Active time: 20 minutes Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

These easy Vietnamese-inspired baguette sandwiches feature high-protein chicken, gut-friendly fermented veggies and they travel well. Stuffed with marinated chicken breast, pickled carrots and daikon and topped with mounds of herbs and zippy, Sriracha-spiked vegan mayonnaise, they’re perfect for your lunch box — and hearty enough for dinner, too. If you’re in a hurry, use pulled rotisserie chicken and ready-made pickled carrots and daikon (available at Asian markets).

Chicken Bahn Mi Sandwiches

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 1 pound (454g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
  • 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the pickled carrots and daikon

  • 1 cup (100g) carrots, grated or julienned
  • 1/2 cup (57g) daikon radish, grated or julienned
  • 4 tablespoons (60g) unseasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha

For the sandwiches

  • 1/4 cup (58g) vegan mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha
  • 1 baguette loaf (227g), halved lengthwise and cut into quarters
  • 1/2 cup (75g) cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup (15g) cilantro or fresh mint, stems discarded

Directions

In a small non-reactive bowl or zip-top bag, combine the chicken and marinade ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Meanwhile, toss the carrots, daikon, vinegar, sugar, fish sauce and Sriracha together. Refrigerate in an airtight container for 1 hour or up to 1 week.

Preheat grill pan or gas grill over medium heat. Place the chicken on the grill, discard the marinade. Cover and grill until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes per side. Place on cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and Sriracha. Spread evenly inside the baguette pieces. Drain the carrot-daikon pickles. Stuff the sandwiches with the chicken, pickles, cucumber and herbs. Serve.

Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1 sandwich (2 ounces baguette, 4 ounces chicken, 1 1/4 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1/3 cup carrot-daikon pickles, 2 tablespoons cucumber, 2 tablespoons herbs)

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 381; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 76mg; Sodium: 605mg; Carbohydrate: 23g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 4g; Protein: 35g