Bánh Mì

This bánh mì recipe is filling, delicious, and surprisingly easy to make at home. 

What Is Bánh Mì? 

Vietnam has one signature sandwich: bánh mì. It is a tour de force comprised of light, crisp baguette-style bread often moistened by mayonnaise and containing pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber, cilantro, chili, and a featured protein element. For this recipe by metzstar, the featured protein is chicken, but you can put nearly any protein in the bánh mì framework and it’ll be delicious. 

Bánh Mì History

In Vietnamese, bánh mì means "bread" as well as "sandwich." The baguette was introduced to Vietnam by French colonialists, who officially controlled Vietnam from the 1880s to 1954. Bánh mì started out simple, just a roll with a smearing of pâté (if you could afford it), or a sprinkling of salt and pepper, as my parents recalled from the 1930s and 40s in northern Vietnam. Over time, as tastes changed, fancier bánh mì became popular.

The style of bánh mì many people now know is a Saigon-style sandwich: Stuffed with lots of veggies and one, two, three, or more kinds of protein. For example, the bánh mì dac biet is loaded with Viet-style liver pate and different kinds of cold cuts. But you can keep things easygoing, as with this recipe.

Bánh Mì Ingredients

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this bánh mì recipe:

• Bread: Don’t overthink this as one community member says. Look for light, lofty bread. A French-style baguette works but so does a Mexican bolillo or hoagie-style roll. What you’d use for a po’boy would work too! Nothing fancy, nothing pricey is required. Banh mi is people’s food. 
• Mayonnaise: Go full fat because most bánh mì ingredients are lean. Use a vegan mayo if it suits you. (Use butter if you like. Avocado works well too.)
• Maggi seasoning sauce: For Vietnamese people, this is part of the bánh mì flavor. It gets sprinkled onto the mayonnaise. Sub Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce if you like. 
• Feature protein(s): In this bánh mì recipe by metzstar, chicken is the star. You can tuck different kinds of leftovers and meats into the sandwich too. Fried eggs in bánh mì makes for a fabulous breakfast. Try tofu in the sandwich for a vegetarian take. Add pate to any bánh mì for an earthy note. 
• Pickle: Tangy, crunchy, and slightly funky daikon and carrot pickle is part of the flavor and texture of many bánh mì sandwiches. Some people prefer carrot only but the daikon adds character. 
• Cucumber and cilantro: Cucumber cools and refreshes. Cilantro lends herbaceous notes to punctuate the various flavors. 
• Chile: A bit of chile heat adds excitement. Jalapeno is a moderate-hot chile so you can swap out another kind, such as Fresno. Sriracha is great for heat seekers. If you don’t like chile heat, leave it out and instead, sprinkle some black pepper into your bánh mì. That spark of heat is a lovely touch.
  

How to Make this Bánh Mì Recipe

You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below – but here’s what you can expect when you make metzstar’s chicken bánh mì recipe:

You’ll first make a flash pickle and cook the chicken. Then, to assemble the sandwich, cut the bread open, remove some of the insides so there’s a space for all the ingredients later, then warm it under the broiler (since you just used it for the chicken). Spread on the mayonnaise, then add all the other elements. Close up the sandwich, cut it in half, and serve.

How to Serve Bánh Mì

Bánh mì is like a salad tucked into bread. It’s a great one-sandwich meal. But, you could add a side salad to up the health factor. Potato chips or fries are a less healthy option but you could go that route, if you like.

How to Store Bánh Mì 

If you’re making bánh mì ahead for packing a lunch or road trip, keep the pickles separate. Wrap the sandwich in parchment paper and secure with a rubber band or string. Before eating, add the pickle. 

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

“We used chicken thighs instead of breast and it turned out even better than we expected,” raves Katie Brown.

“We made this using up leftover pork loin that we had grilled the day before,” says Lisa Grimmonpré Palmer. “They were amazing.”

Editorial contributions by Andrea Nguyen