Grilled Chicken Banh Mi with Red Gold Sriracha Aioli

Red Gold wants to know: "How do you aioli?"

The fun folks over at Red Gold have recently launched a Facebook contest to encourage you to get creative and turn their canned tomatoes into a delicious aioli. For those of you less familiar, aioli is basically mayonnaise kicked up several notches with the addition of different ingredients and, in this case, tomatoes! Red Gold has come up with a series of 10 different aioli recipes utilizing their Petite Diced Tomatoes + Mayonnaise + different ingredients that you can use on sandwiches, tacos, burgers, or anywhere else that would benefit from a punch of flavor! The flavor combos vary from savory pesto to spicy green chili to simple and flavorful garlic, which means the recipe possibilities are endless. So, head on over to their Facebook page (through May 28) for your chance to win a $225 aioli party prize pack, but first scroll down for a delicious recipe using Red Gold's spicy Sriracha Aioli!

When I was going through these aioli recipes I had tons of ideas in my head (including a great burger I have coming your way soon!), but the Sriracha Aioli recipe really caught my eye. I love the sweet spicy flavor of sriracha and combined with cool lime flavor, Red Gold Tomatoes, and creamy mayo I knew that this spread would be a winner. I also knew that it would be the perfect complement to a chicken banh mi. A banh mi is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich and one of my favorite versions includes chicken, tangy slaw, and a lot of heat, so I did my best to recreate it at home and not to toot my own horn (toot toot), but I knocked this one out of the park!

The best thing about these sandwiches? They're actually really simple. I started by making a quick pickled mixture of carrots and radishes and then followed by grilling chicken breasts seasoned with fragrant Chinese Five Spice. A lightly toasted sandwich roll is layered with the spicy and tangy Red Gold sriracha aioli, thinly sliced cucumbers, the sliced spiced grilled chicken, pickled veggies, and a little fresh cilantro and that's it! A perfectly balanced, incredibly flavorful, and shockingly easy sandwich. These sandwiches are full of fresh and light ingredients, but are also super satisfying. It made a really easy weeknight dinner with no side dishes necessary. My kind of meal!


Ingredients:

For the aioli--

• 1 (14.5-oz.) can Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 Tbs. sriracha
• Juice and zest of 1 lime

For the sandwiches--

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 4 radishes, cut into matchsticks
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbs. seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 sub rolls or mini baguettes
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 3/4 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 Tbs. canola oil
• 1/2 medium cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
• 1 Tbs. fresh cilantro leaves

In a small mixing bowl, combine Red Gold tomatoes, mayonnaise, sriracha, lime juice, and zest. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until sandwiches are ready to assemble.

In a shallow dish, combine carrots, radishes, lime juice, vinegar, and salt. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Slice the rolls lengthwise, leaving them connected by about a 1/2 inch of bread so that the top and bottom are still connected. Toast the rolls in the oven for about 5-7 minutes until lightly toasted, but not browned. Remove and set aside.

Season chicken breasts on both sides with Chinese Five Spice, salt, and pepper. Drizzle lightly with oil. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and grill 5-6 minutes on each side or until cooked through and the juices run clear. Remove from grill and allow the chicken to cool for about 5 minutes. Cut each chicken breast against the grain into 3/4-inch slices.

Spread the aioli mixture on the insides of both sides of each roll. On each roll, add one layer of sliced cucumbers, a second layer of the grilled chicken slices, and top with the carrots and radish mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve.

Editor's Note: Products were provided to me by Red Gold at no cost. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.