Bangin' Chicken Banh Mi
If we break it down into basic cooking terms a banh mi is going to consist of 5 main components. Bread, meat filling, pickled veg, fresh veg, and variety of sauces for seasoning and moistness. In traditional preparations, this is a crispy and airy baguette, Vietnamese cold cuts like pate or sliced pork roll, pickled carrots and daikon radish, cilantro, and chiles along with mayo and Maggi seasoning. My version keeps all these base components the same, just modified for my tastes and cooking style.
First up is the bread which we are using the traditional french baguette from my most recent video. For the meat filling, I'm making a char sui inspired chicken. It has a lot of the same spices and seasonings but is mixed with mayo to adhere to the chicken and provide deep browning. For the pickled veg, I'm keeping it very traditional as well with carrots, except I'm using watermelon radish instead of daikon because it's what I had. For the fresh toppings, I’m using cilantro and cucumber, but for the seasoning, I'm making a chili garlic honey to provide a really nice spice that rounds out perfectly with a slather of mayo. It's a sandwich with the complete spectrum of flavor from crunchy, chewy, sour, sweet, spicy, and salty.
Char sui-"ish" Mayo Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
40 g mayonnaise
20 g hoisin sauce
10 g sriracha sauce
10 g soy sauce
15 g honey
1 g Chinese five-spice powder
5 g salt
10 cranks black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
Method:
Mix the mayo, hoisin sauce, sriracha, soy sauce, honey, five-spice powder, black pepper, and garlic in a bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl. Using your hands mix until coated on the outside of the chicken. Let the chicken sit in the marinade for 30 minutes (perfect time to make the pickled veg)
Note: The mayo in the marinade does two important things. #1 It sticks better than pure oil as it is an emulsion of water and oil. This means less sticking for our chicken. #2 The mayo contains sugars in proteins so it can brown on it's own leading to golden brown and crisp crust on the outside of the chicken.
Heat a cast-iron over medium-high heat. Evenly space the chicken apart. Cook until golden brown and crisp on one side, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees F. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and enjoying.
Quick Pickled Carrots & Radish
2 large carrots, julienned
5 watermelon radishes (or 1 daikon), julienned
15 g salt
20 g sugar
250 ml water
250 ml vinegar
Method:
Pour the water and vinegar to a pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, add the julienned carrots and watermelon radishes to a bowl. Sprinkle in the salt and sugar and lightly massage the vegetables with your hand for 1 min to start loosening the vegetables.
Pour the hot liquid over top of carrots. Stir to combine and completely dissolve the sugar and salt. Let cool
Store in a mason jar or airtight container in the fridge for several weeks.
Chili garlic paste
6 dried red chiles (or red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt to taste
Method:
Add the dried chiles to a bowl. Pour over boiling water and set aside for 5-10 minutes to rehydrate.
Toss the rehydrated chiles into a mortar and pestle with a sprinkle of salt. Bash and grind the chiles until a smooth paste forms. Add in the garlic cloves and continue mashing until a rough paste is reached. Taste it, add salt as needed.
Store in the fridge for several weeks.
Other Sandwich Components:
Cucumber, sliced
Cilantro
Jalapenos, sliced
Mayo
Maggi Seasoning (soy sauce or fish sauce work well too)
The components.
