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Chicken Banh Mi Bowls
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Chicken Banh Mi Bowls

These Banh Mi Bowls inspired by the Vietnamese sandwich are made lighter with chicken, pickled veggies, fresh herbs, rice, and spicy sauce.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Taylor Stinson

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken marinade

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb chicken breasts sliced into cutlets
  • 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 stalks lemongrass white part only; grated or finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced

Rice

  • 1 cup jasmine rice
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp olive oil or butter
  • 1 pinch salt

Toppings

  • 1/2 cucumber cut into strips
  • 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 cup Thai basil chopped; optional

Quick pickled veggies

  • 1 carrot julienned
  • 1 cup daikon radish julienned
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Spicy mayo

  • 1/2 cup light mayo
  • 1 tbsp sriracha

Instructions

  • Make the pickled veggies first. Bring a full kettle of water to a boil and julienne the carrots and daikon radish. Place veggies in a strainer, then slowly pour the boiling water over the veggies so the veggies become softened. Meanwhile, bring the water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil in a pot over high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat then pour over veggies in a large mason jar. Let sit at least 20 minutes to let pickle.
  • Once veggies are prepped, make the rice by adding rice, water, butter and salt to a rice cooker or a pot on the stove, cooking until liquid has absorbed.
  • Next, marinate the chicken by mixing together sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, minced lemongrass and garlic. Let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat heat, then add chicken in the marinade. Cook cutlets for 5 minutes per side, then remove from heat. Let cool for 5 minutes then slice into bite-sized pieces.
  • While chicken and rice are cooking, prep the cucumbers, jalapenos and herbs, and mix mayo and sriracha together to make the sauce.
  • Divide rice, chicken, veggies and sauce among 4 bowls, garnish with fresh herbs then serve and enjoy!

Notes

Swap chicken breast for boneless, skinless chicken thighs or ground chicken, pork or beef. Thinly sliced pork, beef or even tofu all work too. 
Store everything separate in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days for freshest results.
Reheat the chicken and rice in the microwave until hot, then top with fresh ingredients.
Freeze the cooked chicken or leftover rice in separate containers or bags for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat.