Smashed Bahn Mi Tacos
Prep Time: 20 Mins | Cook Time: 5 Mins | Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken
6-8 small flour tortillas
2 carrots, grated
1 stalk (or 2 Tbs) lemongrass, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1 Persian cucumber, deseeded and sliced into thin spears
1 bunch mint, roughly chopped
½ bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 ½ tsp sugar, divided
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbs reduced sodium fish sauce
1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tsp Sriracha chili sauce

Directions

1. Add vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, and salt to grated carrots. Stir to combine and set aside to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

2. Prep the veggies (green onions, garlic, lemongrass, cucumber, herbs, limes) and Sriracha mayo and set aside.

3. Place ground chicken in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add whites of sliced onion, minced garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, and ½ tsp sugar (optional). Mix with hands until well combined, then form mixture into 6-8 equally sized balls. Place chicken balls on parchment paper lined baking sheet.

4. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Using a spatula, smash each chicken ball onto one side of the tortilla and spread into a thin layer. Place tortilla, chicken side down, into the pan and allow to cook until the meat is golden brown and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Flip onto tortilla side and cook until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Remove tortillas from heat and transfer to a plate.

5. Top each taco with Sriracha mayo, pickled carrots, veggies, herbs and a squeeze of lime. Serve and enjoy!

Tips

• Substitute ground pork for the chicken if you prefer.

• For a plant-based alternative, sauteed tofu (marinated with fish sauce, garlic, green onion, salt and sugar) would also work great with these flavors, but would not “smash” as well.

• Reduce the amount of added sugar and salt for the pickled carrots if using seasoned rice vinegar. White vinegar would also work well if rice vinegar is unavailable.

• Swap in corn tortillas for a reduced sodium count.

• Use prechopped lemongrass from the tube if you cannot find fresh.

• Keep fresh toppings separate from warm ingredients until ready to serve.

Nutrition: Serving size: 2 tacos, Calories: 440 kcals, Total Fat: 20.5 g, Sat Fat: 3.5 g, Sodium: 1053 mg, Carb: 34 g, Fiber: 2.5 g, Protein: 28 g