Now we're down to brass tacks. This is why I showed you the butterflied asian chicken, and had you make extra. I just wanted you to have the ingredients for this recipe.
Vietnamese Sandwich, or Bahn Mi, was a flavor revelation to me earlier this year, when I went for dinner at Superior Pho in Cleveland.
*I know, I know - foodies on the coasts have known abut the glory of Bahn Mi for years now. I'm sorry I was late to the party. This recipe is still worth it.
I took one bite, then started dissecting my sandwich right there on the table, to figure out how to make one by myself. The combination Vietnamese-French ingredients - the Vietnamese filling, and the crispy loaf of French bread - is a match made in taste heaven.
*Of course this is the Americanized version of a Vietnamese classic street food. Here's a New York Times article on the variations made in NYC. That article has the best sandwich picture I've ever seen - an exploded view of a Bahn Mi, layer by layer.
I'm taking a couple of short-cuts here, and the main one is using leftover chicken. The meat in a Bahn Mi is usually different varieties of pork, but the grilled chicken works so well that I don't miss it.
Beyond this recipe, use the general idea of "sandwich" with leftovers. Why pay a deli six dollars a pound for chicken breast when you've got some in the fridge? Buy a loaf of french bread at the grocery store, pretend you're the guy making minimum wage behind the counter at Subway*, and start adding whatever else you have in the fridge. If you've got good bread, pickles, peppers, and lettuce, you're always a few minutes away from a great sub sandwich.
*If you ARE the guy making minimum wage behind the counter at Subway, then I don't blame you if you don't make this recipe. After I worked at McDonald's as a teenager, it was years before I could go back into one. I kept having this dream, where all the different beeps that tell you things are done kept getting louder, and louder, and louder...I'd wake up shaking. And wanting to drop some more french fries.
I know I've focused on Asian style food with this set of posts, but think of this as a general idea, not a specific recipe. Â What leftovers do you have that would go well on a loaf of french bread?
📖 Recipe Card
Vietnamese Sandwich (Bahn Mi) with Chicken
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 sandwich 1x
Description
An Americanized Bahn Mi made with leftover chicken - crusty French bread, mayo, cilantro, cucumber, a lime and fish sauce carrot slaw, basil and jalapeno.
Ingredients
Carrot Slaw
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- 4 large carrots, grated or julienned
Sandwich
- 1 loaf crusty French bread
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (half of a leftover chicken, or 2 chicken breasts)
- Mayonnaise
- ½ seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 4 basil leaves, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (or use pickled jalapenos)
Instructions
- Make the carrot slaw: Whisk the vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and pepper in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the carrots, and toss to coat. Let the carrots soak while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Shred the chicken: Pull the skin and bones off the chicken, and shred the meat into pieces about ½ inch thick and 2 inches long (or slice it ½ inch thick).
- Prep the bread and vegetables: Slice the bread lengthwise, almost all the way through, so the back of the loaf acts as a hinge. Slice the cucumber, basil and jalapeno.
- Build the sandwich: Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the bottom of the bread. Cover with a thick layer of cilantro, then a thin layer of cucumbers. Top with the carrot slaw (lifted out of the vinaigrette), then the chicken, then the basil and jalapeno. Drizzle the leftover slaw vinaigrette over the sandwich, close it, cut it in half, and serve.
Notes
This sandwich is designed to use leftovers from my Grilled Butterflied Chicken.
Good French bread, with a crackling crust and tender crumb, takes this from good to great. Check your local bakery for a baguette. Supermarket French bread will do in a pinch.
See the exploded view from the New York Times for what we're aiming for.
Ham: For a more authentic sandwich, add a layer of sliced ham with the chicken.
Pork: Use leftover roast pork instead of the chicken.
Daikon: Replace half the carrots in the slaw with grated or julienned daikon radish.
Pate: For a really authentic version, use pork liver pate instead of the mayonnaise. Chicken pate or liverwurst works too.
Inspired by the New York Times, A Classic Vietnamese Sandwich Absorbs Local Flavors.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
Questions? Comments? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Click here for my Grilled Butterflied Chicken to make the chicken for this dish
Click here for my Asian Noodle Salad to use up the rest of the leftover chicken
Click here for my Grill-Roasted Thai Chicken Breasts if whole chickens aren't your thing
Inspired by:
A Classic Vietnamese Sandwich Absorbs Local Flavors [nytimes.com]
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MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Tino:
Sriracha sauce is a great idea on this sandwich - I can't believe I haven't tried that already!
And, don't feel too sorry for me - I can get to downtown Cleveland from my house in about a half an hour, with good traffic.
MikeV
Tino says
I just experienced a delicious banh mi sandwich in Columbus at the North Market last weekend. The combination of the crispy bread with the creamy interior was amazing. The only addition I made to my sandwich was to run a thin line of Sriracha (chili/garlic sauce) down the middle of my sandwich to add just a bit of heat and flavor. It's too bad you have to travel to Cleveland or Columbus if you want to try this amazing sandwich (unless you make your own, of course).