Mini Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich
Elevate summer lunches with the Mini Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich, featuring lemongrass-marinated chicken, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, sriracha mayo, and fresh cilantro served on mini baguettes.
Mini Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich is great Vietnamese street food, perfect for BBQ season. It does need a little preparation ahead of time, but it’s well worth it! The chicken is marinated in lemongrass, and at the same time, the carrots and daikon are pickled in a sweet and sour brine. This sandwich is so aromatic and vibrant that the Vietnamese can no longer keep it a secret. A popular street food dish in Vietnam, sometimes made with pork belly or other times with tofu, you can easily create your own at home.
The Lemongrass Chicken
This chicken is marinated in a lovely, aromatic, lemongrass sweet and sour marinade, making it perfect for the grill! I’ve used chicken breast for this recipe, but if you want to do it in authentic Vietnamese style, take the upper chicken thigh. The marinade makes this irresistible caramelized crust; it is divine! Lemongrass chicken is a dish on its own and can also be served with rice vermicelli or rice.
The lemongrass stick preparation is pretty easy. I usually unfreeze the sticks I need an hour ahead, then cut the ends and outer layer and keep the more tender bit in the center. This is where all the aromas are. I blend the sticks and the rest of the marinade ingredients in a food processor. Marinate the chicken for a few minutes, and you have a fantastic, aromatic chicken.
Pickled Carrot and Daikon
We all know Carrots, but daikon is not as popular among Westerners. It does look like a giant white carrot and tastes like a soft radish. You’ll find daikon in many Asian markets. As for the cutting of the veggies, I’ve used a simple cheese grater, but it’s slightly nicer and a tad bigger if you have a mandoline or spiralizer. You want a little crunch on your veggies! The marinade to pickle the carrot and daikon is sweet and sour; I’ve used honey and warmed it in the microwave for 15 seconds to incorporate it into the vinegar and water. You could also use simple white sugar or maple syrup, which would be great!
The Sauce
Some people like some extra spiciness on their Chicken Banh Mi. You can always add a tad of Thai peppers, but the chicken has already gotten a bit of heat, and the mayonnaise used should also be mildly spicy. If you want to make your simple mix of mayonnaise and sriracha mayonnaise to your liking, buy it premade in any Asian market or Online. If it’s for young kids, use regular mayonnaise not to overwhelm their sensible palates.
The Fish Sauce
Yes! This little detail matters! Although, if you already have some in the pantry, there is no need to get a new bottle, but if you don’t! I highly recommend the Vietnamese-type Nuoc Mam, made solely with actual fish, salt, and water, and nothing else. Other types can contain added preservatives, enhancers, or sometimes are not even made with fish but squid. The flavor is distinct from country to country and makes a difference, so if you cook Vietnamese food, try to get your hands on the Vietnamese version!
At first, people are always slightly turned off by its name: fish sauce. But don’t fear it; it won’t taste like old fish; it’s the ‘soy sauce’ of Vietnamese cuisine. In other words, their salt in a bottle with extra umami. Omnipresent in Vietnamese cuisine, I believe it’s the magic behind its gastronomy and the success of its beloved Chicken Banh Mi.
Other Summer Dishes
Mini Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 4 chicken breasts cut into thin slices
- 2 lemongrass sticks Cut edges and outer layers. Use only the white center tender.
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 shallot or 1/2 onion
- 1 Thai chilli pepper without seeds
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (Nuoc Mam)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- black pepper
The Carrot-Daikon Marinade
- 150 g carrots shredded with mandoline
- 150 g daikon shredded with mandoline
- 100 ml rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 50 ml water
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (Nuoc Mam)
The Sandwich
- 12 mini baguette bread 10cm long (4 inches)
- fresh cilantro
- 1 cucumber
- Sriracha mayo or plain mayo
Instructions
- Start by marinating the chicken, adding all the marinade ingredients to a blender, blending, and putting on the chicken. Let marinade in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 12 hours (minimum 3 hours).
- Make the marinade of the carrot-daikon by gently warming the honey in the vinegar-water base in the microwave or stove until homogenous. Add to the shredded carrot and daikon and cover in an airtight container. Let marinade for up to 12 hours (minimum of 3 hours).
- Cook the chicken strips on the BBQ, grill or non-stick pan on each side at medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until caramelized.
- Assemble the sandwiched with mini baguettes, Sriracha mayo, cucumber, carrot-daikon salad, lemongrass chicken, and fresh cilantro.
Video
Nutrition
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Did You Make This Recipe?
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I literally CRAVE Banh mi so I am thrilled to have this handy ‘how to’ so I can make my own. I think our next family get together will be a banh mi party!
Make it a BBQ event!! Even better!
So perfect for summer! Love all the different fresh flavors and textures!
Don’t we love a good fresh Banh Mi, yum!
Love the idea of making a mini version of these! Perfect for packing on picnics and full of so many great summery flavours.
Yes, great for the kids or to keep it light, since the usual Banh Mi can be quite big.
Bringing back so many taste memories of Vietnam. Best cuisine in the world – and your recipe complete with nước mắm looks mouth watering
For me too! Vietnam was a dream for the palate especially!
Love the fact you can make this easily at home. So much better than takeout. Great for entertaining too.
If I see a lovely Daikon at my Asian store, I would usually always make these! All starts with the Daikon strangely!
that’s my type of sandwich! That chicken was super juicy and I never get tired of this recipe
Lemongrass Chicken, especially on the BBQ is and should be in everyone’s top 3 marinades! So aromatic!
Reminds me of my favorite local Vietnamese spot! Such a delicious sandwich
Same here, I used to eat them for lunch back in college in Montreal… I was a bit obsessed with them… Looking forward to visiting Montreal again to find this little hidden Vietnamese place again!
I was looking for a great bahn mi recipe to introduce these flavors to my twins and this was a huge hit! I love how it came out.
I forgot to mention in the post that for kids, the fresh cilantro is optional! My kids at least, cannot deal with fresh cilantro just yet.
5 star recipe indeed! The ingredient shots are so helpful and the flavor is spot on!!
Glad you enjoyed it!