isithalal.food

Halal-conscious recipe

Chicken banh mi without pork pâté

Vietnamese baguette with lemongrass-glazed Halal chicken thighs, quick carrot and daikon pickle, herbs and chilli, with Halal chicken liver pâté or none instead of the usual pâté.

  • Cuisine Vietnamese
  • Meal Main
  • Difficulty Moderate
  • Yield 2 baguettes
  • Time 4h 5m
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

Printable view
A banh mi sandwich
Photograph from our ingredient library: a banh mi, not the finished dish.

Why Halal checks matter here

Classic banh mi fillings are pork, the pâté spread inside is often pork liver, the chicken in other versions needs Halal slaughter, and the marinade and pickle use oyster sauce and vinegar, which scholars differ on.

Banh mi is the Vietnamese baguette sandwich: crisp bread, a smear of pâté and mayonnaise, quick-pickled carrot and daikon, herbs, chilli and a meat filling. The classic Saigon fillings are pork, and the pâté is often pork liver (see banh mi). BBC Good Food's version already uses chicken thighs, glazed in a lemongrass marinade, but still spreads in a "coarse pâté" it doesn't name.

This version keeps that recipe, uses Halal chicken, and swaps the pâté for a Halal chicken liver pâté, or none: the glazed chicken and pickle carry the sandwich. Two bottles follow your school: oyster sauce in the marinade, and the rice vinegar in the marinade and pickle. Mayonnaise and fish sauce are Halal.

Make the pickle and marinade ahead, ideally the night before, and pull out some of the baguette's crumb so the filling fits without squashing.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Pâté Banh mi pâté is often pork liver, and the original just says 'coarse pâté'. Use a Halal chicken liver pâté or leave it out. See Banh mi.
  • Chicken Chicken is Halal only from Halal slaughter. Buy from a Halal butcher or a certified pack.
  • Oyster sauce Scholars differ on oysters and other molluscs. Use it if your school accepts molluscs, or a mushroom-based version. See Oyster sauce.
  • Rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar Vinegar made on purpose from an alcoholic liquid is a scholarly difference. Use them if your school accepts such vinegar. See Rice vinegar.

Safe substitutes

  • Pork pâté → Halal chicken liver pâté, or nothing
  • Oyster sauce → A mushroom-based vegetarian 'oyster' sauce

Allergens

gluten (baguette, soy sauce), soy, sesame, egg (mayonnaise), milk (butter), fish (fish sauce), molluscs (oyster sauce)

Ingredients

Carrot and daikon pickle

  • 125 ml (½ cup) rice wine vinegar (see the vinegar check below)
  • 125 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
  • 125 g (4½ oz) carrots, cut into matchsticks
  • 125 g (4½ oz) daikon, cut into matchsticks

Marinade

  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce with no added alcohol
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce (if your school accepts molluscs), or a mushroom-based vegetarian 'oyster' sauce
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 3 tsp honey
  • 2 tbsp (2–3 stalks) lemongrass, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
  • ½ tbsp chillies, finely chopped (optional)
  • ½ small red onion, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp sesame oil

Sandwiches

  • 400 g (14 oz) boneless, skinless Halal chicken thighs
  • 4 tsp butter, softened
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 2 medium baguettes
  • 6 tsp mayonnaise
  • 8 tsp Halal chicken liver pâté, or leave it out (never pork pâté)
  • ½ cucumber, deseeded, in matchsticks
  • a small handful of each coriander and mint leaves
  • 2 spring onions, in matchsticks
  • ½ red chilli, sliced
  • 2 tsp crispy fried shallots
  • a large pinch crushed black peppercorns (optional)

Method

  1. Pickle the vegetables. Warm the rice wine vinegar and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then leave to cool completely. Pack the carrot and daikon into a clean jar, pour over the cooled liquid, seal and chill for 1 to 3 hours. It keeps for a month in the fridge.
  2. Marinate the chicken. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, add the chicken and turn to coat. Marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
  3. Roast. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Lift the chicken out of the marinade, shaking off the excess, and keep the marinade. Butter a baking tray with 2 tsp of the butter, roast the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes, then cut it into large strips. Turn the oven to its lowest setting.
  4. Glaze. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, pour in the leftover marinade and bring it to a simmer. Add the chicken strips and toss for about 5 minutes, stirring often so the sauce doesn't burn, until golden and glazed.
  5. Build the sandwiches. Warm the baguettes for 2 to 3 minutes, split them and pull out some of the crumb. Spread the rest of the butter and the mayonnaise on one side and the Halal pâté, if using, on the other. Add the cucumber, 2 tbsp of pickle each, the chicken, herbs and spring onions, then the chilli, crispy shallots and pepper.

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Banh mi' (carrot and daikon pickled in rice wine vinegar and sugar, chicken thighs marinated in soy, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, honey, lemongrass, garlic, chilli, red onion and sesame oil, roasted then glazed in the reduced marinade, and served in baguettes with butter, mayonnaise, coarse pâté, cucumber, herbs, spring onion, chilli and crispy shallots). We specified Halal chicken and replaced its 8 tsp of coarse pâté, which it doesn't name, with Halal chicken liver pâté or none. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Banh mi — BBC Good Food Retrieved:

    Makes 2: carrot and daikon pickle (125 ml rice wine vinegar, 125 g sugar), 400 g chicken thighs marinated in soy, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, honey, lemongrass, garlic, chilli, red onion and sesame oil, roasted 25–30 minutes at 180°C (160°C fan) then glazed; baguettes with butter, mayonnaise, 8 tsp coarse pâté, cucumber, herbs, spring onions, chilli and crispy shallots. We specified Halal chicken and replaced the pâté.

  2. Banh mi analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    Filling, pâté and slicer checks for banh mi.

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