This Bánh Mì Chopped Salad Sandwich is unbelievably delicious. The chopped salad trend has gone viral and so I had to combine it with my favourite sandwich of all time, the Vietnamese Bánh Mì. Every bite is bursting with flavour and honestly, it’s so easy to make. You’ve got fried marinated chicken things, picked cucumber, carrot, and red onion, coriander, mint, sriracha mayo, chilli oil, and pâté. It’s hands down my new favourite sandwich, so give it a go and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
I have seen this chopped salad trend going around on social media and absolutely loved the idea of it! I've seen other people make various different sandwiches on TikTok and Instagram including the viral chopped Italian sandwich which is delicious, but if you're into Asian flavours, then you're going to be drooling over this Bánh Mì-Inspired chopped sandwich.
Another one of my favourite chopped salad sandwiches is my Marry Me Chicken Chopped Salad Sandwich, it's so flavourful and easy to make! Or if you're looking for a sandwich filler, my Chicken Salad without celery is a great option! A sandwich I simply love (and something that's great for veggies) is my eggplant parmesan sandwich - a real treat!
If you're a general fan of salads, then you might want to check out my No Mayo Chicken Salad recipe, it's fresh, creamy, and delicious!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's gone viral - and this generally means that it's been tried and tested, with great results. The idea of a chopped salad in a sandwich is SO genius because you get a burst of flavour in every bite, instead of getting a piece of mint here, and a crumb of chilli oil there.
Easy to make - The only cooking element needed is frying off the marinated chicken. Apart from that it's just making my really easy pickled veggies, and chopping everything up! Another sandwich that's such a crowd-pleaser but really simple to make is my crunchy chicken romesco sandwich!
FLAVOUR bomb - If you've ever had a bánh mì before, then you know what I mean. Full of aromatics, spices, and fresh herbs, this Vietnamese-inspired sandwich will take you to flavour town.
Another viral sandwich recipe that is absolutely delicious is my Viral Katsu Onigirazu (aka sushi sandwich).
If you're looking for a veggie sandwich, my Cypriot Halloumi sandwich is always a winner.
Ingredients & Substitutions
^^Me looking very content after crunching down on my chopped salad sandwich.
Vegetables for pickling: I've used cucumber, carrot, and red onion. You can also use radishes or daikon.
Homemade asian-style pickling solution: You want to make a mixture using a combination of water, rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. You can also use white wine vinegar.
Chicken: Thighs that are boneless and skinless are perfect. They provide the most juicy result. You can use chicken breast if you'd like but make sure not to overcook as they'll go dry. My Marry Me Chicken Ramen and Orange Chicken recipes are so great if you're looking for more Asian-inspired chicken recipes! For a vegan alternative, tofu is a great option, or portobello mushrooms for a bit of texture.
Marinade ingredients: Garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, lime juice, and soy sauce. You can use dark soy sauce or light soy sauce for this recipe. I'd recommend using fresh lime juice. If you don't have fresh lime juice, you can use ½ lemon juiced.
Herbs: Coriander and mint are my fresh herbs of choice. Skip the coriander if you're not a fan, but I'd highly recommend. You can add in fresh basil if you'd like too!
Sriracha mayo: If you can't buy ready made sriracha mayo, then combine equal parts sriracha to mayo e.g. 1 tablespoon mayo and 1 tablespoon sriracha.
Chilli oil: Laoganma chilli crisp is my favourite chilli oil, but feel free to use whichever you prefer! I put it on everything, including my chilli oil tahini spaghetti, one of my go-to pasta recipes!
Bread: I've used a small French baguette. Ideally you'd use a bread type specific to Vietnamese bánh mì, but they're hard to find outside of Vietnam (they're much softer and lighter in texture). Feel free to choose your favourite gluten-free small baguette or roll if you're gluten intolerant.
Pâté: Chicken liver pate adds creaminess and a level of umami that just completes the dish. You can use mushroom pate if you're vegan.
See the recipe card below for full list of ingredients.
Step By Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: In three separate jars or bowls, combine your cucumber, carrot, and red onion with your pickle solution. For this, in a jug, combine the water, rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Give it a mix until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the solution equally into each jar or bowl with the individual ingredient. Leave for 20 minutes minimum to pickle.
Step 2: In a bowl, combine your chicken thighs with your marinade ingredients. Toss and then leave to marinate for 10 minutes minimum (up to 24 hours in the fridge).
Step 3: Place a frying pan on medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Add in your chicken thighs and fry on each side for 4 minutes or until golden and slightly charred.
Step 4: Get a large chopping board and add on all of your ingredients (chicken thighs, pickles, coriander, mint, sriracha mayo, chilli oil).
Step 5: Chop all of the ingredients until they're roughly chopped.
Step 6: Form the salad into a rectangle the shape of your baguette.
Step 7: Slice your baguette in half and place the bottom piece on top of the filling, and then scoop (using a knife) the filling onto the bread. Spread pate onto the top half of the bread, then combine the two.
Step 8: Enjoy!
FAQs
It's essentially a load of ingredients placed down onto a large chopping board and chopped until well combined. They're then scooped onto a loaf of bread and made into a sandwich. It results in the ultimate bite, every time because they ingredients are spread out evenly throughout the sandwich.
Absolutely! If you don't like chicken, feel free to use beef, pork, tofu, or portobello mushrooms. You can use other herbs for the filling too like parsley or Thai basil. For the pickle, radishes are a great option, as well as red cabbage!
If you've got leftover filling, place it into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Use it in a sandwich or eat it on its own!
Some more recipes you might enjoy!
If you tried this Chopped Salad Sandwich recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
The Best Chopped Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
For The Pickle
- ½ cucumber finely sliced into discs
- 1 carrot julienned
- 1 red onion finely sliced
- 200ml water
- 200ml rice wine vinegar
- 100g sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
For The Chicken Marinade
- 3-4 chicken thighs
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ inch ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
The rest
- 7g fresh coriander
- 7g fresh mint
- 2 tablespoon sriracha mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon chilli oil
- 2-4 tablespoon chicken liver pate
- 2 small baguettes sliced in half
Instructions
- In three separate jars or bowls, combine your cucumber, carrot, and red onion with your pickle solution. For this, in a jug, combine the water, rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Give it a mix until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the solution equally into each jar or bowl with the individual ingredient. Leave for 20 minutes minimum to pickle.
- In a bowl, combine your chicken thighs with your marinade ingredients. Toss and then leave to marinate for 10 minutes minimum (up to 24 hours in the fridge).
- Place a frying pan on medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Add in your chicken thighs and fry on each side for 4 minutes or until golden and slightly charred.
- Get a large chopping board and add on all of your ingredients (chicken thighs, pickles, coriander, mint, sriracha mayo, chilli oil).
- Chop all of the ingredients until they're roughly chopped.
- Form the chopped salad into a rectangle the shape of your baguette.
- Slice your baguette in half and place the bottom piece on top of the filling (face down), and then scoop (using a knife) the filling onto the bread. Spread pate onto the top half of the bread, then combine the two. Enjoy!!
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