Banh Mi Sandwich (Vietnamese Sandwich)
Banh Mi Sandwich Recipe (Vietnamese Sandwich): One of the most vibrant and delicious sandwiches in the world! This sammie is loaded with fresh vegetables, grilled meat, and piled high on a french baguette. If you’ve never tried a Banh Mi Sandwich… It’s time.
Vietnamese Street Food
Street food is a weakness of mine. When I travel anywhere, it’s the first thing I look for. You can often get a real sense of a country’s (or city’s) culinary clout by what you purchase from a rickety cart on a bustling corner.
In some way, such workman-meals give away a culture’s deeper secrets. What can the average cart-pushing cook whip up on the sidewalk? What does that say about a people group’s creativity, ingenuity, and zest for life?
You can learn a lot about people by what and how they cook, if you just pay attention.
Some of the best meals of my life have come from street carts. Of course, these were not the most elegant and artful meals I’ve ever eaten. They lacked trendy ingredients, pristine plating, and a lavish environment in which to enjoy them.
Yet, as for pure flavor and memorability, street food rules in my book!
I ate several meals more than two decades ago that are still so fresh in my mind; I can taste their distinct flavors from memory. Some are so unique; that I may never be able to recreate them quite right.
Vietnamese Cuisine
Vietnamese is my all-out favorite regional cuisine. Fresh, funky, full-bodied, and fragrant. In my mind, the Vietnamese hold the eastern market on flavor and appeal.
As for street food, Vietnam offers a thrilling array of choices. Salad bowls, soups, chicken wings, and spring rolls are all sold curbside to hungry passers. Yet above all these, reigns the Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich.
Banh Mi Sandwich
Banh Mi is the term for a Vietnamese baguette made with a combination of wheat and rice flour.
A Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich is stuffed with various marinated meats, cucumbers, herbs, and pickled veggies. Most Banh Mi sandwiches are also spread with pate’. The bread and pate’ are no surprise to historians, as Vietnam was a French colony in the 1800s.
The marinated meats and the pickled veggies are the standout items on this Vietnamese sandwich. In my version of the Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwiches, the chicken is soaked in a fish sauce and lime juice marinade.
Banh Mi Recipe Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- Fish Sauce – Don’t be tempted to skip the fish sauce. It is a vital part of Vietnamese cooking. My suggestion with fish sauce is, hold your nose while pouring. The heinous odor will diminish once cooked, leaving a remarkable flavor.
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Granulated Sugar
- Cloves Garlic – minced
- Jalapeno
- Salt
- Chicken Breasts – Boneless and skinless
For the Pickled Veggies:
- Hot Tap Water
- Rice Vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Carrots – sliced thin on the bias
- Daikon Radishes – sliced thin on the bias
For the Sandwiches:
- Soft Sub Rolls
- Mayo
- Cucumber – sliced thin
- Cilantro Leaves – or even mint will work instead
- Sliced Jalapeno – for extra heat (this is an optional ingredient)
I left the paté off my Banh Mi sandwiches and added a little mayonnaise. I feel the mayo offers a smooth, creamy base and doesn’t distract from the star ingredients!
How To Make This Vietnamese Sandwich
- Make the chicken: In a baking dish, mix the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, jalapeno and salt. Add the chicken breasts to the dish, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Longer is better!
- Make the pickled vegetables: Stir the hot tap water and sugar in a medium bowl, until the sugar dissolves. Add the vinegar, salt, crushed red pepper, sliced carrots and radishes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat the grill to medium and Grill the Chicken. Grill the chicken breasts for 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat and cover the chicken with foil to rest for 5 minutes. Open the sub rolls and grill the insides for about 1-3 minutes—until toasted.
- Drain the pickled veggies. Slice the chicken into thin pieces.
- Build the sandwiches. Spread mayo over in the sub rolls. Layer the cucumber slices, chicken, pickled veggies, cilantro leaves, and jalapeños on the rolls. Serve immediately!
Grilling the marinated chicken creates a caramelized crust with a juicy interior. For those without access to a grill, you could definitely broil the chicken for a similar effect.
Although, I suggest investing in an iron grill pan. A good grill pan will produce wonderful grill marks, plus the fat and juices run away from the meat just like on an outdoor grill!
A Banh Mi Sandwich is always a big hit any time I make them, just like many Vietnamese restaurants. Give it a try!
Get the Complete Printable Banh Mi Recipe (Vietnamese Sandwich). Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do The Leftovers Last?
The meat can last for up to a week if stored in an airtight container. If you do not want to use the leftovers in sandwiches, you can make a Banh Mi Rice Bowl, or even stuff them into spring rolls, or even over a salad.
Can I Use Other Meats?
Yes, you can use other meat variations. This recipe will also taste great with pork loin instead of chicken, or thinly sliced beef or ham. For meat-free protein, you can even incorporate hard-boiled egg slices, or tofu if desired.
Other Great Vietnamese Recipes
- Vietnamese Banh Mi Salad Recipe
- Vietnamese Banh Mi Street Tacos Recipe
- Bánh Xèo Recipe (Vietnamese Crepes) Recipe
- Vietnamese Bun Cha Gio Recipe
- Vietnamese Chicken Salad Recipe (Goi Ga)
- Vietnamese Fresh Spring Roll Bowls Recipe
- Low Carb Vietnamese Pho Soup Recipe
- Vietnamese Chicken Pho Soup with Zoodles Recipe
- Vietnamese Spring Rolls Recipe
- Pickled Carrots by The Daring Gourmet
Banh Mi Sandwich (Vietnamese Sandwich)
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1/2 cup fish sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 chopped jalapeno
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (3-4 breasts)
For the Pickled Veggies:
- 1/2 cup hot tap water
- 1/4 cup cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 carrots, sliced thin on the bias
- 2 daikon radishes, sliced thin on the bias
For the Sandwiches:
- 6 soft sub rolls
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced thin
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, or mint
- 1 sliced jalapeno for extra heat (optional)
Instructions
- For the chicken: In a baking dish, mix the fish sauce, lime juice sugar, garlic, jalapeno and salt. Add the chicken breasts to the dish, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Longer is better!
- For the pickled vegetables: Stir the hot tap water and sugar in a medium bowl, until the sugar dissolves. Add the vinegar, salt, crushed red pepper, sliced carrots and radishes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat the grill to medium. Grill the chicken breasts for 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat and cover the chicken with foil to rest for 5 minutes. Open the sub rolls and grill the insides for about 1-3 minute—until toasted.
- Drain the pickled veggies. Slice the chicken into thin pieces.
- Spread mayo over in the sub rolls. Layer the cucumbers, chicken, pickled veggies, cilantro leaves and jalapeños in the rolls. Serve immediately!
This is such a lovely lunch idea. Light and sounds delicious. Perfect for summer. I’m definitely making this. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I loved this and will make it again. Any tips to make it spicier?
I cannot believe how amazing this recipe is! I tried it because I was super curious, and it ended up being so amazing!
Takes a little time to prep but this recipe is just delicious! So much flavour in such little time. I put half a jalapeño because we didn’t want too much heat. Everything comes together and balances well.
This was a great sandwich! Thanks for the recipe. I made some “faux” pho on the side. Everyone loved it and I’ll be making this again.
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I love Saigon street food too, yum!
This looks good, bit I have to tell you, the secret flavor you are missing in your banh mi is Maggi sauce. Just a few drops, splashed on the cucumber specifically and some dripping over onto the bread is my favorite method.
Fish sauce is so yummy, I brought 5 different bottles back from Vietnam last trip to try.
Oh my goodness! I just made this tonight and had to comment on your post. Thank you for this delicious recipe- I’ve always hesitated when trying new recipes. However, I love banh mi and don’t have any restaurants in my area, which has prompted a craving to eat some. The vegetables tasted great pickled, and the chicken was deliciously marinated as well.
The only suggestion I would make would be to omit any additional salt in the chicken marinade (or put in 1/4 teaspoon), as the fish sauce is salty enough. Also, my husband and I enjoy the spiciness in banh mi, so we put in sriracha on top of the mayonnaise. The last “tweak” we did to the recipe was to julienne the vegetables rather than slice, to more closely mimic how Vietnamese banh mi is made.
Overall, this was absolutely amazing, and I am saving this to make in the future. I am not afraid of making banh mi anymore! Thank you!
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These look so amazing! I can’t wait to try them, they are going on my meal plan this week for sure! I love the flavor fish sauce adds to a dish! And all those crunchy veggies! YUM!
Yes, street food is so good and normally so cheap. Love being able to sample so much when visiting a new place. These sandwiches look great. I haven’t had a banh mi in a long time.
I wish I had more exposure to street food – maybe one day! This looks amazing. I’m not very familiar with Vietnamese food but I would definitely give this a try.
Thanks for fabulous post!
Love all those fresh veggies on the sandwich!
That banh mi looks so fresh and good!
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These are one of my fav Vietnamese dishes. The couple that lives across from us , the husband is Vietnamese and I love when he invites us for dinner.
We love banh mi – I've made them with pork meatballs (http://ladyberds-kitchen.blogspot.com/2010/01/banh-mi-oh-my.html)but will have to try your chicken recipe – it looks delish!
And I couldn't agree more with fish sauce – I once dropped and broke an entire bottle on my kitchen floor – the smell was awful!
How did I miss this? I thought I had your feed, hmm anyways lovely sandwich, i also have a love/hate relationship with fish sacue but wow does it add that little yummy kick, yummy pics the first one is killer
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