Grilled Chicken Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)

One of my favorite sandwiches is Banh Mi. Its a Vietnamese sandwich, influenced by the french when Vietnam was once colonized by France. My co-worker first introduced me to this a few years ago and its been my favorite ever since. Unfortunately, there isn't many Vietnamese sandwich places in our area and the sandwich place she took me to is a little far from home, so I don't get to eat it often. The ones that are somewhat near home isn't as good. Needless to say, its been a while since I've had a Banh Mi.

I was surfing for some new recipes and found this one. I think the hardest part of making this is cutting the carrots and daikon. Luckily, I have my handy-dandy food processor that I absolutely love using. This sandwich came out so delicious, its almost comparable to the sandwiches my co-worker introduced me to. I think I may have found my new favorite Banh Mi. However, I feel the need to add a disclaimer regarding the pickled vegetables......the daikon reeks after its marinated. Its delicious with the carrots and pickling juices, if you can get passed the putrid odor. So, I'll probably be eliminating the daikon the next time I make this.

Marinade

1 cup fish sauce

1 cup lime juice

1/2 cup sugar

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 red Thai chilis, thinly sliced (more if you like it more spicy)

1 Tbsp. salt

8 boneless skinless chicken

Pickled vegetables

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

pinch of crushed red pepper

3 large carrots, julienned

1/4 lb. daikon radish, julienned

4, 8 inch baguette, split and grilled

mayonnaise

1 cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise

10 cilantro sprigs

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

1) For the marinade: In a bowl, whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chilies and salt. Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

2) For pickling the vegetables: In a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add carrots and daikon and cover to keep submerged. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

3) Heat grill. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry. Grill chicken over medium heat, turning once, until cooked through, about 14 minutes. Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes.

4) Drain 1 cup of the pickled vegetables. Slice chicken. Spread mayonnaise on each side of baguette. Place cucumber on bottom half. Top with chicken, pickled vegetables, cilantro and sliced jalapenos. Serve.