isithalal.food · Recipes

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.

Vietnamese · Main · Moderate · 2 baguettes · 245 min

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.

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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.

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.

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

Sandwiches

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

Allergens

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

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.

Photograph from our ingredient library: a banh mi, not the finished dish.