Juicy soy and pineapple grilled chicken tops a crunchy baguette with quick pickled veggies. Sure to be a make ahead staple!
Top Chef is one of my all time favorite shows. Of course, I always have my armchair opinions of what the chefs create, but I love when we are given the opportunity to try their recipes. When I saw Sheldon Simeon’s recipes for Huli Huli Chicken Wings, I knew I had to try it. The described sweet/umami flavor of the homemade teriyaki-esq pineapple BBQ sauce was something I knew my family would enjoy. With some alteration.
Let’s talk about this Sandwhich
We don’t eat a lot of chicken wings in our house, it just is not a protein I grew up eating or am familiar with cooking. I opted to make the marinade and cook chicken breasts instead. Chicken thighs would have been my top pick, but my husband is not a fan of dark meat. So chicken breasts it is. I cut the chicken breasts in half-length wise and pounded them flat with the back of a pot before placing the chicken in the marinade. This technique creates a faster cook time and hopefully a better surface area to marinade ratio for our chicken.
After bathing in the marinated for over 5 hours, my husband grilled up our chicken, and we had it for dinner. Honestly, this may be my go-to chicken recipe. The sugars of the pineapple juice and brown sugar in the marinade caramelized on the grill, giving the best crunch. On its own, my husband declared he needed a dipping sauce for the chicken. We had friends over, and I am pleased to say that the chicken was happily devoured by over 5 children, ages 18 months to 9 years old! A true testament to the flavor.
But what does this have to do with a sandwich? The next day, we had leftover chicken. Of course, we could just nuke the chicken in the microwave and call it good. Or I could use up some veggies dying a slow death in the fridge and some pantry ingredients to make lunch special. Grabbing some vinegar and sugar, i whipped up a quick pickling solution and pickled some carrots and red onion. The sweetness of the carrots and onion with the tart flavor of the brine are the perfect complement to the savory sweet of the huli huli chicken.
This is where I confess I have never had a Bahn mi sandwich. So for me to say this is Bahn mi inspired feels….inaccurate. More like, this is what imagine a Bahn mi may taste like? There are multiple restaurants around Colorado springs that make them, I really need to get out there one day. Anyway. After making the pickled veggies, I grabbed a chewy baguette and some Kewpie Mayo and Sriracha. Drizzling a little of each on the bread, I topped my sandwich with the chicken, carrots, onions and cilantro.
But before we make the sandwich, we have to make the chicken.
Making the Chicken *Warning, raw chicken photos below*
If you use chicken breasts, lay your chicken breast on a cutting board, lay your non-dominant hand on top, and hold the chicken down while you slide a large chef’s knife through, length wise. I did take a picture of this, and it was as ugly as you can imagine. Cooking is not always pretty, so see a picture of my halved chicken breasts in a dish below. FULL disclosure, the picture below are from when I tested cooking the chicken in a pan, vs on a grill. My 10 month old was screaming while I did this, and I forgot to flatten the chicken. That’s real life for you.
I am so sorry to show you raw chicken on Al Gore’s internet. Normally I would also remove the lingering skin and fat, but my baby was screaming. However, at least you can see how the chicken was halved lengthwise.
Slap those chicken breasts into a dish or plastic bag, whatever you want to marinade your chicken in, then cover with the marinade. Hopefully this picture is less offensive.
After marinading, place a large cast iron pan over medium high heat to cook the chicken. Using butter, cook the chicken in batches about 5 minutes per side. With flattened chicken, 2 minutes per side would have worked. Make sure to check and ensure your chicken is cooked through!
The pineapple juice and brown sugar caramelize just as well in a hot pan as they do on the grill. Love putting the chicken into fried rice as well!
Whether you grill the chicken or cook it on the stove top, this salty sweet huli huli chicken is sure to satisfy!
Having a BBQ?
Check out my Soy Marinated Deviled Eggs as an appetizer!
Have you had Huli Huli Chicken before? What about a Bahn Mi? Let me know in the comments below!
PrintHuli Huli Chicken Sandwich (Hawaiian Inspired Grilled Chicken Sandwich)
Savory sweet chicken tops a chewy baguette with zesty, pickled carrots, red onions and cilantro. Kewpie mayo and sriracha pump up the flavor to make this sandwich one to remember!
- Prep Time: Minimum 2 hours to marinade
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 3 Sandwiches 1x
Ingredients
Huli Huli Chicken
- 1 20 ounce Can Pineapple chunks in pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup Ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- Salt and Pepper
Pickled Vegetables
- 4 Carrots
- 1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 pounds chicken breasts
For the Huli Huli Chicken Sandwich
- 1 Baguette
- 2 Tablespoons Kewpie Mayo
- 1 Teaspoon Sriracha
- Huli Huli Chicken
- Pickled Vegetables
- Cilantro
- Pick
Instructions
Begin with the chicken marinade:
Add the pineapple chunks and pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, chicken broth, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sriracha to a blender or food processor. Blend for about 30 seconds, or until the pineapple chunks are broken down and all ingredients are combined.
Trim the fat off of the chicken breasts and cut in half long ways. To do so, place your chicken breast on a cutting board, and place one hand flat against the top of the chicken. Holding the chicken in place this way, slide a sharp chef’s knife between through the middle of the chicken breast, splitting the breast in half. Halve all of the chicken breasts. Place the halves between plastic wrap or in a plastic bag and pound flat with a meat mallet, or in my case, the bottom of a small pot. Put the now flattened chicken in a plastic bag or baking dish and cover the chicken with the marinade. Marinade for a minimum of two hours, up to overnight.
Make the pickled vegetables:
Mix the water, white vinegar, rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook for two minutes to make the brine.
Wash the carrots thoroughly, then peel the carrots. Using a cheese grater, shred the carrots finely using the larger side of the grater. Thinly slice the red onions into rings, then cut the rings in half into half-moon shapes. Place the prepared veggies into a glass bowl or jar (I used Tupperware) and cover with the brine. Put into the fridge for at least two hours.
Cook the Chicken
Grilling: Remove the chicken from the marinade. Grill over medium high heat for 5 to six minutes per side, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 F.
On the Stove: Place a large pan on the large burner and set the heat to medium high. Melt two tablespoons of butter or canola oil in the pan. Remove your chicken from the marinade and place into the pan. You should hear a nice sizzle. Cook for 6 minutes per side, until a meat thermometer reads 165F.
Assemble your Sandwich
Chop your cooked chicken into bite size pieces. Cut a baguette into thirds. Then slice on third of the baguette in half, sandwich style. Add kewpie mayo and sriracha to your taste, topping with the chopped chicken. Take your pickled carrots and onion, gently draining with your fork so your sandwich does not get soggy. Top the chicken with the veggies and some well washed, chopped cilantro. Eat!
Notes
**I like the chicken served cold on the sandwich, making this an awesome make ahead meal for lunch prep and parties! Make the chicken no more than two days in advance. Keep in the refrigerator tightly sealed in a bag or container. The pickled veggies should be good in the fridge for up to a week!
