp pure cane sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 large carrots (or use a bag of shredded carrots, carrot sticks, or matchbox carrots. NO baby carrots)
For the Chicken
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled & grated (or 1/2 tsp ginger paste or 1/8 tsp ground ginger)
- 4 tsp raw honey
- 1 tsp distilled white vinegar (organic is my favorite)
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp water
For the Banh Mi
- 1 large seedless english cucumber
- 1 jalapeno (OPTIONAL)
- 1 french bread (I like to use my sourdough french bread recipe but you can buy any French bread at the store)
- mayonnaise (any brand you like or use homemade)
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
Pickle Carrots - 2 hours up to 48 hours in advance
- Rinse carrots with water and dry with a kitchen towel.
- Peel carrots and slice them into really thin sticks. Place them in a clean 16 oz mason jar or a similar sized airtight jar.(OR YOU CAN USE MATCHBOX CARROTS, SHREDDED CARROTS, OR CARROT STICKS FROM THE STORE just not baby carrots)
- Bring water to almost a boil, but not quite, in a pan or kettle.
- Pour hot water into a mixing bowl then add in vinegar, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine until everything is dissolved.
- Let mixture sit on the counter until cooled down to room temperature. Don’t put it in the fridge, leave it on the counter.
- Once it’s cooled, pour into the jar until the carrots are completely submerged. The jar should be about full.
- Put an airtight lid on jar and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour up to 48 hours. Best if pickled overnight (24 hours or more).
Marinate the Chicken
- Cut chicken into small bite sized pieces. Set aside.
- Add soy sauce, minced garlic, grated & peeled ginger, honey, vinegar, salt, and pepper into a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add chicken and stir to evenly coat all the pieces.
- Place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes up to 4 hours. (No more than 4 hours).
Cook the Chicken
- You can cook chicken in a skillet or on the grill until fully cooked. Discard all leftover marinade for food safety.
- FOR THE GRILL: Heat your grill (indoor or outdoor) to medium heat, 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it’s hot, place the chicken onto the grill, ensure they’re not touching. Cook for 4-5 minutes.Flip and cook another 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. You can figure this out by cutting a piece in half or using a meat thermometer.
- FOR THE STOVETOP SKILLET: Heat about 1 Tbsp avocado oil over medium heat in a skillet until warm. Add chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes then flip and cook another 4-5 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
Prep Veggies
- While the chicken is cooking, rinse the cucumber and (optional) jalapeño with water and dry with a kitchen towel.
- Leave the cucumber skin on and slice it in half then both halves in half. You should have 4 sections. Then cut those halves in half so that you have 8 spears.
- Store 6 pieces away in the fridge. For the other two, slice them into thin coins (or triangles). About 1/2 cup. Set aside.
- It you want to use jalapeño (optional), slice the jalapeño into thin coins. If you don’t want all the heat remove membrane and seeds first. Set aside.
Assemble the Banh Mi
- To assemble grab French bread and slice it into as many sections as you desire. I usually slice 1 long French bread into 3 sections to make 3 sandwiches.
- Then slice the bread down the side to open it up 3/4 of the way. Do not cut all the way through.
- Spread mayo all over the inside of the bread on both sides.
- Add pickled carrots (make sure excess pickling liquid is dripped off), sliced cucumber, and jalapeños (if desired). Repeat with each sandwich.
- Divide chicken between the sandwiches (it’s not going to be super packed with meat since we’re adding so many veggies).
- Add a few handfuls of cilantro to each sandwich and serve. Enjoy! These sandwiches are wonderful served cold the next day too!
Notes
My Sourdough French Bread Recipe (if you'd like to make your own)
Please see blog post for all kinds of helpful tips and storage information.
Did you make this recipe?
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Here at Plum Branch Home we're loving our families and serving God one recipe at a time!
This recipe was developed from scratch in my kitchen by me, Molly LaFontaine, and tested many times by my husband and me to ensure success. Just like all of my recipes on Plum Branch Home. They’re created with purpose, cherished in our own home, and developed with my experiences, trial and error, and skills. NEVER AI (artificial intelligence).