Yes, it’s winter, but here in sunny Arizona, that means it’s the perfect time to light up the grill and soak up some rays. Regardless of place and time, grilled chicken is a good idea and so are these banh mi bowls.
For the record, my favorite sandwich on earth is a banh mi with grilled pork smothered in sambal. In the spirit of clean eating though, I wanted to try replacing the bread with rice and replacing the fatty pork with lean chicken breast.
Whether you serve this on a toasted baguette or in a bowl, be sure to add equal parts mayonnaise and sriracha for that somethin, somethin. Add a little crunch with carrot and daikon relaxed in rice vinegar.
How to Make Chicken Banh Mi Bowls
You guys are going to love the simplicity of these bowls. They are absolutely delicious and a cinch to make!
Served up over jasmine rice, we have all the fixin’s:
- daikon radish (big white radish that most of us don’t buy)
- carrot
- cilantro
- fresh off the grill-chicken, smothered in hoison sauce
- thinly sliced jalapeno
Side note, I tried this recipe with eggplant first, and decided the eggplant was too bitter to go any further with it. Also, the eggplant didn’t provide enough texture to contrast the other ingredients. My typical banh mi choice is grilled pork. Obviously. But, we are trying to choose leaner proteins at the moment, so I thought, “how about chicken?”
I have to say, the chicken tastes really good right off the grill because of the char, and it really takes to be coated with hoison sauce while it’s hot. It gets that sticky, shiny quality that says, EAT ME NOW.
My final thoughts on the matter is that I like this as a clean, simple bowl, but if you gave me a loaf of french bread, I’d toast it and throw all this on it in a heartbeat. What can I say, I love bread. If you go this route, don’t forget to add equal parts mayonnaise and sriracha. Bring this to work and eat in front of everybody, and I guarantee you, people will talk about your lunch.
Grilled Chicken Banh Mi Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast pounded
- 1 T canola oil
- 1/4 cup hoison sauce
- 2 whole carrots peeled and julienned
- 1 small daikon radish peeled and julienned
- 1 T rice vinegar
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 oz fresh cilantro for garnish
- 1 small chili pepper thinly sliced
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- jasmine rice for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the grill and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper, then brush with canola oil.
- Place chicken on hot grill. Close the lid and cook over medium heat without moving for several minutes. Use tongs to turn chicken. Depending on how hot your grill is and how large your chicken breasts, you may need to cook longer to get a nice char.
- While chicken cooks, place carrot, daikon, vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Toss and allow vegetables to rest until ready to serve.
- Once chicken is cooked, remove from grill and brush both sides with hoison sauce. Slice chicken and serve with carrot and daikon pickles, cilantro, and sliced chili pepper. For a bowl, you can serve over jasmine rice or place on a toasted baguette with mayonnaise and sriracha.