Lemongrass Chicken Bánh Mì with Garlic Shallot Chili Crisp

Lemongrass chicken, tangy carrot-daikon pickles, cucumber, and cilantro fill crisp, airy rolls in this Vietnamese bánh mì with a Blackland adaptation: Garlic Shallot Chili Crisp folded into the mayonnaise and spooned over the filling.

About 4 filled 7-inch sandwiches; 4 main servings. Chicken yield varies with trimming and cooking loss.

Allow about 1 hour 50 minutes from starting the marinade to serving. Make the marinade and coat the chicken in the first 15 minutes; use the next 15 minutes of its 60-minute refrigerated marination to make the pickles and prepare sauce and garnishes. The pickles need 60 minutes and finish during the chicken's 20- to 25-minute roast. Toast the bread during the 5-minute chicken rest, then allow 5 minutes to slice and assemble. Oven preheating overlaps marination. Longer marinating adds time.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, unfolded and trimmed
• 2 tablespoons very finely minced tender lemongrass core, from about 2 stalks
• 2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup (120 g) carrot matchsticks, about 1/8 inch thick
• 1 cup (120 g) daikon matchsticks, about 1/8 inch thick
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/4 cup (60 g) mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons BLACKLAND Garlic Shallot Chili Crisp, divided
• 4 airy, thin-crusted baguette-style rolls, about 7 inches long and 90 to 110 g each
• 1/2 English cucumber (about 150 g), cut into thin lengthwise slices
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced and seeded if desired, optional

Instructions

1. Trim the lemongrass root ends and remove the tough outer layers and woody green tops. Use only the tender pale lower core; slice it thinly across the grain, then mince or pound to a very fine paste and measure 2 tablespoons. Mix with the shallot, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime zest, oil, and black pepper. Unfold the chicken thighs to roughly even thickness, coat in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes or up to 12 hours. Start the marinating timer after coating the chicken.
2. While the chicken starts marinating, whisk the rice vinegar, water, granulated sugar, and salt until dissolved. Add the carrot and daikon in a shallow nonreactive container, press into the liquid, cover, and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes, tossing once. These are refrigerator quick pickles, not shelf-stable preserves. Prepare the cucumber and cilantro while the pickles rest; keep them refrigerated.
3. Stir the chili crisp to distribute its oil and solids. Mix 1 tablespoon into the mayonnaise with the lime juice; cover and refrigerate. Reserve the other 1 tablespoon in a clean container for finishing, away from raw chicken and its utensils.
4. During the last 20 minutes of marinating, heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. After at least 60 minutes of marination, lift the thighs onto the sheet in a single layer with space between pieces, leaving excess liquid behind. Discard the remaining raw-chicken marinade. Roast for about 20 to 25 minutes, turning once halfway, until the thickest part of every piece reaches 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Check from 18 minutes and continue as needed; color alone does not establish doneness.
5. Transfer the cooked chicken with clean utensils to a clean cutting board and rest for 5 minutes. During that rest, split the rolls lengthwise, keeping one side hinged, and warm them cut-side up in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes until the crust is crisp. Watch so the bread does not harden or burn. Drain the pickles well once their full 60-minute pickling time has passed.
6. Slice the rested chicken across the grain. Divide the chili-crisp mayonnaise across the four rolls, then add the cucumber, chicken, drained carrot-daikon pickles, cilantro, and optional jalapeño. Divide the reserved 1 tablespoon chili crisp over the filling (3/4 teaspoon per sandwich). Close gently, cut diagonally if desired, and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve one sandwich per person while the bread is crisp and the chicken is warm.
• Cut each sandwich in half for smaller portions alongside a separately prepared salad; the salad is outside this recipe's timing and yield.

Optional Variations

• If daikon is unavailable, replace its 1 cup with 1 additional cup of carrot matchsticks; use the same pickling liquid and minimum time.
• For a milder sandwich, omit the optional jalapeño while keeping the measured Garlic Shallot Chili Crisp. Fresh chile heat varies.
• If using a full baguette, choose an airy loaf about 28 inches long and cut into four 7-inch lengths; dense, thick-crusted bread is harder to bite through with this filling.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Keep cooked chicken, drained pickles, sauce, herbs, and bread separate for make-ahead assembly. Refrigerate the chicken in a shallow covered container at 40°F (4°C) or below for up to 3 days; refrigerate the quick pickles in their liquid and the sauce separately for up to 3 days. These pickles are not canned for pantry storage.

Reheat chicken to 165°F (74°C), toast fresh bread, then assemble with cold pickles and herbs. An assembled sandwich softens quickly and is best eaten immediately. Refrigerate perishable components within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Do not use raw-chicken marinade as a sandwich sauce.

Contains fish from fish sauce, soy and usually wheat from soy sauce, wheat from bread, and egg from standard mayonnaise. Check bread for milk, egg, or sesame and all condiment labels for additional allergens. No gluten-free claim is made for the assembled sandwich.

Garlic Shallot Chili Crisp brings a measured garlic-and-shallot finish to the sauce and cooked chicken. Its product heat is 2/5; the assembled sandwich is estimated mild without the optional jalapeño and hotter with it.

More from the BLACKLAND kitchen: Spicy Chili Crisp Mayo or Garlic Shallot Chili Crisp Dumplings.