Vietnamese Bánh Mì with Lemongrass Chili Chicken

A crispy baguette filled with marinated, spicy lemongrass chicken, pickled carrot and cucumber, fresh coriander and lime-chili mayo. Bánh Mì is street food from Vietnam, savory, fresh and balanced between sweet and sour.

By yumbelo · 2 servings · 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 300 g chicken breast fillet
• 2 pc lemongrass stalks
• 2 pc garlic cloves
• 1 pc red chili
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 pc baguette rolls
• 1 pc carrot
• 0.25 pc cucumber
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 pc lime
• 0.5 bunch bunch of coriander
• salt
• black pepper

Method

1. Cut the chicken breast fillet into thin slices. Remove the outer layers of the lemongrass stalks and cut off the hard ends, then chop very finely. Finely chop the garlic and chili.
2. Mix the lemongrass, garlic, half of the chili, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and 1 tbsp cooking oil. Coat the chicken in it and let it marinate for at least 20 minutes.
3. For the vegetable topping, peel the carrot and shred or cut it into thin strips. Halve the cucumber lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut it into thin sticks.
4. Stir rice vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the carrot and cucumber and let them steep for at least 15 minutes.
5. Mix the mayonnaise with the juice of half a lime and some of the remaining chili. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Heat a pan until very hot. Fry the marinated chicken in batches over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Keep warm.
7. Slice the baguette rolls lengthwise and warm them in the oven at 200 °C for about 5 minutes until crispy.
8. Spread the chili mayo inside the rolls, add the chicken and top with the drained carrot and cucumber mixture.
9. Sprinkle with coriander, drizzle with a little lime juice and serve immediately.