Banh Mi Bowls

These Banh Mi Bowls are an iconic twist on a traditional banh mi sandwich, featuring savory ground chicken, hot rice, pickled carrots, crisp vegetables and a homemade spicy mayo sauce!

The Best Banh Mi Bowls Recipe

If you have ever had a banh mi sandwich, you know that it is a flavorful Vietnamese sandwich with salty meat and lots of pickled vegetables that makes it irresistible! These banh mi bowls are based on the flavors and components of traditional Vietnamese bánh mí!

It starts with savory, flavorful ground chicken. You can use ground pork if you prefer, but ground chicken is a leaner option! Then I build a bowl with piping hot rice, pickled carrots, and fresh veggies and herbs with a homemade spicy mayo to top it all off. These bowls are perfect for an easy lunch or dinner option and I love to prep these ahead of time for meal prep!

Ingredients Needed

For the Chicken

• Olive Oil: Since ground chicken is low in fat, use a little olive oil in the pan first!
• Ground Chicken: You can use ground chicken or ground pork here, whichever you prefer.
• Ginger & Garlic: Provides flavor and aroma!
• Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: Just like the name implies, this is a sweet, slightly spicy sauce that will add a lot of flavor to the chicken.
• Soy Sauce: This will act as the salt here and provide a deep flavor!
• Basil: Freshly chopped basil.
• Fish Sauce: For extra umami flavor.
• Sesame Oil: For a slightly nutty flavor that balances everything out.

Pickled Carrots

• Carrots: You can use shredded carrots or cut up the carrots into matchsticks.
• Rice Wine Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar adds an acidic flavor but isn’t as sharp as white vinegar!
• Sugar & Salt: Both sugar and salt balance out the flavors of the vinegar.

For the Bowls

• Rice: I like to use long grain white rice. You can use whatever rice you prefer here, or even quinoa!
• Cucumber: Sliced into thin rounds.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds a nice herby flavor.
• Green Onions: Chopped green onions add a bit of crunch!
• Sesame Seeds: I like to garnish banh mi bowls with sesame seeds!
• Spicy Mayo: To make your own easy spicy mayo, just whisk together mayonnaise, sesame oil and sriracha!

How to Make Banh Mi Bowls

1. Cook the Chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in chicken and cook until no longer pink, a couple minutes. Stir in ginger and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add Sauces: Stir in the sweet chili sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce and soy sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the basil. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the banh mi bowls.

3. Pickle the Carrots: Add the carrots, rice vinegar, sugar and salt to a small bowl. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Strain the pickling liquid onto the cooked white rice to flavor it and toss to coat.

4. Make Spicy Mayo: Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

5. Assemble the Bowls: Divide the chicken, rice, carrots and cucumber between the four bowls. Drizzle the spicy mayo and top with fresh cilantro, green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Tips for success

• Don’t skip the quick pickling process! The pickled carrots give these bowls a true banh mi flavor, since banh mi is known for having pickled vegetables. It is super easy to quickly pickle carrots, so don’t skip it!
• If you like spicy, feel free to add fresh jalapeños on top or add them to the pickling liquid with the carrots!
• If you don’t have fish sauce on hand, you can omit it. However, it does add a lovely umami flavor!
• Feel free to substitute the soy sauce for coconut aminos as a low sodium option.

More Healthy Bowls to Try

• Spicy Tuna Bowls
• Greek Chicken Bowls
• Salmon Sushi Bowls
• Chicken Burrito Bowls
• Burger in a Bowl