Banh Mi (Vietnamese Chicken Rolls)

This is seriously the easiest, most tastiest dinner or lunch option you must try!!

You basically do all the prep the day before, then just cook chicken, put it all in a roll and BAM! You have the best meal ever. I’ve included the full recipe below, but I left out the cucumber, and I also left out the chilli and coriander for Hamsley. I went for all the chilli and coriander and it was amazing. The sourness of the pickled carrot, against the juicy caramelised chicken, all in a crispy roll…. I’m drooling at the thought of it. I’m totally making this again this week.

Since I’m obsessed with Vietnamese food lately, I have a few different Banh Mi recipes to try. They are usually served with paté or cold meats, but this is a really tasty alternative.

Banh Mi (Vietnamese Chicken Rolls)

Jill Dupleix

1 Lebanese cucumber
1 cup (250ml) rice vinegar
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1 carrot
2 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs peanut oil
1 tbs honey
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed
1 baguette, cut into 4, or 4 soft long rolls
1 tbs reduced-fat whole-egg mayonnaise
4 soft butter lettuce leaves, torn
1 tbs pickled jalapeno peppers (optional)
1 tbs Sriracha hot sauce
Few sprigs of fresh coriander

1. Use a peeler to shave the cucumber into ribbons, then toss in a bowl with 1 tsp salt and stand for 1 hour.
2. Heat the rice vinegar and sugar in a small pan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then cool.
3. Shave carrot lengthways into ribbons with a vegetable peeler, then cut into fine matchsticks. Add carrot, cucumber and their juices to the vinegar mixture and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Mix the soy sauce, peanut oil, honey and garlic together, then coat the chicken in the soy marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
5. Heat a lightly oiled chargrill pan or barbecue to medium heat and cook the chicken for 5 minutes each side or until caramel brown and cooked through. Thickly slice.
6. Split rolls, then lightly grill the cut side for 20 seconds to warm them.
7. Drain the pickled carrot and cucumber.
8. To serve, lightly spread rolls with mayonnaise, then fill with lettuce, chicken, cucumber, jalapenos (if using), carrot, chilli sauce and coriander.

Serves 4