Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Sandwiches

• Recipe by Marcia Kiesel

The Vietnamese accents here come from Sriracha (Southeast Asian chile sauce) and sweet-salty pickled onions.

Ingredients

1. 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
3. 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, plus more for spreading
4. 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
5. 2 carrots, halved crosswise and thinly sliced lengthwise
6. 1/2 cup pickled cocktail onions, halved, plus 1/4 cup of the pickling liquid from the jar
7. One 10-ounce baguette, split lengthwise and toasted
8. Sriracha or other hot sauce, for spreading
9. 1 Kirby cucumber, very thinly sliced lengthwise
10. Cilantro sprigs

Directions

1. In a bowl, toss the chicken with the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and the shallot. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix the carrots with the pickled onions and their liquid and let stand for 1 hour.
3. Heat a grill pan. Grill the chicken and shallot slices over high heat until charred and the chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
4. Spread mayonnaise on the cut sides of the baguette, then spread with Sriracha. On the bottom half, layer the carrots, onions and cucumber, then top with the chicken and shallots. Lay cilantro sprigs over the chicken and close the sandwich. Cut crosswise into 6 pieces and serve.