About 10 years ago, my family and I took a month-long trip throughout the entire country of Vietnam.  When we made it to Da Nang to stay with my grandma, my cousin often took me to get a snack at the nearest chicken sandwich vendor.  It’s so fun eating in Vietnam – everywhere you go, you have street vendors selling small portions of all kinds of goodies.  One sandwich I was hooked on was this interpretation of the sandwich I always ate in Da Nang – I was badly craving it one time that my cousin snuck out and got us a few before dinner.  We got in trouble by my aunt, of course, because we ruined our appetites, but they were oh, so good!  The chili-garlic mayo and the cilantro are a must in this sammy…I think back in the day the vendor made these with kaiser rolls or some other soft white roll, but I substitute it here with whole-wheat hamburger buns.  I can’t believe that after 10 years, I’m craving them still!

Da Nang-Style Chicken Sandwich

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

12.5 oz canned chunk chicken breast, packed in water and drained (easy and quick alternative to poaching then shredding your chicken breast if you’re in a hurry like I am!)

3/4 tsp sugar

1 tsp black pepper

Salt to taste (I didn’t use any because the chicken was also packed in broth, already adding some salt to it)

For the chili-garlic mayo (ESSENTIAL in this sandwich that we had!)

2 Tbsp fat-free mayo

1 1/2 tsp chili-garlic sauce

4 whole-wheat hamburger buns

4 handfuls of cilantro leaves

1.  In a medium-sized skillet, heat the olive oil over med-high heat.  After a couple minutes, add the yellow onion and garlic.  Sautee and stir around for about another 2 minutes, until slightly softened.  Add the drained chicken breast.  Break up the chunks with a spatula and sautee well.  Add the sugar, black pepper, and salt if needed.  Continue stirring until the mixture is slightly browned, about another 5-6 minutes.

2.  To make the chili-garlic mayonnaise, simply combine the chili-garlic sauce and mayo.

3.  Assemble: Spread a thin layer of the chili-garlic mayonaisse on one side of the hamburger bun.  Add about 3 ounces of the chicken mixture, top with cilantro leaves, and top with the other half of the bun.  Serve!