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
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 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
- 1/2 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/4 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 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches long (or slice it 1/2 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